Old Aviation and War Films

[DaveCinzano]

A crowded control room. Crisp, purposeful chatter on telephones. Important-looking people look concerned, any nervousness papered over with dry statement. Diegetic sounds abound.

"Is everything up?"
"The lot, sir."
"Reserves?"
"None."
"That's what I have just told the Prime Minister..."

Cue score.

Blue skies over London. Music swells. An air battle in progress. A dozen planes weave around each other in a danse macabre.

A cockpit. Worm's eye view up at a pilot's face, his eyes scanning the sky around him, fear and excitement saddled with professionalism and training.

"Red Three! This is Red One!"

BOOM! And we're there.

 

[not-bono-ever]

make sure you cut out the name of Michael Caines black labrador when its shown on the telly though

ETA, What is left of Waltons score is tremndous though

 

[DaveCinzano]

make sure you cut out the name of Michael Caines black labrador when its shown on the telly though

ETA, What is left of Waltons score is tremndous though

Aren't you thinking of Richard Todd as Guy Gibson in The Dambusters?

 

[Pingu]

Top-hole. Bally Jerry, pranged his kite right in the how's-your-father; hairy blighter, dicky-birded, feathered back on his sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harpers and caught his can in the Bertie

 

[Pingu]

Hey new guy: I know we're all nervous, what with us being minutes away from jumping out of this plane into enemy-occupied territory in extremely hostile circumstances, but I think what will help us all relax a little bit is if you show us a picture of your sweetheart who you plan on marrying when you get your home leave next month.

... here put on this red jumper and come with the away team...

 

[not-bono-ever]

Aren't you thinking of Richard Todd as Guy Gibson in The Dambusters?

oops

 

[Dr. Furface]

How about The Right Stuff, brilliant film about the first group of US astronauts which has some top flying sequences, such as Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier

 

[Lancman]

No Highway; Jimmy Stewart as a surprisingly believable British scientist. From a novel by Neville Shute forecasting metal fatigue well before the Comet disasters.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Hey @Minnie_The_Minx: is The Front Line any good?

 

[Hulot]

The Sound Barrier

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Hard disk loaded up with a shit load of films. I'd say I managed to find 85% of the suggestions on this thread!

Many Thanks Everyone.

 

[Gramsci]

The Imperial War Museum does DVDs like this boxed set of docs made during the war. And this about Battle of Britain airshow.

 

[Gramsci]

Lawrence Of Arabia.

Saw this in cinema. The new digital version. Looks stunning. Also an intelligent film about war. Not just action.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Hey @Minnie_The_Minx: is The Front Line any good?

I don't know. It's wrapped up and sitting under the tree!

Didn't you say on Friday on the Korean war films thread that that was what you were watching?

 

[Captain Hurrah]

The Cranes are Flying

(cpt hurrah put me onto that one, it's good!)

One of those that gets shown round New Year or Victory Day.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I don't know. It's wrapped up and sitting under the tree!

Didn't you say on Friday on the Korean war films thread that that was what you were watching?

I didn't start that thread until after you failed to respond to me on this one

 

[Casually Red]

A very good one is Operation Daybreak , about the assassination of SS hotshot Heydrich in Prague . True story and I found it very moving . Made a point of visiting the Orthodox cathedral in Prague when i was there to pay my respects . Absolutely fuck off shoot out took place there which is well depicted in the film .

Stars Anthony Andrews, Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw is in it too

.

Theres a Black and White French version from the 1960s which is very good also, called L' Attentat

Another very good one, albeit a new release, is Army of Crime . French language film about the Manouchian resitance group in Paris . True story again and top notch in my opinion .

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I didn't start that thread until after you failed to respond to me on this one

Sorry, missed it

 

[Spymaster]

A couple of festive ones worth watching, Silent Night and A Midnight Clear.

Both start with the same premise (a Chrstmas truce between German and allied soldiers during the Ardennes Offensive) but very defferet endings.

 

[pennimania]

Any film with women knitting and pushing toys planes around a table is a winner in my book

Angels One Five comes to mind.

And another vote for

Twelve O Clock High - one of my all time favourites

 

[DaveCinzano]

Theres a Black and White French version from the 1960s which is very good also, called L' Attentat

Atentát is actually a Czech film.

 

[Dr. Furface]

And another vote for

Twelve O Clock High - one of my all time favourites

And another. Haven't seen it for many years, but loved it when I was a kid, esp as there were loads of Flying Fortresses in it, my fave Airfix model plane!

 

[pennimania]

And it's such a haunting, atmospheric film

All those stove chimneys belching out plumes of black smoke and the cramped, curved interiors....


And I LOVE the Toby jug

 

[butcher]

Ice Cold in Alex

This ^^^ and the wonderful Sergeant York:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_York

 

[techtronic]

Force 10 from Navarone
633 Squadron
The Longest Day
Heroes
Band of Brothers tv series and box set
The Red Baron
Carve Her Name With Pride
Defiance (2008)
Von Ryan's Express
The Dirty Dozen

 

[techtronic]

The Great Escape

 

[thriller]

Too Late The Hero with Michael Caine. Loved the ending when first saw it many years ago. With Caine and the Yank running across the field trying to make it back to the British camp while being shot at by the Japs.



There was also another film again with Michael Cain where him and another bloke dressed up in Nazi uniform surrender to Allied forces, but get mistaken for enemies and get shot dead-where the film promptly ends. cant recall the name....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Too Late The Hero with Michael Caine. Loved the ending when first saw it many years ago. With Caine and the Yank running across the field trying to make it back to the British camp while being shot at by the Japs.



There was also another film again with Michael Cain where him and another bloke dressed up in Nazi uniform surrender to Allied forces, but get mistaken for enemies and get shot dead-where the film promptly ends. cant recall the name....

This one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_Dirty

 

[DaveCinzano]

This one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_Dirty

Posting at quarter past three in the morning is cheating

 

[seeformiles]

Probably a good place to post this pic. A mate of mine's dad was an RAF photographer in WW2 and was stationed in the South Pacific in 1945. Although used to taking reconnaissance pics from the air, this is his snap of the convoy of planes flying overhead en route to taking the Japanese Surrender: