Paisan

Paisan (1946) starring Carmela Sazio, Gar Moore, Bill Tubbs, Harriet White, Maria Michi. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. This movie is one of Rossellini's neorealist films, which takes a look at conditions in Italy near the end of World War II. In this case, he looks at the Allied invasion of Italy, starting in Sicily and working its way up the peninsula. His object is to illustrate the problems that were caused when the liberators (mostly Americans who spoke only English) were unable to communicate effectively with the Italians they were liberating. My problem with this film is mainly that when the Americans spoke, their English was not subtitled, and I could rarely understand what they were saying. So I missed out on a large part of the movie. Nevertheless, there was enough that I could understand that I was able to get the gist of most of the scenes, and I really felt that this film had a lot to say. It's an episodic movie, told in six parts, and each part takes place a little further north in Italy. Some of the episodes were better than others, but in general they were very well done. The film is mostly in Italian, with English subtitles. Grade: A- 

The Bridge at Remagen

The Bridge at Remagen (1969) starring George Segal, Robert Vaughn, Ben Gazzara, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall. Near the end of World War II, the Germans are on the run, and only one bridge remains spanning the Rhine. It's the escape route for 75,000 German troops, but also an invasion route for Allied soldiers. Unfortunately, this movie never makes clear just exactly what all the fighting is about. Do we want to destroy the bridge, or preserve it? It's never made quite clear in the film, although historically the Allied armies went to great lengths to keep the Nazis from blowing up the span. The movie features lots of neat soldier action, with machine guns and tanks and explosions, but it lacks a coherent script that would explain why all the shooting is taking place. (The DVD does not offer English subtitles, but does have closed captions.) Grade: B-   

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) starring Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray. Famous anti-war movie tells World War I story from point of view of young German men, although they all speak English in the  movie. The film shows how grand patriotism contrasts with the realities of war and death, and how the young soldiers react to being placed in this new, stressful situation. Ayres, who stars as young soldier Paul, later became a pacifist and claimed conscientious objector status in World War II. The message of this movie is not dated, although the technology (quality of image and sound) is. (Subtitles for the hearing-impaired are available on the disc, although closed captions are not.) Grade: B+

Operation Crossbow

Operation Crossbow (1965) starring Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard, Tom Courtenay, Jeremy Kemp, Anthony Quayle, John Mills. During World War II, British agents parachute into Nazi-occupied Europe on a mission to stop the German V-1 rocket (flying bomb) project. At the last minute, the mission is canceled -- but not before two of the agents have already made the jump. Loren plays the ex-wife of one of the identities that has been assumed by one of the agents (Peppard). Although Loren gets top billing, her part is really rather small; in fact, she dies early in the film. The pyrotechnics are rather impressive, as the Germans progress past the V-1 to the V-2 rocket, and we see large sections  of London obliterated. Overall, however, the movie is rather fantastical and hard to believe. I don't think the bombing of the V-2 facility actually took place as represented in the movie. (Subtitles in English are available, as are closed captions.) Grade: B-   

Operation Pacific

Operation Pacific (1951) starring John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond. World War II submariner Duke Gifford (Wayne) is so dedicated to his career that he loses his wife (Neal). Four years after their divorce, they meet again on Pearl Harbor, and their "zing" is reignited. This movie contains lots of submarine action, and one of the major plot strands concerns torpedoes that hit enemy ships and don't explode. Wayne is in top form as a Navy man who is overzealous about his ship and tends to neglect his woman -- until he learns his lesson. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+ 

The Alamo

The Alamo (2004) starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Emilio Echeverria. In 1836, a small band of Texas patriots (about 200 defenders) fights an army of thousands of Mexicans in one of the pivotal battles of the war for Texan independence. Thornton is a standout as Davy Crockett, who finds he must live up to his legend even though he is only a man. The movie is well mounted, with convincing period detail. It also follows the general Sam Houston (Quaid) after the Alamo, as he uses the Alamo as a rallying cry to his army in a decisive battle with Mexican General Santa Anna and his army. It's a pretty good action flick, although I found it lacked immediacy and I found it hard to care about this battle fought in 1836. I can hardly imagine what the audience for this film would be. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B 

The Longest Day

The Longest Day (1962) starring John Wayne, Rod Steiger, Robert Ryan, Peter Lawford, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, many others. This World War II epic takes a sweeping view of June 6, 1944, the day of the Normandy invasion -- the day when the Allies finally struck back at Hitler's Germany and began the process of ending the war. Numerous well known actors and future stars appear, many of them in roles so brief that they can only be called cameos. The combat scenes are very effective, and in many cases you get the feeling of actually being there. For anyone who loves history, and especially the history of World War II, this is must-see viewing. Not necessarily a great movie, but definitely an epic. (Subtitles in English are available, as are closed captions.) Grade: A-  

Where Eagles Dare

Where Eagles Dare (1968) starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure. As World War II rages, a British commando unit, led by Burton, with Eastwood as the only American member of the team, parachutes into the Bavarian Alps to rescue a captured American general from a German fortress. Things start going wrong right from the start, and it soon becomes evident that this mission is not all it's cracked up to be. The movie is full of slam-bang action from start to finish, with scarcely ever a dull moment. It suffers only from the improbability factor -- the success of the mission is dependent on split-second timing and luck, and there's so much of it that it's just not believable. But that needn't stop you from enjoying this movie. Burton and Eastwood are real stars, and the film features top-notch  production values. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+

