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