Picture, Movie, Quote #19

.  "This is the paradox of being a good soldier: To be a good soldier you must love the army, but you must be willing to kill the thing you love."

What movie is this?  This movie is based on the best seller by Edward L. Beach, Jr.  It was produced by Burt Lancaster. The two stars reportedly did not get along well during the shoot with the elder upping the cost of production with his 9 to 5 work rate. This dysfunction may have added to the realism of the movie which is based on a personality conflict between the two leads. The technical advisor was a retired Rear Admiral and had the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy  It was released in 1958 to critical acclaim, but less than boffo box office. 

Picture, Quote, Movie #7

“Mandrake, do you recall what Clemenceau once said about war? … He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.”

WHAT MOVIE?  This movie has one of the wettest scenes in war movie history as our commando team comes ashore in fourteen minutes of storm effects with no dialogue. 

Picture, Quote, Movie Quiz #5

"Are you smoking this sh-t so’s to escape from reality? Me, I don’t need this sh-t, I am reality. There’s the way it ought to be, and there’s the way it is.”

WHAT MOVIE?  This movie includes the most famous leaders of the American Indian Movement in its cast. They made this movie eighteen years after their involvement in the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. 

Picture, Quote, Movie Quiz #4

“When I go home people will ask me, ‘Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?’ You know what I’ll say? I won’t say a goddamn word. Why? They won’t understand. They won’t understand why we do it. They won’t understand that it’s about the men next to you, and that’s it. That’s all it is.”


What movie is this?  This is the only war movie I am aware of where a soldier carries a head in a bag.  For snacking.  And he's one of the good guys.

Picture, Quote, Movie Quiz #3

“Keep the sand out of your weapons, keep those actions clear. I’ll see you on the beach.”


WHAT MOVIE IS THIS?   A lot of training on a stable runway to take off of a bobbing runway, all to spend half a minute over an enemy capital.

Picture, Quote, Movie Quiz #2

“You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it’s all about. A deer’s gotta be taken with one shot.”


What movie is this?  The lead in this movie did not have to act too hard because he had served in PT boats.  His co-star avoided doing that sort of thing.

Picture, Quote, Movie Quiz

This is a new feature.  I will present:  1. a picture from a famous war movie.  2.  a quote from a war movie  3.  clues to a famous war movie.  Put your guesses in the comment section.

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ‘em, not one stinkin’ dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like … victory. Someday this war’s gonna end.”  

What is this movie?  Flora and fauna represent Mother Nature in her battle with war on a Pacific island.