A Walk in the Sun

A Walk in the Sun (1945) starring Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Sterling Holloway, George Tyne, John Ireland. A platoon of American GIs land on the beach in Italy and commence to walk to a rendezvous point, a farm house six miles inland. The farm house is occupied by Germans, and the Americans must take it away from them and blow a nearby bridge. This is a fairly routine World War II combat action movie, but with lots of screen time devoted to developing the relationships among the men. It probably resonated a lot more strongly in 1945, when the film was released. (English subtitles are available on the disc.) Grade: B 

The Wackiest Ship in the Army

The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson. Set in 1943, this World War II tale involves Lt. Rip Crandall (Lemmon), who is assigned to take over a "ship" dubbed the Echo. Crandall has experience sailing yachts, which qualifies him to captain the Echo from Australia to a small island in the Pacific Ocean. From there he has to transport an Australian ship spotter into enemy territory in New Guinea. This movie is a fairly light-hearted story about sailors on a special mission during World War II. Nelson, as Crandall's second-in-command, even sings a song in the Officers' Club. I found the film to be fairly entertaining. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B  

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) starring William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney. Naval officer Harry Brubaker (Holden) is called back to duty aboard an aircraft carrier during the Korean War. His assignment: To take out five strategically crucial bridges located at Toko-Ri. Surprisingly, the movie is free of false patriotism and makes it clear that it doesn't approve of the war. I can't really say how realistic it is, but it had the right feel for a war film, and a convincingly downbeat ending. (Both subtitles on the disc and closed captions are available for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B+

The Train

The Train (1964) starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau. In the waning days of World War II, French resistance fighters try to stop a train laden with precious art works from getting to Germany from Paris. Exciting film gains momentum as it goes along, with Lancaster starring as the French engineer who single-handedly prevents the train from making it the final few miles. Luckily, he doesn't even try to put on a French accent. In fact, everyone in this film speaks English, except for the occasional German. (With subtitles and closed captions both.) Grade: B+

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) starring Martin Balsam, Soh Yamamura, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E. G. Marshall, James Whitmore. The events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 are told from both the American and Japanese points of view. Mistakes both large and small made by both sides are shown, and the tension builds very effectively. The attack itself is shown at length and with Oscar-winning special effects. This is a deeply affecting, very well made motion picture. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: A-

To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back (1955) starring Audie Murphy. Based on his autobiography, this movie tells the story of U.S. war hero Audie Murphy, who plays himself. Murphy served in World War II, and was the most decorated soldier in American history, winning every medal the United States could bestow, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. Amazingly enough, his Army career ended when he was wounded at the age of 19. He later went on to star in a series of B-grade Westerns, even though he was not much of an actor. The combat scenes in this film are interesting, and it shows commendable respect for Murphy's comrades who died while fighting alongside him. (English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are offered on the DVD, but not closed captions.) Grade: B

War Horse

War Horse (2011) starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis. Directed by Steven Spielberg. A British man buys a horse, paying far too much. His son, Albert (Irvine), takes on the training of the horse, which he names Joey. But World War I intervenes, and Albert's father sells Joey to a cavalry officer. Will Joey survive the war? Will Albert and Joey be reunited? I can't help but describe this movie as "Spielberg Lite." Compared to his other wartime dramas, like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List," he really plays down the violence and the horror of war. Based on a children's book, I would venture to say that this is a children's movie. Maybe not for young children, but for those tweens who love horses, this would be a great movie. For adults, it is somewhat lacking in depth and realism. (The supplied subtitles are good, and closed captions are also available.) Grade: B

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy, Phyllis Thaxter. Unfortunately, the title is almost literally true. About 30 seconds of this movie is devoted to the actual raid on Tokyo during World War II. The rest of the movie consists of the lead-up to the attack and the aftermath. Still, it's an engaging story which has the virtue of being based on true events. There's a rising sense of excitement as the film builds to the bombing raid on Japan. Then, afterwards, there's something of an anticlimactic feeling to the rest of the movie. We never do find out just how much actual damage the attack achieved. (The disc offers English subtitles, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+

They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable (1945) starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond. Directed by John Ford. The story of PT boats in the early days of World War II in the Phillipines, this movie seems to love war a little too much. It has history on its side -- it was made after the war had been won -- but to me it seemed to take a little too sentimental a view of war and the men who fought them. The romance between Rusty Ryan (Wayne) and a nurse (Reed) seems contrived. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B

Sink the Bismarck!

Sink the Bismarck! (1960) starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter. In 1941, during World War II, Germany launches the Bismarck, a mammoth battleship that outclasses anything the British can send against it. The orders come down from the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill: "Sink the Bismarck." Movie is pretty straightforward, really, with not much nuance, and simple plot. In actuality, it only took seven days from the time the Bismarck was launched until it was sunk. The sea battles are interesting to watch. The British were flying World War I-era biplanes off of aircraft carriers, which torpedoed the Bismarck from the air. After the great battleship was crippled, it was finished off by surface ships. Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions. Grade: B

Run Silent, Run Deep

Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster. Gable and Lancaster play the captain and the executive officer of an American submarine during World War II. Lancaster has the loyalty of the crew, but Gable has a single-minded obsession -- revenge on the Japanese destroyer that sank the sub he commanded a year ago. He takes the submarine into the dangerous Bungo Straits, where he hopes to sink the Japanese ship with an unorthodox bow shot. There are several complications to the story, but it all ends satisfactorily. This movie has subtitles in English, as well as closed captions. I rather enjoyed it. Grade: B+

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan (1998) starring Tom Hanks. Directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1944, during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, three brothers are killed. The fourth brother, Private Ryan, is designated by the authorities to be found and brought home safely. Hanks is the captain in charge of an eight-man squad tasked with penetrating deep into the battlefield and saving Private Ryan. This movie won well-deserved Oscars for Best Director and Best Cinematography. The subtitles are good. Grade: A