PICTURE, QUOTE, MOVIE QUIZ #61

1.  What movie is the picture from?

2.  What movie is this quote from?

Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability. 

3.  What movie is this?

This biopic is a silent classic written, directed, produced, and acted in by Abel Gance.  It is a French film that was released in 1927.  It was planned as the first of six episodes, but only the first was made because of cost.  Just this first one was originally over six hours long (in one of the many versions).  In spite of its importance in cinema history it did not do well in the U.S., partly because audiences were making the transition to “talkies”.  The film rose from the dead in 1981 when after twenty years of searching the world for copies of the movie, silent film historian Kevin Brownlow (the first film historian to win an Academy Award) restored the movie.  Recently it was shown in Oakland sponsored by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival to rave reviews.

WAR DOC: The Cold Blue (2018)

                With the ending of “Game of Thrones”, people have been considering cancelling their subscriptions to HBO.  Let me assure you, there is more to HBO than GoT.  I originally subscribed because of “Band of Brothers” and stayed with it through “The Pacific” and “Generation Kill”.  Before that, HBO gave us one of the best WWII movies – “When Trumpets Fade”.   I’ll hang onto my subscription as I wait for the series on the 8^th Air Force.  Meanwhile, to tide war movie fans over, HBO provides us with a magnificent documentary on the bomber crews of the 8^th.  Recently, fifteen hours of footage shot by William Wyler’s cinematographers in 1943 were discovered in the vaults of the National Archives.  The footage was comprehensive and included life at the bases and in the air.  Wyler and his three cinematographers flew on many dangerous missions.  Wyler (“Mrs. Miniver”) used the footage for his acclaimed documentary “The Memphis Belle:  A Story of a Flying Fortress”, which was released in 1944 and wowed audiences with its color photography.  Director Erik Nelson restored the footage and interviewed nine veterans. 

                The documentary begins with a reference to the “Memphis Belle”, but once the connection is made, the film becomes an tribute to all the bomber crews.  It is structured around chapters on various aspects of the veterans’ experiences.  There is no narration, but Nelson does provide title cards giving interesting facts and background information.  Some of the “chapters” are on topics like pre-flight, briefing, take-off, forming up, testing guns, flak, the bomb run, fighters, and the return.  Even the ground crews get their due.  The memories of the vets are coordinated with the footage flawlessly.  And we don’t see repetitive footage like in many similar documentaries.  All of it is color, and not colorized.  The visuals are stunning, especially the aerial views.  There is an ode to contrails.  It seems incongruous that war can be so beautiful, but the shots of the ground and the bombers in formation are amazing.  Nelson’s addition of the sounds of aerial combat and the mainly orchestral score complete the picture.

                  

                 I’m sure the 8^th Air Force series will be very entertaining, but it might not be as informative as this doc.  Nelson does not hammer away at the various topics, but some themes develop.  One is that war requires young men because they do not think anything will happen to them.  This despite the title cards telling us that the chances of reaching 25 mission like the Memphis Belle did were not good.  It wasn’t just death that claimed the men, the conditions included freezing temperatures that made frost bite a problem.  The vets speak movingly about mates who were wounded and killed.  Another theme is the crew were like family and they all worked together to do their duty.  The documentary makes it clear that death was random and unpredictable.  At least you were with your mates, but it was very tough to see other bomber crews go down.  One of the veterans chokes up remembering a friend who died the day his son was born.  An unexpected theme is that the men did not care about the damage they were doing.  It was a job and the German people were on the receiving end of it.  Their comments covers footage of homeless Germans and their bombed-out cities.  The documentary finishes strong with interviews with the veterans so we get to see these remarkable men.  (They are all in their nineties now.)  Naturally, they don’t claim to be heroes, but the documentary belies that.  Although one of them charmingly points out that if he was a hero, he would have reupped.

