Best War Movie from 1960s

[rwsmith]

I know that...

About the only one of those mentioned that I saw was "Zulu". Great movie, have always wondered if Michael Caine's character was overplayed as a supercilious ah, donkey.

Did read the book on The Devils Brigade. They listed the names of those brigade members they interviewed for information. I recognized an unusual name on the list. A brief question after class confirmed my Ethics and Logic professor had been a member, a chaplain. Apparently his calling didn't interfere with being qualified with all small arms.

I know that supercilious donkeys certain existed in the British army as well as others.

 

[rockquarry]

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

I saw that film a couple of years ago; had never heard of it previously. While I didn't think it was really outstanding in any way, I found it a surprisingly good movie and certainly worth watching. They used real Mosquito aircraft, not graphic facsimiles or other airplanes altered to resemble Mosquitos.

 

[bigwheelzip]

You guys got all the classic choices of the 1960's covered. Watched pretty much all of the ones mentioned multiple times over the years.
The one that's a bit different that I'd nominate for the list is "Dr. Strangelove".

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[tlawler]

The Sand Pebbles wasn't a war movie. The setting was a USN gunboat on the so-called Yangzee (sp?) patrol.

Definitely gets an honorable mention in my book. It's one of my favorite movies.
I would nominate The Longest Day for the best, though.
Other honorable mentions would be The Great Escape, Fail Safe, The Devil's Brigade.
Anybody remember seeing Von Ryan's Express with Frank Sinatra?
Kind of a hokey movie, but I enjoyed it.

 

[Chino74]

Well if we are counting Mercenary action & Africa I'll offer 'Dark of the Sun' From the novel of the same name by Wilbur Smith...it's brutal & action packed & pulls no punches.

Now if it is conventional WW action then there is only one choice for me. 'The Dirty Dozen'.

 

[since 61]

I know "A bridge too far" was later than the 60's but the movie was good except the ending. I was shocked at the way it ended. I'm sure it
was historical correct but man that was bad.

 

[Dingotech]

Just remembered Bridge at Remagen. I liked it as a kid.

Another memorable WWII-set flick made in the 60s was Once Before I Die. It was a weird movie set in the Phillipines during the Jap invasion in 41. The ending battle was tres bizarre. But I was young, and watching Ursula Andress prance around the jungle made up for the rather ridiculous plot.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

I think that the Battle of the Bulge was one of the worst. especially the tank battle at the end. there isn't any sage brush in Belgium an Luxembourg for one thing

Lets not worry too much about authenticity, the Battle of the Bulge did a good job generically representing the winter battle story, for the time, filmed in arid Spain. It is always enjoyable watching Henry Fonda.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

A favorite of mine is a 1964 Italian-Soviet production called "Italiani Brava Gente", released in English as "Attack and Retreat" About the ill fated Italian 8th Army on the Eastern Front. Very careful attention details of uniforms and equipment, very hard hitting and unsentimental.

 

[Baggy Wrinkle]

My first thought was "The Longest Day" and I'm sticking with it.

My Father-in-law was a member of this unit, the First Special Service Force, from its formation in early 1942 at Ft Harrison, MT until it was disbanded in December 1944 in southern France. He was a physician assigned to this front line commando unit. He was in the trenches, fox holes and landing craft with the troops treating their wounds and illnesses. For the assault on Monte la Defensa, seen at the end of the movie, he climbed up the mountain side in the dark with the troops while carrying medical supplies instead of rifle and ammo.

 

[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?"