Brits, especially Dowding, will LOVE this movie..

[Rino]

Originally posted by ravells
Well Rino...

The thing is that America had so many heroes during the second world war...why try to nick other peoples?   I am sure that there are numerous untold stories of US servicemen (which say, Band of Brothers just scratched the surface of) which would make equally good material.

Crumbs, if they want to do a great WW2 air war film, why not get Tom Cruise to paint his face black (or even better use Denzel Washington) and do a film on the Tuskegee (sp?) airmen.

U571 was just insulting to the Poles and the Canadians.

Anyway, as far as the film is concerned, I shall just be watching it for the flying scenes. Hope they're good!

There was a novel I read a while back called 'a piece of cake', written by an Englishman, about the early airwar. One of the only sensible people in the squadron of spits was an American, who thought of looking behind him rather than flying in tight formation. That ruffled a few feathers when it was published amongst the old guard.

Ravs

     I think you guys need to take a deep breath when it comes to
Hollywood.  Anyone with a bit of sense knows that these movies
are in no way documentaries.  Someone pitched a idea to
the producers, who then "interpret" the script to supposed
cater to the lowest common denominator.

     By the by, they did make what I consider an absolutely cheesy
Tuskegee Airmen movie.  As far as insulting the Poles and
Canadians, the US did capture an intact U-Boat, just much later
in the war, the U-505.  In fact the Bletchley Park people were
furious as they thought the capture had blown the Engima
secret.

     Try this link for more U-505 info:
  http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/U505home.html

[Replicant]

Ravs, I have to agree with you that there are plenty of true US heroes to be brought to everyones attention and I am dismayed at the prospect of another inaccurate war film.

People may say that they see through the Hollywood 'hype' and realise it isn't history, but this couldn't be more from the truth.  In todays society fewer and fewer average kids are not interested in history and what they see on TV or the big screen they think happened for real.  It's a sad sorry state of affairs when they can't even get history right, or are too scared to make a film about a non-American pilot during WW2.  Maybe if they did kids would realise that the world doesn't just revolve around the US and that other countries have heroes too.

Anyway, Ravs, do you remember the BBC drama 'Secret Army' that was on TV during the late 70s?  The first two series are available on DVD now and they make really good viewing: http://www.survivorstvseries.com/Secret_Army.htm

[Hortlund]

I dunno, the brits are kinda good at it themselves...

Seen any Dresden movies lately? Or how many movies have you seen about the Enigma that the Polish intelligence handed over to the Brits in late 39? (The poles had been reading German communications for years).

[Replicant]

Originally posted by Hortlund
I dunno, the brits are kinda good at it themselves...

Seen any Dresden movies lately? Or how many movies have you seen about the Enigma that the Polish intelligence handed over to the Brits in late 39? (The poles had been reading German communications for years).

So you're happy with unhistoric films?  That's fine by me, of course they'll be having Tom Cruise, Whitney Houston, Danny De Vito and Nicole Kidman doing ABBA next!

Of course we won't see any Swedish war films, unless it's of Sweden secretly supplying the Nazi's type film, but then that would be boring wouldn't it?!

Most historians know the Polish deciphered the early Enigma code, afterall they went over to Bletchley Park.  The film 'Enigma' wasn't set in 1939 though, but when, 1943/44, so at least that film doesn't do any disservice.  I actually have seen a film about the Polish desciphering the early Enigma (it wasn't called Enigma then though) but I can't remember what it's called.  I attended a seminar on the Enigma machine and it sang the praises of the Polish.

As for Dresden, well, there have been films showing the bombing of cities, London, Coventry, Dresden, Cologne, Hiroshima, Nagisaki... etc.  I think you are confusing the argument of a film portraying something that didn't happen with something that did.

[Mark Luper]

Didn't the movie "Battle of Britton" protray the British in the correct light? Maybe it wasn't a "Hollywood" movie. It has been one of my all time favorites.

I don't know why but I have always realized the lack of historical accuracy in movies, regardless of who filmed it. I always watch them for story. I'm a romantic and I suppose if there is a girl involved it always makes it more interesting to me. I suppose also that since I spent the first 16 formative years of my life in another country I never have assumed that "we", the United States, did it all. Without trying to cast dispersions on any other country my heros have not only been americans but equally members of the United Kingdom which includes Australians, Canadians, Irishmen, Scots, and New Zealanders ( I have more than just a "bit" of Scotch/Irish blood in me). I have always admired the "stiff upper lip" philosophy towards life.

My family gets more than a little upset at me for constantly pointing out inacuracies in the equipment used and how well some of the weapons work but overall I guess I just enjoy "War" movies. I watch them not so much for historical content but for some insite into what is was like to "be there".

