What are some good WW2 POW movies

From: Marc Reeve
Date: 8/9/2004 6:47 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

B2431 wrote:

From: "Richard Johnson"
Date: 8/8/2004 4:32 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

To be honest, I prefer reading biographies and autobiographies as well as a
good factual histories on WW2 (and other topics).

But once and a while you just want to kick back and watch a good war movie,
despite non-historical motivations and distortion of the truth. With the
Great Escape, I got out Brickhill's book, an autobiography by Jerry Sage,
and a few other histories of the real Great Escape and watched the movie
with an informed background, and tried to tie in all the amalgamated
characters. The fact that Wally Floody was the technical advisor for the
film helped push its authenticity. But, even still, personalities like
Steve
McQueen forced some distortion of the facts. But, at least the famed
motorcycle chase made the film a little more attractive to the younger
crowds, and if it takes a little stretching of the truth to interest people
in such historical events, perhaps even getting them to read more, then I
think it is worth the price.


In fact while the Yanks helped dig the tunnels they were no longer in the
camp
at the time of the break out. The mass shootings near the end were a
simplification. The 50 were murdered in 2s and 3s.

They (Yanks) were still in the camp but they had been moved to a
separate compound.
--
Marc Reeve

I stand corrected. I read Brickhill's book years ago and I forgot that point.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

"A Man Escaped", (English title) 1957
"French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and
devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same
day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or
risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer?"

It's basically one long escape sequence--the suspence is incredible; the title
does not give it away, because there's a choice involved.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 02:35:34 GMT, Andrew Chaplin
wrote:

[stuff snipped]


A different take on being a "prisoner" in wartime is Sidney Lumet's
"The Hill", with Sean Connery, Michael Redgrave, Harry Andrews and
Ossie Davis in a British desert "glass house".

That's a great film.

Another POW film is "The McKenzie Break", with a murderous U-boat crew
plotting to break out of a POW camp in Scotland, and their commander
(Helmut Griem) matching wills with the investigating Irish officer
played by Brian Keith.

John Hairell )

"John Kunkel" wrote:

"Richard Johnson" wrote in message
. ..
OK, I've seen Stalag 17, The Great Escape, and Hart's War. I thoroughly
enjoyed the first two, read up on the facts and researched the background
to
the movies. Hart's War I thought was well written for the suspense and
subplots, except for the ending and some historical liberties, it was OK.

What other movies of similiar genre are out there? That are worth
watching?

Probably not considered a POW movie but of the same genre, try Paradise
Road; women in a Japanese internment camp.

What about Von Ryan's Express? Typical melodrama I know, but still very well
done. Of course there's Bridge Over the River Kwai--and in that same vein, the
more modern Empire of the Sun and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

Stephen "FPilot" Bierce/IPMS #35922
{Sig Quotes Removed on Request}

"John Kunkel" wrote in message
news:Es8Sc.262851$JR4.110634@attbi_s54...

"Richard Johnson" wrote in message
.. .
OK, I've seen Stalag 17, The Great Escape, and Hart's War. I thoroughly
enjoyed the first two, read up on the facts and researched the
background
to
the movies. Hart's War I thought was well written for the suspense and
subplots, except for the ending and some historical liberties, it was
OK.

What other movies of similiar genre are out there? That are worth
watching?


Not quite a movie (a television mini-series) but "A Town Like Alice" from
the novel by Neville Shute (Neville Shute Norway).

Tex

"Tex Houston" wrote in message
...




Not quite a movie (a television mini-series) but "A Town Like Alice" from
the novel by Neville Shute (Neville Shute Norway).


There was a movie version made in 1956 starring Virginia
McKenna and Peter Finch, I believe the title was changed
to The Rape of Malaya for the US release.

Keith

U¿ytkownik "Keith Willshaw" napisa³
w wiadomo¶ci ...

"Richard Johnson" wrote in message
.. .
OK, I've seen Stalag 17, The Great Escape, and Hart's War. I
thoroughly
enjoyed the first two, read up on the facts and researched the
background to
the movies. Hart's War I thought was well written for the suspense
and
subplots, except for the ending and some historical liberties, it
was OK.

What other movies of similiar genre are out there? That are worth
watching?

The Colditz Story has always been a favourite of mine.

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned 'The King of Rats' based on
Clavell's novell.

JasiekS
Warsaw, Poland

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 18:47:41 +0200, "JasiekS"
wrote:


I'm surprised that nobody mentioned 'The King of Rats' based on
Clavell's novell.

JasiekS

That would be "King Rat" and probably more than a little bit
biographical, since Clavell spent a little bit of time in Changi.

And, while we're in that region, how about "Bridge on the River Kwai"?



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
"Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights"
Both from Smithsonian Books
***www.thunderchief.org

In article , Ed Rasimus
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 18:47:41 +0200, "JasiekS"
wrote:


I'm surprised that nobody mentioned 'The King of Rats' based on
Clavell's novell.

JasiekS

That would be "King Rat" and probably more than a little bit
biographical, since Clavell spent a little bit of time in Changi.

And, while we're in that region, how about "Bridge on the River Kwai"?


"Bridge on the River Kwai" is one of the very, very few movies that I
considered better done than the book -- and it wasn't a bad book.

The most gut-wrenching movie of which I'm aware, which I can only watch
every several years, is "The Highest Honor". Let me simply say it was
based on historical incidents, and produced by a joint
Australian-Japanese company. Never was higher classic tragedy written
by any of the ancient Greek masters.

"13 Rue Madeleine"

Not all that historically accurate, but a good movie nevertheless was
"The Great Escape." I preferred the book of "Von Ryan's Express", but
it was a decent movie.