What's your favorite WWI Movie?

[Duce Lewis]

Wings

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncds5OVI75Y&feature=related

Hell's Angels - Pardon the Corny Music

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaKqZkptIyI&feature=PlayList&p=25196604A7581C1F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=9

Dawn Patrol

 

The Blue Max

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy4e0P6DNWw

Ace High

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T4yK0SB7UE

Flyboys

The Red Baron

Edited July 20, 2009 by Duce Lewis

[Duce Lewis]

Here's my list;

1) Dawn Patrol - Only one I think got right in all aspects

2) The Blue Max - Great aerial scenes, not so fond of the ground scenes

3) Hell's Angels - Great fight scene at the end but you have to suffer through a lot of corny screenplay

4) Flyboys - Actually very good on the ground, nice aircraft, but the fight scenes were pretty awful

 

Haven't seen the other 3 but they look worth watching

[SGCSG1]

I'm still waiting for the 'Red Baron' to get its U.S. release on dvd.

 

And waiting, and waiting.....

[Dej]

Had to go for 'Dawn Patrol' in the end. Wouldn't want to lose any of the others though, there are too few as it is and each has its own scene or aspect to commend it. 'Aces High' and 'Hell's Angels' a close second. I'm sure 'Aces High' as available now though has had a bunch of stuff cut from it that I remember being in it when I saw it at the cinema as a kid.

 

Now, I can't imagine why you left 'Von Richthofen & Brown' out of the list!

[Duce Lewis]

Now, I can't imagine why you left 'Von Richthofen & Brown' out of the list!

Well this is only for run o' the mill WWI Flicks

Can't have cinemtic classics like "Von Richtoven and Brown" scooping up all the votes you know

[Creaghorn]

1. aces high for plot and acting.

malcolm mcdowell and the young guy. you can really see the stage education.

 

2. hells angels for the best and most realistic fighting scenes.

all with real aircraft and real WW1 veterans without the choreographic look and the fear of getting hurt. in fact 3 people died during the making.

 

3. blue max. somewhat ok fighting scenes, but a good storyline and a very good george peppard

 

4. dawn patrol. good acting from errol flynn and david niven.

 

5. wings. haven't seen it, yet, but i'm sure it's better than flyboys or red baron.

 

6. the red baron. because you can see albs in action and because the airfield scenes are nice to watch. but otherwise what a waste of potential and opportunity.

 

7. flyboys because there are many flightscenes (though nonsense and arcadish). but the cliches in the movie are even for hollywood too much. most of all the evil germans with no mimics at all. the main actors are very heroic and if they die, they die like heroes. the germans who die, mostly die like cowards or are screaming like women. maybe that would fit the old american western movies from the 40's and 50's, but at the time the movie was made they should have known better.

[Olham]

Voted for "Blue Max", although "The Red Baron" wasn't bad. But I don't know "Dawn Patrol" yet - shame.

[Winston DoRight]

The Red Baron-2008 for technical achievement. If the sloppy love story was replaced with more flight....... well that would have been epic!

[Olham]

If the sloppy love story was replaced with more flight....... well that would have been epic!

 

Yes, I wished they had made that film as about other Jasta boys, and with more flight!

I still hope, that Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong), a big WW1 aviation fan, will make a

really epic work about that time. Showing all the various mission types and craft, and aces from all sides.

[Duce Lewis]

7. flyboys because there are many flightscenes (though nonsense and arcadish). but the cliches in the movie are even for hollywood too much. most of all the evil germans with no mimics at all. the main actors are very heroic and if they die, they die like heroes. the germans who die, mostly die like cowards or are screaming like women. maybe that would fit the old american western movies from the 40's and 50's, but at the time the movie was made they should have known better.

Creaghorn, what's seems weird to me is that they seemed to realize this when they made the movie

As if to counter the evil dark knight, they added the good knight (forget his name)

He was the most chivalrus flyer, letting Rawlings go when his gun jammed

It would have ben much better if they had shown the same complexity of character on both sides

 

UncleAl, yeah, I liked the ammo scene, the training equipment, crashing the strutter in training, some of the scenes in the canteen

But once off the ground...

[Creaghorn]

Creaghorn, what's seems weird to me is that they seemed to realize this when they made the movie

As if to counter the evil dark knight, they added the good knight (forget his name)

He was the most chivalrus flyer, letting Rawlings go when his gun jammed

It would have ben much better if they had shown the same complexity of character on both sides

 

UncleAl, yeah, I liked the ammo scene, the training equipment, crashing the strutter in training, some of the scenes in the canteen

But once off the ground...

 

probably. what i never liked about most hollywood movies is there is only good and evil. the bad guys are always evil. you can see it from the first moment who's evil. and they know they are evil.

i like movies where everybody thinks about himself beeing the good guy and the others beeing the bad guys because of different points of view or just beeing on the other side. that's how real life is. only view movies falling to my mind where good and evil is really close. godfather e.g.

[Bullethead]

My favorite WW1 movie is "Sergeant York", but it wasn't on the list

[JohnGresham]

In no particular order, my favourites are:

 

Blue Max

Aces High

All Quiet on the western front

The Big Parade

King and Country

Paths of Glory

Regeneration

[Waldemar Kurtz]

"Lawrence of Arabia"... oops, I guess that wasn't on the list!

