Nation’s Pride (Stolz der Nation) (1944)

 

In honor of Daniel Bruhl's birthday, here is my review of the short propaganda film that develops his character in Tarantino's film.

               “Nation’s Pride” is the movie within the movie “Inglourious Basterds”.  It is meant to be a German propaganda film in the style of those put out by Joseph Goebbels.  It is only six minutes, 11 seconds, but implies that it is part of a longer feature.  It was directed not by Tarantino, but by actor/director Eli Roth.  Roth plays “The Bear Jew” in the feature.  Tarantino got Bo Svenson to play a role in the short in an homage to “The Inglorious Bastards”.  Speaking of homages, only to a much better movie, Roth includes an American soldier screaming after being shot in the eye and a baby carriage.  Both are references to the famous Odessa steps scene in “Battleship Potemkin”.

               The short starts with Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) in the tower in some Italian town.  He is assaulted by a bunch of sniper fodder.  The film is sniper porn, 1940’s Nazi style.  Zoller never misses, of course.  But neither do every other sniper hero in movies.  And the Americans are incompetent.  They run out in the open begging to be shot.  It’s a propaganda film, after all.  However, although it is meant to be a takeoff on German propaganda films, it is not as over the top as you would expect for a propaganda film set within a Tarantino movie.  It has it’s sly humor, like when an American uses a walkie-talkie to communicate:  “Hello, Hitler.  I want to surrender.”  American bullets stitch a swastika in the wall of the tower.  But the funniest part is the theatrical deaths that make the touchdown-signaling deaths of many war movies seem realistic.

               If you are a fan of “Inglourious Basterds”, you need to see this film.  It’s amazing he went to the trouble to make it.  Only Tarantino would have done so.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

 

                Today is Anne Frank Day because she received her diary as a gift for her 13^th birthday on June 12, 1942. Her father, who was the only one of her family to survive their stay in concentration camps, published the diary in 1947 and it instantly became a best-seller. In 1955, a Broadway play based on the diary was a big hit. The playwrights, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, wrote the screenplay. George Stevens (“Gunga Din”) was chosen to direct. He was a good choice partly because during WWII he was a major in the Army Signal Corps. He had enlisted after seeing the infamous Nazi propaganda film “Triumph of the Will”. He and his crew filmed in Normandy after the D-Day invasion. His unit produced the only color footage of the war in Europe. He followed the American army all the way to the Elbe River. He reached Dachau death camp two days after it was liberated. He filmed at other concentration camps and then created the documentary “The Nazi Plan”. It was used at the Nuremberg Trials. He wanted Audrey Hepburn for the lead role because she looked a lot like Anne. She declined because she felt she was old at 30. She also was uncomfortable about bringing back memories from her life in the Netherlands during the war. Stevens auditioned thousands of young women and chose a 17-year-old model named Millie Perkins. Shelley Winters sought the part of Petronella van Daan. She was twenty years younger than Petranella. She gained 30 pounds for the role and lost 25 during the shoot. Stevens was determined to make a realistic and emotional picture. An exact replica of the three story building was constructed in a large sound stage. He kept the temperature on set appropriate for the time of year that was being filmed. This meant the actors were freezing during the winter scenes. The exterior scenes were filmed on location in Amsterdam. Otto Frank and Johannes Kleiman were technical advisers. The movie was a modest hit and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Costume Design, and Score. It won for Best Supporting Actress (Shelley Winters who donated here Oscar to the Anne Frank Museum where it is still on display), Art Direction, and Cinematography. Winning three Oscars when “Ben Hur” dominated the awards was quite an accomplishment. It helped that they were giving separate awards for black/white and color. It was rated the 18^th greatest inspirational movies for AFIs 100 Years…100 Cheers.

               The movie uses a flashforward introduction as Otto Frank (Joseph Schildkraut reprising his Broadway role) visits the building after the war. Miep (Dodie Heath), the Gentile woman who helped hide the family, presents him with the diary which she and Mr. Kraler (Douglas Spencer) have saved. The film flashes back to July, 1942 when the Franks and the van Daans take up residence in the attic above the spice factory. Otto goes over the rules which include no noise during the daytime hours. I wonder if students will watch the movie today and pass out when they learn Anne would read for ten hours a day. She finished “A Tale of Two Cities” in one day. There is dysfunction between the two families mostly because of eight different personalities living in such a claustrophic and stressful situation. Anne is about the same age as Peter van Daan and they are not exactly Romeo and Juliet, but they gradually develop feelings for each other. Anne is a typical teenage girl as evidenced by her diary. She idolizes her father and tries her mother’s patience. The seven show their humanity by agreeing to take in Miep’s Jewish dentist Alfred Dussel (Ed Wynn). He adds more dysfunction. There are some edge of your seat moments because most viewers don’t know how or when they were caught. This adds suspense to the movie. At one point a burglar breaks into the factory and the cops come. Later, German Gestapo agents search the bottom two floors. There is an excellent scene where they endure a bombing raid. This is the one scene that the play could not recreate.

               Stevens did a great job bringing the diary to film. Screenwriters Goodrich and Hackett won a Pulitzer Prize for their play so Stevens had an excellent script to work from. The screenplay incorporates diary entries which are narrated by Anne. The cinematography deservedly won an Oscar for William Mellor. The camera would move from floor to floor. The lighting shines appropriate for an ill-lit attic. The only technical weakness is the sappy score. The cast is great. They all behave realistically. The movie does not make them heroes. They are typical people thrown into a terrifying situation. You will wonder if you could have survived what they survived. Until that fateful day. The movie answers the question of who ratted them out by choosing the burglar as the villain. It is still unclear if this is correct. Millie Perkins is surprisingly effective in her first acting role. She had no training as Stevens picked  her after seeing her photo and convincing her to audition. She was a better choice than Hepburn, so that worked out well.

               Obviously, the movie is a must-see which means I’m pretty embarrassed that it took me so long to see it. The film is inspiring, but very sad. That is as it should be. It is a great companion to the book and follows the book carefully. There are no Hollywood embellishments. What we do get is some Hollywood expansion of the story. Fans of the book might not have had an idea of the role that Miep and Kraler played in their valiant attempt to save members of a different race/religion. Would you have risked your life like they did? God help us because that question may be in our future.

P.S. I completed my 100 Best War Movies list before I saw this movie. I know, I know. Mea culpa. It does belong in the top 100.

GRADE = A

 

BAND OF BROTHERS: Carentan

 

Today marks the anniversary of the capture of Carentan, France by Americans including Easy Company of "Band of Brothers". Here is some information of the third episode of the series which was entitled "Carentan".

 

Did Luz do imitations? Yes.

 

What did the episode get right about the taking of the taking of Carentan?

 

- The unit did move up through a wasteland with burning vehicles and dead bodies

- Winters did have Welsh’s platoon to lead the way into Carentan.

- Welsh and five men entered the town before a German machine gun caused the rest of the platoon to take refuge in ditches. Winters did expose himself to get the men to move. He cursed, which was rare for him. The men took longer to motivate than in the episode.

- Shifty Powers did shoot a sniper.

- They did clear buildings by throwing a grenade through a window and then busted in through the door.

- They did come under mortar fire.

- Blithe did lose his sight (hysterical blindness). He did regain it after Winters talked to him at the aid station.

- Lipton was wounded by a mortar round, not an anti-tank gun. Talbert did check to reassure him that his privates were undamaged.

- Tipper did shoot through the outhouse door and then was wounded badly by a mortar shell. He did lose an eye.

- The Germans were shot down as they fled from the town.

- Lt. Col. Strayer did ask Winters if it was safe to cross the street.

- Winters was hit in the shin by a bullet, but it was Lt. Jackson Neavles who patched him up, not Roe.

 

In Carentan, the book does not mention Luz finding a family huddling in a shop.

 

That’s the chaplain Father John Maloney giving last rites in Carentan. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He appears several times in the book.

 

The book does not mention Winters getting a message from a soldier riding a horse.

combat fatigue - what was called shell shock in WWI and is called PTSD today.

 

In the book, when Smith stabs Talbert, Talbert was wearing a German poncho.

 

The book does not have Speirs saying you should just accept the fact that you are already dead.

 

The name of the battle in the hedgerows is “The Battle of Bloody Gulch”. In the show, Dog and Fox Companies are shown running. Fox Company fled at first contact which forced D Company to fall back also. This left Easy’s flank uncovered. It held up until D and F returned to their positions. The key to Easy being able to hold its hedgerow was the work of their mortars (as portrayed in the episode). On Easy’s right, units of the 502nd Parachute Infantry were hit hard and almost broken. After some intense fighting, tanks from the 2nd Armored arrived to tip the balance.