                Considering its mission statement, “The Cold Blue” could not be better.  It is as close to perfect as any could expect.  In a nice touch, the film is dedicated not only to the 28,000 men who gave their lives, but specifically Harold Tannenbaum.  He was one of Wyler’s cinematographers.  His bomber went down over France.  That footage was lost, but his and the other two cinematographers was enough to put together this great documentary.  If you have HBO, you paid for it.  It’s worth the subscription. 

GRADE =  A+

CONSENSUS #70. Battleground (1949)

SYNOPSIS: "Battleground" is the story of a squad of G.I.s from the 101^st Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge.  They participate in the defense of Bastogne during its famous siege.  The movie is an ensemble piece that realistically (for a 1949 movie) portrays the hardships of the battle.  It is a classic heterogeneous small unit movie.

BACK-STORY: “Battleground” was the first significant WWII movie to come out after the war and it proved there was still an audience for war films provided they were excellent and realistic. The film wisely avoided the flag-waving of pictures made during the war. Because of the timing and the grittiness, the studio was skeptical about its potential and it almost was not made. The suits proved wrong as the movie was a huge hit and is now considered a classic. It was released in 1949 and directed by William Wellman (“Wings”, “The Story of G.I. Joe”). Robert Pirosh based the script on his own experiences in the Battle of the Bulge. Twenty members of the 101st Airborne were used as extras. They were put through acting boot camp. The movie won Academy Awards for Cinematography and Screenplay (Pirosh). It was nominated for Picture, Director, Editing, and Supporting Actor (James Whitmore). Gen. Anthony McAuliffe vetted the script and joined Pres. Truman for a private showing.

TRIVIA:  Wikipedia, imdb, TCM, Guts and Glory

1.  It is considered the first significant post-WWII film about the war.

2.  It was the pet project of producer Dore Schary.  He wanted to make a movie that answered the question “was the war worth it?”  Or as the chaplain in the film put it:  “was the trip necessary?”  He had a hard time getting studio support from RKO where he was production head and when Howard Hughes bought RKO he nixed the project.  Schary left RKO because of this after Hughes let him buy the script for a cheap $20,000.  Schary returned to production head of MGM, but Louis Mayer was also cold toward the making of a WWII picture.  Mayer felt audiences were not interested in WWII movies.  But Mayer did not stand in Schary’s way and was hoping he would fail.  He called the movie “Schary’s folly”.

3.  Director William Wellman had the cast put through training by twenty veterans who appeared as extras in the movie.

4.  Robert Pirosh based his screenplay on his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge.  Gen. McAuliffe acted as technical adviser for the script.

5.  The movie was shot in twenty days less than the schedule and for $100,000 less.

6.  President Truman was given a private showing before the premiere.

7.  It won Academy Awards for Cinematography (Black and White) and Screenplay.  It was nominated for Best Picture (losing to “All the King’s Men”), Director, Editing, and Supporting Actor (James Whitmore).

8.  Whitmore was a Marine in the Pacific.  He based his characters appearance and attitude partly on Bill Maudlin’s “Willie and Joe”.

9.   Douglas Fowley (Kippton) had false teeth like his character because he lost his teeth to an explosion while serving on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

10  James Arness (Garby) was the most decorated cast member.  His medals included the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

11.  Robert Taylor was supposed to star in it but decided he did not want to do an ensemble piece.  He was replaced by Van Johnson.

12.  The movie was a big success and finished second at the box office.  Its timing and success is comparable to “The Big Parade” which was also predicted to be too late after the war

13.  It was shot almost totally in a soundstage.  Compare its realism to the exterior scenes from “The Battle of the Bulge”.

14.  Denise Darcel was cast solely for her boobs.  Check out the scene where she cuts a loaf of bread precariously close to her greatest assets.

