The Worst Movie

Peter's comment about the poor chances for an aviation "Private Ryan" is extremely acute. Since the essence of any fiction is conflict, and conflict in film requires communication between characters (it being extremely difficult to simulate narrative voice in film), it's hard to envision a WWI aviation script that wouldn't throw the picture out of whack every time it takes to the air. I've been wrestling with this problem for a while, because there's a WWI story I'd love to turn into a script, but I can't see any way around this problem. (Not yet, anyway.)

Actually the best line in the movie ZULU is when the sargeant says:

The British Army cannot afford two disasters in one day. It looks bad in the papers and upsets the civilians at tea.

or words to that effect.

Tobias

Change "tea" to "at their breakfast" and I think the quoate is right.

BTW the "Washings of the Spears" is a must read for anyone interesed in the colonial wars or the Zulu Nation.

It comes in second to my other all time favorite non-fiction war book, "Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer

Tobias

[Billy_Bishop]

First, The movie with Michael Caine (his very FIRST movie I might add) was called "ZULU".

Zulu Dawn was a Burt Lancaster vehicle which was supposed to tell the story of the massacre of the British at Isandhlwana, the battle that took place the morning of the same day as the attack on Rorke's Drift. Over 1,000 men were killed at Isandhlwana, one of the worst moments in British military history.

Yet, at Rorke's Drift, approximately 100 British soldiers held off 4000 Zulu warriors, one of the British Army's brightest spots, illuminated with the award of 11 VCs.

AND, the line from the movie about more than one disaster a day didn't involve any sergeants. It went like this

Mr. Witt (Swedish Missionary)played by Jack Hawkins:
"You will all be killed, like those this morning, and now the sick in their beds, all of you!"

Lt. Chard, RE, played by Stanley Baker:
"I don't think so Mr. Witt, the army doesn't like more than one disaster in a day."

Lt. Bromhead 1/24, played by Michael Caine:
"Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast."

I know, I have the whole thing, in letterbox format on video.

My vote for worst war movie actually involves just about any movie that found some trumped up reason to add romance on the battlefield. One of the classics in this is "ZERO HOUR" with Richard Conte. His love interest, a female UN representative, and who knows WHY she was there.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[leo]

I once saw a movie when I should have been out making sales calls for IBM. It was entitled, "FANNY HILL MEETS THE RED BARON". The airplane scenes were filmed or were purloined from Old Rheinbeck and were pretty good, as I recall. Fanny was a darling and while the story line was a bit contrived it was kind of neat. Has any other of the Forumites seen it?

I sort of liked "Memphis Belle" and "Zulu". The first part of Private Ryan was chilling , but after the landing scenes, I felt it lapsed pretty badly.

leo

I NEVER hear of THAT title before!!!! I about died laughing when I read that one!
Has anyone ever seen "Ace Eli and Roger of the Skies" ??

Friend Tobias: The things actors in movies say are made up by the writers, which is why war movies are no substitutes for reality. Those British troops were fighting for they lives, and they had no time for boon mots and witicisms. Get the book "The Washing of the Spears" which will put you in touch what these men said. I may be wrong but I do not recall any Welsh soldiers singing. Some people might say they sang "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition" but that song had nnnot yet been written.

They sang "Men of Harlech" in a stirring film sequence but in reality (given thirst, etc.) did not happen. In Morris' book the whole engagement seems to have gone on spasmodically during the day and night, rather than as episodically as the film depicted. Still an excellent film.

Zulu Dawn wasn't bad, apart from the "PC-isms" injected into the film "The final solution to the Zulu problem, etc."

Re: ANZACs, the aviation scene was a gem--what with an actual Sopwith Pup flying over. It's also sad but true that unless you taped it (AFN in Germany showed the whole thing) the US release video is a total waste of time as they cut a 6 hour mini-series into a 3 hour hodge-podge that can best be described as incoherent.

Billy H's comments about the behaviour of men in combat are well taken. But... the corpus of WWI memoirs contains plenty of examples of spontaneous wit in the course of battle. And eyewitness accounts of the first day of the Battle of the Somme record some behaviour that would be considered unbelievable if presented as fiction, such as the numerous Kitchener units that set out into no-man's land following a kicked football. (For that matter, the very existence of the "Pals" battalions was the kind of thing no script-writer would ever be allowed to invent.)

Billy H said:
[color=000080] Friend Tobias: The things actors in movies say are made up by the writers, which is why war movies are no substitutes for reality. Those British troops were fighting for they lives, and they had no time for boon mots and witicisms. Get the book "The Washing of the Spears" which will put you in touch what these men said. I may be wrong but I do not recall any Welsh soldiers singing. Some people might say they sang "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition" but that song had nnnot yet been written.

</font> <hr> Did we cop a little attitude, Billy?

First, As a veteran, and an adult, I think I can establish the difference between reality and a movie. This doesn't not take away from a well written line that indeed captures the attitude of the British Army at its height of colonialism.

Second, apparently you're just skimming or just looking for a fight, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, that I consider The "Washing of the Spears" to be the second best pece of non-fiction I've ever read (only surpassed by Guy Sajer's "Forgotten Sodier")

As for the singing, who gives a damn if the 24th Foot sang in real life or not. It's intent in the movie was to show that as the song goes "Welshmen Never Yield" or in short to convey the attiude of the British Army at this time.

The best thing about the movie is that it was well made about a real event and may get some people to actually look in to the real episode.

I can only assume that you must be a only combat vet on th elist , because it seems like you're the only one who knows anything about real combat around here.

Tobias