 

NOT HISTORICAL LICENSE: Welsh and McGrath did go into no man’s land to use a bazooka against a tank. A tank was vulnerable in their belly.

 

The book does not have Blithe shooting a German who is wearing some edelweiss.

 

When Blithe is shot, he was part of a five-man patrol led by Guarnere.

 

The poem about Smith stabbing Talbert was unavailable to Ambrose for the book.

 

What happened to Blithe? The series gets the Blithe post-script wrong, partly because some of the veterans thought he had died in 1948, not having fully recovered. In fact, he was actually hit in the shoulder and fully recovered. He stayed in the Army and rose to Master Sergeant. He served in Korea. He died in 1967, the father of two.

Y is for "The Year of Living Dangerously"

 

What war movie that begins with the letter Y best exemplifies the war movie genre? I have chosen "The Year of Living Dangerously" because it represents the subgenre of war journalism and it is one of the best in that subgenre. 

 

“The Year of Living Dangerously” is a member of the journalists at war subgenre. It is an Australian film directed by Peter Weir (Gallipoli, Master and Commander). It was based on the novel by Christopher Koch who based it loosely on the experiences of his journalist brother during the attempted overthrow of Sukarno in Indonesia in 1965. The title comes from the phrase “living dangerously” which was a favorite of Sukarno’s. He used it in his Indonesian Independence Day speech in 1964. The movie was to be shot in Indonesia, but the plot caused the government to refuse that option. The movie was banned in Indonesia until the year 2000. Instead, Weir moved to the Philippines where the production received death threats from Muslims because of a perceived anti-Islam bent. The last week of the six-week shoot was moved to Australia. The movie ended up costing $6 million which at the time made it the most expensive Australian movie ever made

DUELING MOVIES: The Great Escaper (2023) vs. The Last Rifleman (2023)

            “The Great Escaper” is an Oliver Parker (“Dad’s Army”) film. It was based on the story of Bernard Jordan, a 90 year-old Royal Navy veteran who absconded from his nursing home to attend the 70^th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, France. It was the last film for Glenda Jackson (who died nine months after the shoot) and Michael Caine (who announced his retirement after).

            Bernie Jordan (Caine) lives in an assisted living facility with his wife Rene (Jackson). Bernie leaves the home to make his way to Normandy. He meets some interesting people on his adventure, including some German veterans. He visits the grave of a tanker who he had befriended. The guy showed Bernie his girlfriend’s picture. Can you guess if he survived the landing? And why did Bernie promise the tanker that he was not doomed? Hadn’t Bernie seen any war movies? The movie uses flashbacks to remember the courtship of Bernie and Ray and to depict the meeting of Brendan and the tanker. It also intercuts between Bernie and Rene. Rene is in the middle of a media blitz as the press latches on to the story of an old dude on the lam. The title of the movie is what the press called Bernie.

            This is a very British movie. The best word to describe it is charming. Bernie and Rene  have an ideal marriage. Jackson actually does a better job than Caine, but they both are great. They are the only reasons to watch the film. The movie is a trifle, especially if you are not British. Jordan got his fifteen minutes of fame, but that did not cross the pond, as they say. He does not have a Wikipedia page. The plot sticks to the actual story well.  Too well. The film lacks any suspense or tension. For instance, nothing happens when he meets the Germans. That’s because nothing happened when he met the Germans. Bernie did not land on D-Day and he doesn’t stick around for the ceremony 70 years later. Sometimes a screenwriter should take some creative license.

            “The Last Rifleman” was released for streaming a few weeks after “The Great Escaper”. It was directed by Terry Loane. It is a fictionalized story about Bernard Jordan.

            The movie opens with a flashback to D-Day. Artie Crawford (Pierce Brosnan) and his best friend are in a British unit attacking a German position in Normandy. The movie then jumps 75 years to the elderly Artie living in a nursing home with his terminally ill wife. Artie is 89-years-old and has diabetes and heart problems. He’s no spring chicken, so when he asks the nursing home administrator for permission to go to the 75^th anniversary commemoration of D-Day, he is turned down. Although this is a rational refusal, Artie decides to sneak out and go anyway. The movie turns into a road trip movie as Artie interacts with various people on his way to the ceremony. He is befriended by a young man who shares a love of the music of Ennio Marricone, is aided by a woman (Clémence Poésy), meets a German veteran (Jurgen Prochnow), and encounters a black G.I. (John Amos) who was in a barrage balloon unit. He is chased by a newspaper reporter who smells a good story. After overcoming some obstacles, Artie reaches the cemetery where his best friend is buried.