I do agree however that most of today's youngsters may not get a properly balanced view of how much our allies contributed in the last world war or recent conflicts either. I blame an education system that would rather rewrite history into feelgood history than present history for what it is...history.

[Hortlund]

Originally posted by Replicant
So you're happy with unhistoric films?  That's fine by me, of course they'll be having Tom Cruise, Whitney Houston, Danny De Vito and Nicole Kidman doing ABBA next!

Well, the thing is, I dont really look to Hollywood movies or any other movies for that matter to teach me about history. Books work just fine for me, and it is my experience, that generally speaking, (and depending on author naturally) reading books is a better way to learn history than to watch movies.

Even historic documentaries on the History channel or Discovery channel are prone to make errors or spread false or missleading information.

One example would be the infamous P-47 pilot bouncing .50 cals off the road to kill German Panzers by penetrating the bottom of the tank. Another example would be how they are often using news footage from one part of the war while talking about another part of the war, completely confusing the average viewer. Etc etc

[Pei]

I think what some of you Johnny Foreigner-types are missing is that Hollywood is playing with one of our national myths. The summer of  1940 and the events surrounding it are one the most crucial events in recent British History.

Look at this way: how would the Yanks react if Pinewood Studios made a film portraying George Washington or Abraham Lincoln as Brit? I'd be able to hear the screams down here in Oz.

The 7 (or 10 on the Ripsnort Scale ) US citizens were very brave and are still remembered, but so are Joe Kennedy and Henry Ford.  The US contribution to the British war effort, so crucial later on, was effectively non-existant during the Battle (FDR managed to give us some old Destroyers towards the end of the battle, in exchange for some Naval bases). If anything it was the Battle Of Britain itself that convinced many Americans of the need to act, if not to actually got to war. So you can see how portraying Tom Cruise as the saviour of the day might come off as being a bit offensive to your average Brit.

It is still seen as our "finest hour". If anybody should be hijacking it it should be the Kiwis, Canucks or Poles

[CavemanJ]

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
They already did... http://store.hbo.com/product/VMHHV0129/s.sgvh3XGQ
-SW

While I liked this film, I dinnae if it would qualify as an "air war film" though.  It's more the story of thier trials getting to the war.

[Dowding]

Well, Rino, Nexx made my point for me as regards the phony Hollywood history. Kids these days are badly educated as it is without feeding them a load of garbage and tagging it as 'historical'.

Coming soon to a cinema near you:

The Forge

Synopsis: Sven the Swedish Steelworker risks all in his attempt to beat the factory record for amount of tonnes shipped to fascists in a single week. Eschrewing food, sleep and sauna breaks, he pushes himself to the limit to keep the Nazi war machine supplied with high quality steel, so that 60 years later his descendents can self-righteously criticize other nations for actually fighting tyranny.

[Hortlund]

Originally posted by Dowding

The Forge

Synopsis: Sven the Swedish Steelworker risks all in his attempt to beat the factory record for amount of tonnes shipped to fascists in a single week. Eschrewing food, sleep and sauna breaks, he pushes himself to the limit to keep the Nazi war machine supplied with high quality steel, so that 60 years later his descendents can self-righteously criticize other nations for actually fighting tyranny.

Throw in a handful of blondes, a carrot and a couple of really bad script-writers and that sounds like a classical 70s softporn blockbuster.

[Batz]

The Poles won the BoB.

[NUKE]

Originally posted by Dowding
Well, Rino, Nexx made my point for me as regards the phony Hollywood history. Kids these days are badly educated as it is without feeding them a load of garbage and tagging it as 'historical'.

Coming soon to a cinema near you:

The Forge

Synopsis: Sven the Swedish Steelworker risks all in his attempt to beat the factory record for amount of tonnes shipped to fascists in a single week. Eschrewing food, sleep and sauna breaks, he pushes himself to the limit to keep the Nazi war machine supplied with high quality steel, so that 60 years later his descendents can self-righteously criticize other nations for actually fighting tyranny.

LOL Dowding and Hortlund, you guys really throw out some good ones when you get going

Peace be with you both  

[Holden McGroin]

Intresting... 50 some responses commenting on a movie which will "start filming soon"

All I know is Tom Cruise will stretch his acting talent and play the cocky guy.

Besides, everybody knows Ben Afleck won the BOB and then went on to bomb Tokyo.

[Dowding]

It's all in good fun, Nuke.

[GRUNHERZ]

Originally posted by Holden McGroin
Besides, everybody knows Ben Afleck won the BOB and then went on to bomb Tokyo.

And dont forget saving Pearl Harbor... Ughhhh...