I was discussing how I do not feel that most older war movies hold up well with my bunkie (allaboutwarmovies), when I got the idea to do a personal survey of the 1940’s movies I have seen since launching this blog. I looked each up on Rotten Tomatoes to get the critics ratings and then thought about whether, in my opinion, the ratings are justified. Here is what I came up with:
They Were Expendable (88 % of reviewers gave it a positive review) - that’s about right
30 Seconds Over Tokyo (100) – overrated
Northwest Passage (100) – very overrated
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (91) – very overrated
The Fighting Sullivans (100) – laughably overrated
Foreign Correspondent (93) – very overrated
Sahara (100) – slightly overrated
The Third Man (100) – appropriate
A Walk in the Sun (100) – appropriate
Henry V (100) – appropriate
They Died With Their Boots On (80) - overrated
12 O’Clock High (100) – appropriate
Command Decision (100) – overrated
Hail the Conquering Hero (94) – very overrated
Five Graves to Cairo (100) - overrated
In Which We Serve (92) – appropriate
A Wing and a Prayer (75) – overrated
Casablanca (97) – underrated
Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (90) – appropriate
To Be or Not To Be (97) – appropriate
49th Parallel (88) – very overrated
That is 21 movies and in my opinion, 10 (almost half) are overrated. Another way of looking at it would be about half of all 1940’s war movies that were rated positively do not hold up today. They may have been considered good when they came out, but relative to recent positively reviewed war movies they are inferior.
It would be interesting to know why you think they are overrated, in one sentence. I am sure you are right in many cases, still. And there are so many I haven't seen makes it difficult for me to judge.
ReplyDeleteCan't you just take my word for it? Okay, here goes:
ReplyDelete30 Seconds - good, but not great
NW Passage - racist
Blimp - outdated, boring, not funny
Sullivans - got 100% because critics do not want to go to Hell; trite, overly sentimental
FC - ridiculous situations; not believable
They Died - makes a hero of an incompetent, egotistic overrated general; a mockery of history
CD - it's good, but it's no 12 O'Clock High (which also got 100%)
Hail - supposed to be funny, isn't
5 Graves - nothing special; it's timing made it unpatriotic to criticize it
A Wing - bad B movie
49th Parallel - another movie overrated because of its timing and anti-Nazi theme
Of course I can't just take your for it ... Lol Btw You know how much I disagree on Colonel Blimp. I think it is extremely funny.
ReplyDeleteI like you in spite of your perplexing love for Colonel Blimp. I chalk it up to your European sense of humor. We Americans have a more modern funny bone. Some day you Europeans will catch up and you will be ashamed that you laughed at Blimp. Do not feel bad, it is just part of cultural maturation. I am confident that if you continue to follow me you will eventually recognize that American war comedies like Tropic Thunder are far superior to European war comedies, he said tongue in cheek.
ReplyDeleteThe Swedish government was responsible for the most iron ore the Nazis received. Kiruna-Gällivare ore fields in Northern Sweden were all important to Nazi Germany.
ReplyDeleteThese massive deliveries of iron ore and military facilities from Sweden to Nazi Germany lengthened World War II. Casualties of the war have been estimated at 20 million killed in Europe. How many of them died due to Sweden's material support to Nazi Germany, is not known.
The Swedish drinking toast (skal) has a rather macabre background; it originally meant 'skull'. The word has come down from a custom practiced by the warlike and terrorist Vikings who used the dried-out skulls of their enemies as drinking mugs, with the evident advantage that the mug held a large quantity of mead and could be easily replaced.
The Viking raids are remembered: Spanish-speaking mothers warn their children that if they do not behave, el noruego - "the Norwegian" will carry them off.
http://www.thoughts.com/raimo/case-sweden