            “The Last Rifleman” is a heartwarming movie that avoids being sappy. The movie is a showcase for Pierce Brosnan who at 70 was made-up to be a 92 year-old Artie. The makeup artist did an excellent job and in case you didn’t notice, there is a scene thrown in with the 70-year-old Brosnan to contrast the two. His Artie is pretty frail and infirm. He is far from feisty, but he is able to evade capture with the help of sympathetic individuals. The rest of the cast is solid. It was John Amos last role. Jurgen Prochnow plays an SS officer who tries to talk to Artie. Artie is not willing to let bygones by bygones. But they end up singing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” together. (So that made the second time Prochnow has sung that song in a movie.)

            “The Last Rifleman” is based on the story of Bernard Jordan, but it takes significant liberties with the truth. Screenwriter Kevin Fitzpatrick sticks to the journey template, but he adds an interesting back-story for Artie. He was in a love triangle with his best friend and his future wife. He has PTSD from his best friend’s death and survivor guilt from marrying the woman who was meant for his friend. The trip to the cemetery brings closure for him.

            Which movie is better? They are both charming and sincere. Both treat D-Day veterans with respect and don’t make light of them. Both flashback to the cause of the main character’s

PTSD. The combat scenes in TLR are more compelling. Both take a road trip template. I found the people who Artie meets to be more interesting. The acting honors are hard to assign. Caine and Brosnan are wonderful, but I found that Brosnan stretched more. The casts are equivalent with sadly two cast members dying after their movies were completed (Jackson and Amos). If you are a purist when it comes to history, clearly TGE is the more accurate. But because of  that it is less entertaining than TLR. My recommendation is for you to watch both and make up your mind. You won’t regret either unless you want the elderly veteran to get revenge for his best friend’s death by killing a bunch of German veterans who attend the ceremony.

 

GRADES:  TGE  =  B-

                    TLR  =  B-

W is for "Waterloo"

 

For the letter W, I have chosen one of the best epic battle movies. 

 

“Waterloo” is a Soviet/Italian production released in 1970 and directed by Soviet Sergei Bonderchuk. He used 15,000 Soviet soldiers and 2,000 cavalrymen. 50 circus riders were employed for the numerous horse falls. It was a big budget epic that did poorly at the box office. The battlefield was sculpted by bulldozing two hills, transplanting 5,000 trees, and reconstructing four historic buildings. "Waterloo" exemplifies the ability of war movies to reenact famous battles in an entertaining way. It also shows how famous generals use tactics to fight battles.

 

Here is the review: Waterloo 

V is for "Von Ryan's Express".

 For the letter V, I choose a movie that exemplifies war movies that are made for pure entertainment. "Von Ryan's Express" is a movie that traumatized many Baby Boom boys because of the death of the main character. No war movie lover can watch it over again and not urge Ryan to run faster! 

 

U is for "Unknown Soldier" (2017)

I chose "Unknown Soldier" (2017) partly to recognize Finnish war movies. This subgenre is a strong one. And the movie made my 100 Best War Movies.  “The Unknown Soldier” is considered to be the greatest Finnish war movie.  Directed by Aku Louhimies, it is the most successful Finnish movie of the 21^st Century and the most expensive Finnish film ever.  The movie is based on a famous novel by Vaino Linna and it is the third version of the book.  The production used over 3,000 extras, some provided by the Finnish Defence Forces.  The main actors were put through a boot camp to learn wilderness skills, how to cross-country ski, and how to stay warm in the winter.

The Messenger (2009)

 

               “The Messenger” is a film directed by Oren Moverman. It was his directorial debut. He also co-wrote the screenplay. He was inspired to make the movie after pondering the unseen aspects of the Iraq War. Specifically, he was upset about President George W. Bush’s ban on pictures of soldier’s coffins returning to America. The film had a low budget, but did not recoup its cost. It was critically acclaimed and was lauded at a bunch of film festivals. Woody Harrelson got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and also a Golden Globes nomination. The original screenplay by Moverman and Alessandro Camon had an Oscar nomination. The movie was on several critics’ top ten lists for 2009 films.

               Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is back in the States after being wounded in Iraq. He is suffering from PTSD and an eye injury. And he is depressed because his girl did not wait for him to come home. At this low moment in his life he is assigned to Casualty Notification. It’s unclear whether his commanding officer doesn’t like him, but it is the type of job you would give your worst enemy. Montgomery will be working with Captain Tony Stone (Harrelson). Stone explains to Montgomery and the audience about how the system works. There are strict rules for how to handle breaking the news to a loved one. For instance, there is to be no physical contact with the grieving person. You can’t even hug them. And you better be prepared for any of a variety of reactions to the terrible news you deliver. To show the variety, the movie has them making six notifications. In one, the wife and mother are so distraught that the mother slaps Stone. He does not respond because he knows this is a common reaction. In another, a father throws things at Montgomery and asks “Why aren’t you there? Why aren’t you dead? Fucking coward!” By the time they get to the sixth one, you will feel that any job in the Army has to be better than this. To avoid being a total downer, the script has Montgomery develop a relationship with a widow. The other relationship the movie explores is the relationship between Stone and Montgomery. Not surprisingly, they don’t get along at first. Montgomery has been hardened by his job and Montgomery does not want to be doing it. The men gradually bond as you would expect.

               I watched this movie for Memorial Day and it certainly fits the day. There have been other movies about fallen heroes, like “Taking Chance” and “Gardens of Stone”. And we have the famous scene in “Saving Private Ryan” when the Army vehicle pulls up to Mrs. Ryan’s house. But we have not had a movie that deals with the notification process and its effects on the officers who have to perform the task.The closest we have come is “We Were Soldiers” with its scenes where Mrs. Moore delivers the telegrams to her friends.  Ironically, I found that I had more of a reaction to the notification of soldiers’ deaths than I have had for most of the movies I have seen that show soldiers dying. War movie lovers seldom see the aftermath of those deaths. Seeing how people react to the unexpected horrible news that will knock their lives off track makes one wonder how you might react under those circumstances. Would you be strong like the man who learns of his daughter’s death or would you break down? How would you treat the men who told you the terrible news? The movie is very thought-provoking.

               It benefits from the pairing of Harrelson and Foster. They are both excellent. The pair are in virtually every scene together. They develop their characters in their car rides and their trips to bars. Both have flawed personalities, but they both take their job seriously. Both are suffering from PTSD. Stone has PTSD, not from war experiences (he is haunted by his not being in combat), but from his job. The Casualty Notification department offers counseling for the aggrieved, but I wonder if they have counseling for the notifiers. They should. It’s a very stressful job.

               “The Messenger” is a better movie than “Taking Chance” and “Gardens of Stone”. It is a movie that is anti-war, but with a different argument for why war is terrible. You see the reactions of loved ones to the loss of a husband or child in a war that did not have to be fought. (That’s my opinion. The movie does not take a stance on the war.) And you can’t watch this movie without feeling empathy for the men who have to perform this soul-crushing duty. Unlike “We Were Soldiers”, Stone and Montgomery are strangers delivering the news to people they don’t know, but people who will haunt their memories. As they do theirs.

GRADE  =  B

               Here is my list of the top ten movies appropriate for Memorial Day.

10. The Story of G.I. Joe– this movie includes the famous death of Captain Waskow (Walker in the film)

9.  84 Charlie MoPic – a long range patrol in Vietnam is whittled down by the enemy

8. Bataan – a classic last stand by a heterogeneous squad in WWII

7.  Gardens of Stone– focuses on the men who are in charge of interment at Arlington National Cemetery during the Vietnam War

6.  Taking Chance -  a Marine is tasked with returning a body to the man’s family

5.  Last Flag Flying -  a trio of Vietnam War veterans bring one of their son’s bodies back home

4. The Messenger

3. The Last Full Measure – an government official gathers information on the heroism of a medic who is nominated for the Medal of Honor

2.  Lone Survivor – a special forces team faces enormous odds in Afghanistan when their mission is blown and they must try to survive (Ben Foster is one of the men)

1. Glory – this fantastic movie concludes with the burying of Col. Shaw and many of his men

 

BTW the movie “Memorial Day” is not a good movie.