[Duce Lewis]

My favorite WW1 movie is "Sergeant York", but it wasn't on the list

Sorry, only looking at WWI Aerial Movies this time

Sgt York, Lawrence, & All Quiet are some of my favorites too

But if you like Gary Cooper, he's in Wings

...I was surprized when I saw him in one of the Trailers

[Check Six]

I was SO going to post the same as Bullethead and Waldemar Kurtz. Lawrence of Arabia is my favourite WW1 movie. His book "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is an extraordinary work...even more so as the original draft and notes was left on a train, and he re-wrote it hurriedly from memory. Unbelievable.

I like the individual stories in war too, hence the charm of Sgt York, and my fondness for it.

 

I haven't seen it YET (soon..next month), but Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson has made a short film with lots of replica Se5a's etc that is used as background for the Australian War Memorial's "Over The Front" exhibition. I've heard it's "gobsmackingly brilliant". Peter is a member of our society, and an avid WW1 aviation enthusiast. He commissions replicas to be built, and donates them to flying museums etc like Omaka Warbirds. But they're ON LOAN. I'm sure he will ask for them back to make THE definitive WW1 aviation film. He is a complete stickler for detail in every way, and everything he does is historically correct. I can't wait!

[MikeDixonUK]

My favorite has to be Aces High, if only for the fact that at the start of the film Malcolm McDowell says something along the lines of "Dixon went down but I think he's alright", as Dixon is my surname and I usualy fly an SE5 in OFF.

[Hauksbee]

...what i never liked about most hollywood movies is there is only good and evil....you can see it from the first moment who's evil. and they know they are evil.

I could not agree more. Stories could be much improved by making the characters conflicted about the right course of action. When you pit a crusty old professor type [with a cute girl lab assistant] against a rabid General who believes major firepower is the only way...guess who's the good guy, and who not? Once, back in the day, I was taken to an acting seminar. Each person did a short monolog which was then critiqued by the visiting Prof. One student, who acted a villain's part, was asked what he thought of his character. The student replied, 'He's a pretty bad guy." The Prof. came back with "That's your mistake. Villains always think they have it right. The worst things are done by people who think their actions are pure, or reasonable." Sometimes, the rabid General is right. Sometimes wrong. But there's no reason to let the audience know that too soon.

[RAF_Louvert]

Dej wrote:

Had to go for 'Dawn Patrol' in the end. Wouldn't want to lose any of the others though, there are too few as it is and each has its own scene or aspect to commend it. 'Aces High' and 'Hell's Angels' a close second. I'm sure 'Aces High' as available now though has had a bunch of stuff cut from it that I remember being in it when I saw it at the cinema as a kid.

 

Now, I can't imagine why you left 'Von Richthofen & Brown' out of the list!

 

 

"Dawn Patrol" for me as well, though I like them all. And I'm also surprised not to see vR&B is not in the running. It's such a classic.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[Bullethead]

In no particular order, my favourites are:

...

Paths of Glory

...

 

Yeah, that too! I couldn't remember the name. Pour encouragement les outres :).

[Creaghorn]

I could not agree more. Stories could be much improved by making the characters conflicted about the right course of action. When you pit a crusty old professor type [with a cute girl lab assistant] against a rabid General who believes major firepower is the only way...guess who's the good guy, and who not? Once, back in the day, I was taken to an acting seminar. Each person did a short monolog which was then critiqued by the visiting Prof. One student, who acted a villain's part, was asked what he thought of his character. The student replied, 'He's a pretty bad guy." The Prof. came back with "That's your mistake. Villains always think they have it right. The worst things are done by people who think their actions are pure, or reasonable." Sometimes, the rabid General is right. Sometimes wrong. But there's no reason to let the audience know that too soon.

 

that's exactly what i mean. in real most people are considering himself as beeing the guy who's doing the right thing. bin laden and george bush where standing in front of their mirror, saying to themselves "i'am the good guy".

everybody who is doing things, thinks about himself beeing the good guy and the others are evil. but mostly in movies you know immediately who is the villain. of course they do evil things. look evil, speak evil, treat people bad...

that's good for star wars or lord of the rings or any b-movie with michael dudikoff.

godfather or pulp fiction is a good example that it can be done without the black or white thing. the audience decides who is a good or a bad guy.

or war movies. germans were shown beeing evil, japanese beeing evil... but rarely, at least in earlier times, enemies of the moviemaking country (mostly usa of course because they make the most movies) are shown as soldiers only doing their duty, having family at home and a normal life. a lot of european movies are also better in that case. at least french and british movies (though "das boot" is one of the best made by germans).

 

sorry for getting off topic again .

 

back to topic.

yeah, aces high is very good...

[633squad]

Hello.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Baron-DVD-Tom%...5737&sr=8-1

 

I like the box art, reminds me a bit of this:

 

 

http://www.moviegoods.com/large_detail.asp...0502.1020.A.jpg

 

Cheers

 

633

[UK_Widowmaker]

Aces high..it just pipped The Blue Max as my favourite

[Snoopy syndrome]

The Red Baron (aka Von Richthofen and Brown) 1971, is my favorite.

 

Characters are almost credibles and flying shots not too bad...except from the fact that german pilots are firing their MG by acting directly on the breech ! Very depreciative for germans enginers who have made the best yoke mounted triggers of all WW1 (even throttle was on the yoke).

 

Just seen Red Baron 2008...planes moved like plastic toys!

This excepted, i wouldn't say its worst than Flyboys.

[Olham]

Didn't you mix it up, Snoopy? The planes in Flyboys move unbelievable - most flying scenes in Red Baron

where pretty good (except that steep Albatros dive - that was b******t).

 

And with "Von Richthofen and Brown, I'm afraid you'll remain lonely here. I saw it in the seventies, but

have forgotten, how it was. Most here didn't like it.