15.  Wellman preferred his “The Story of G.I. Joe”, finding it more realistic and more a tribute to American soldiers.

Belle and Blade  =  1.5

Brassey’s              =  4.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  4.4

Military History  =  #36

Channel 4             =  not on list 

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  no

Rotten Tomatoes =  no

CONCLUSION: “Battleground” is fondly remembered by many war movie lovers. Some have it in their top 10. Some go so far as to call it superior to “Saving Private Ryan”. When it came out in 1949, it certainly deserved the acclaim it received. It’s now sixty years later and I have to say it is a bit overrated. The action is lacking and is unrealistic. However, it has its charms and is a must-see.  The movie is very entertaining. It achieves its objective of humanizing the soldiers. The soldier interaction and talk are the best thing about the movie. What they say and how they react are realistic given the restraints of 1940s movies.  Pirosh, being a veteran, knew how soldiers talked. He obviously had to clean up the language, but he gets the complaining and humor down pat.

D-DAY FILM: Storming Juno (2010)

               It's the anniversary of D-Day in Canada, too.   “Storming Juno” is a Canadian war movie about the Canadian army storming Juno beach on D-Day.  It was directed by Tim Wolochatiuk on a shoe string.  It follows three soldiers:  a paratrooper, an infantryman, and a tanker.  The movie has a docudrama feel to it, but there are no talking heads.  It is “based on real characters and events.”

                The movie leads with the paratrooper.  He is part of the 1^st Canadian Paratrooper Battalion.  The film uses archival footage to coincide with his background information.  His unit’s mission is to take out an artillery battery.  The infantryman is in the first wave of the amphibious landing.  “Juno was one of the most heavily fortified sectors of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.”  You won’t be able to tell that from this movie, however.  He is not concerned with that since “given the naval bombardment, chances are nothing will be left.”  That’s an accurate feeling of over-optimism.  Juno is going to be a tough nut to crack considering that theirs is the only landing craft.  The landing is far from “Saving Private Ryan”, but there is some slo-mo and hand-held.  The deaths are random. One of the soldiers fires a mortar by holding it against a tree and firing it like a bazooka!  Now, here comes the tank.  The effects are decidedly cheesy.  It duels with a bunker.  The tank is alone and without infantry support.  The tactics in the movie are shaky.  There are several head-scratching moments in the movie.  Twice characters enter enemy positions alone, for instance.

                The movie’s makers had a legitimate reason for wanting to recognize the Canadian effort on D-Day.  How many people outside Canada even know that they were part of the invasion?  And Canadians deserved a movie highlighting their heroism. After all, what else do they have?  The movie accomplishes its mission in a low budget way.  It is not overly patriotic.  As a teacher, I can vouch for the fact that its intended audience prefers reenactments to historians talking about the historical event.  The problem is the cheesiness of the production.  Although the CGI is acceptable, the story it backs is low rent.  The decision to follow three character arcs was a good one, but there is little character development.  Their voices sound similar so the narration can be confusing.  When they are speaking in character, the banter is lame.  There is no cursing.  But maybe that’s because Canadians don’t curse.  The actors are amateurish, but not embarrassing.  They get lots of closeups.  The movie is very micro.  You may learn about Juno Beach, but you will not get the impression that it was arduous.  It was a beautiful day and so quiet.  The movie does do a decent job on deaths.  They are not too theatrical and although not graphic, the wounds are realistic.  That is very unusual for a movie like this, so kudos.

                “Storming Juno” is a sincere effort and should be seen by Canadians.  It has a following and I have to assume they are all Canadians because the movie is nothing special.  Actually, the documentary after the film entitled “Remembering Juno” is better than the movie.  It makes me wonder why they didn’t reenact the real stories?  One of the veterans talks about killing prisoners and another describes targeting a church steeple where a sniper was.  This latter would have been an improvement over the clicheish sniper incident depicted in the movie.

                I recommend “Storming Juno”, but only if you stick around for the documentary.  Or if you are a Canadian.

                You can go here if you want to see my list of other D-Day movies.

GRADE  =  C