Best War Movie from 1960s

[crazyphil]

PATTON! Not made until April 1970 but close enough. None of the others
are even close. I never miss it when it comes on TV.

 

[Sandman4delta]

Love Kelly's Heroes. Production concluded in 1969 so I think it's qualified.

A couple obscure ones, Michael Caine in "Play Dirty" and
"What Did You Do in the War Daddy?"

 

[gamboolman]

The 1964 movie of "The Thin Red Line"

And all of the other movies listed in the previous posts

 

[ron 57]

1964's "The Train" with Burt Lancaster as a resistance fighter trying to prevent the removal of French artwork by the Germans.
It's quite good.

 

[Kurusu]

Does anyone remember "633 Squadron" ? In addition to those mentioned above, this was a great movie.

You cannot "kill" a squadron.

[ame="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x2m6GU-fK78"]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x2m6GU-fK78[/ame]

Yes. I got that one on DVD too.

I have always been a fan of the "wooden wonder".

Any version of it.

 

[UncleEd]

Since "Patton" has been mentioned though
a 1970 release, I'll suggest as a great war
film the 1959 release of

"Yesterday's Enemies"

starring Stanley Baker. One of the most
brutal and dark war films I've ever seen.

 

[mbliss57]

I finished the Gun of Navarrone last night about 11PM. I can't watch movies over 2 hours in one sitting so I break them up into 2 parts.
David Niven, Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn. I am an old Artillery man so thee big guns always interest me. The movie was a classic early 1960s film. I would give highest marks to David Niven for his acting in this one. of course this was an Alistair Maclean fictional WW2 movie just like where Eagles Dare. I found very entertaining. The big shore guns emplacements of pre-WW2 and WW2 were not terribly effective in destroying things from what I have read. They were however deterrents to passage through certain areas. The Navarrone guns were rail type gun emplacements and probably simulating the either the 16" naval guns or possible the monstrous 31" rail gun Germany had to take down the fortifications at the Maginot Line in France. They looked more like 16" +/1 naval guns to me from the movie and likely that was what they were supposed to represent.

 

[Kurusu]

Agreed. The ME-109's and HE-111 came from Spain. Much better than CGI fakes.

I haven't seen the movie in years, but IIRC the RAF fighter shown was only the Spitfire. I don't remember seeing any Hurricanes, even though they were more numerous than the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain.

There were hurricanes in the movie. But, at the time, they only managed 3, I think, and only one of them was in flying condition.

As a curiosity. Edward Fox's character(pilot officer Archie) was based on real life Sergeant Ray Holmes(he only got his comission after the BoB) and he flew a Hurricane.

By the way. There is no such thing as a Me109. It was Bf109. The ones used in the movie were the Spanish version that, at the time had RR Merlins on them.. Ironically nowadays most of those ex Spanish planes have DB engines on them and really look like true Bf109.

 

[Hair Trigger]

A good one I haven't seen mentioned yet is Hell In The Pacific. Has only two actors in the entire film: Lee Marvin, as a Marine pilot shot down and drifts in his liferaft to a remote island, and Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese soldier stranded on the same island. Spoiler: they both get killed in an artillery barrage at the end, but you never know whose artillery. Well worth a watch.

Some of my other favorites:
In Harm's Way
PT 109
Dr. Strangelove (Cold War)
Seven Days in May (Cold War)
Failsafe (Cold War)

 

[oddshooter]

I can't believe you guys leave out the classics. Not the 60's maybe

Sahara with Bogart.
Midway with the Duke.

 

[Absalom]

By the way. There is no such thing as a Me109. It was Bf109. The ones used in the movie were the Spanish version that, at the time had RR Merlins on them.. Ironically nowadays most of those ex Spanish planes have DB engines on them and really look like true Bf109.

Funny thing about that. I grew up in Germany reading about these and building models and never knew the plane as anything but a Me 109, because that was universal German parlance.

I didn't find out until I encountered my first "live one" in an American collection in the 1990s that this was supposedly wrong.

But it actually isn't. The Bf designation was used at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke until Willi Messerschmitt took over as managing director in 1938 and the name changed to Messerschmidt AG. Up to then, the models were Bf, from then on Me, the latter theoretically covering all but the very first iterations of the 109.

But even the company itself wasn't consistent and used both interchangeably after 1938, sometimes both in the same text or document.

Nerd out

 

[Kurusu]

I can't believe you guys leave out the classics. Not the 60's maybe

Sahara with Bogart.
Midway with the Duke.

Maybe because none of them was made in the sixties(subject of this thread).

"Sahara" was made in 1943.(Bogart died in 1957).

"Midway" (the old one) was made in 1976. And John Wayne wasn't in it.

 

[Kurusu]

Funny thing about that. I grew up in Germany reading about these and building models and never knew the plane as anything but a Me 109, because that was universal German parlance.

I didn't find out until I encountered my first "live one" in an American collection in the 1990s that this was supposedly wrong.

But it actually isn't. The Bf designation was used at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke until Willi Messerschmitt took over as managing director in 1938 and the name changed to Messerschmitt AG. Up to then, the models were Bf, from then on Me, the latter theoretically covering all but the very first iterations of the 109.

But even the company itself wasn't consistent and used both interchangeably after 1938, sometimes both in the same text or document.

Nerd out

From another nerd.

In spite of BFW being renamed Messerschmitt AG in 1938, after Willy Messerschmitt became Chairman and Managing director, as you rightly said. The 109 remained Bf. Later airplanes became Me. Like the Me410 and the Me262.

Maybe it was decided not to mess up with logistics and bureaucracy. Quien sabe?

Nerd out.

 

[Absalom]

In spite of BFW being renamed Messerschmitt AG in 1938, after Willy Messerschmitt became Chairman and Managing director, as you rightly said. The 109 remained Bf. Later airplanes became Me. Like the Me410 and the Me262.

Last post on this, I promise!

Two pages from the same document, 1943. Subject was a Bf109 or Me109 (F with G wings), depending on whether you go by page 1 or page 8 of the report

 

[rockquarry]

The insignificant triviality and the incessant need to be right couldn't be that important...it really takes away from the spirit of this thread about 1960s war films.

 

[Kurusu]

Last post on this, I promise!

Two pages from the same document, 1943. Subject was a Bf109 or Me109 (F with G wings), depending on whether you go by page 1 or page 8 of the report

I am shocked. Shocked I say.

You just ruined my belief the German people followed rules to a T.

Edit. At least, as far as I know, the Me410 and the Me262 were never called Bf. That's got to count for something.

 

[STCM(SW)]

OK, 3 years before 1960 but one that impressed me in Class A sonar school.
The Enemy Below - Robert Mitchum & Curt Jurgens

 

[UncleEd]

The great thing about war movies
is that so many posters are nomenclature
purists and equipment purists.
Debates always ensue.

As to the Bf, Me "controversy," the
great thing about its clarification
this evening is that another bunch
of posters will be along in a year or
two to start the ball rolling again.

As for me, I love the "ping" sound
when a magazine pops out of an
M1 rifle.

 

[STCM(SW)]

"As for me, I love the "ping" sound
when a magazine pops out of an
M1 rifle."

The only "PING" for me is a Sonar contact! LOL!

 

[nicky4968]

Castle Keep.
Burt Lancaster plays Burt Lancaster superbly.
Peter Falk is beyond insane.
Patrick O'Neil.
"Defend/Destroy the castle."
"Theirs are better."
"What century is it?"