Your most accurate war movie scene ....

[the330thbg]

For me it's that scene in Memphis Belle #2 when Luftwaffe gun camera film of 17's being eviscerated by cannon fire is accompanied by a voice over of a commander reading letters from family of shot down crew members. Very, very moving for me.

That is a GREAT scene!!!!

Most realistic war movie opener would be Saving Private Ryan and the initial beach landing at Normandy!

I could not sit still in my seat as i was ducking imaginary rounds!! brrrrrrwww still get chills of being shot at!

[michaelharadon]

This is a very bizarre question to ask.

No offense to anyone here, but there are very few people who participate on WIX who have actually witnessed combat with their own eyes. I'd argue that it is impossible to be able to judge what is realistic and what is not without this baseline to judge from.

I get Randy's point, and as it comes from someone who (I think) has 'actually witnessed combat with his own eyes', it is powerful to me, someone who, though married twice, has never seen the type of combat he refers to.

At the same time, my life experience is such that the scene I refer to in MB#2 rings true to me. It's all about the heartbreak-mine, from watching the destruction of men and machines from my own land and knowing that it was happening, though they couldn't know it, for me, Michael. The commanding officer's from reading the letters as he knows that he will be speaking the words on the morrow that will expose more of his men to the same fate, and, of course, the heartbreaking losses suffered by the families of the crewmen.

Perhaps the thread's question becomes more legitimate when we respond to it in terms of the emotions a given scene elicits. No, I've never been shot at, but at some level fear, bravery, sadness, etc., is the same for everyone. And if a scene is capable of reaching that level, then, for me, it is realistic.

[John Dupre]

I think A Bridge Too Far had some very realistic scenes. The scenes of German vehicle wrecks on the bridge was obviously laid out using original photos of the actual event. There is a scene in Arnhem where one para on a ground floor calls out for the commander, the answer comes from above and the camera pans up three floors because the whole front wall of the building is just gone. Then they used some kind of helmet cam during one of the jump scenes. The long lines of XXX Corps vehicles were well done too even if many of the tanks were fiberglass mock ups mounted on VW chassis.

Although very interesting posts, I was hoping for responses that could possibly be a bit simpler yet convincing. Yes, I'm sure most here have not seen combat in anyway, and count your blessings if you've been lucky enough not to have seen combat, but I do believe since many of us spend probably too much time here on WIX, watching war movies, documentories, reading books etc, that most of us could come up with a good example of realism in a movie with warbirds.

I'll give you another example so as to possibly re-direct away from too much confusion

What I noticed yesterday while watching "The Longest Day" was the two spitfires strafing retreating Germans. There's a scene where the spitfires are convincingly IMHO back far enough to where when strafing, the distance between the spitfires and mock hits on the ground seem about right to my simple mind as opposed to the scene in BOB where the Spanish 109's or whatever they are, seem to be ahead of the strafing they are supposedly doing. This is the example to where my question was directed, NOT a debate about who has actually seen combat and what that would have to do with this simple thread, no disrespect to anyone who has seem combat, but I do believe in all my years of addiction to this nutty obsession that I could somewhat figure out what look close to the 'real deal' by now. ... Knowing what I do now about my dad's logbook, I'm actually quite lucky I'm alive ...

Even though I'm NOT an authority on markings, I still can figure out when a warbird doesn't look right. And another thing while I'm getting worked up .. lol .... WTF is the problem with some of these BS shows on TV using mostly CGI and pretending to know what they're talking about? Example: F4F's during 1942 in 1944/45 schemes .... ugh!!!!!! .... Would have taken very little effort to get it right ...

Rant complete! .. back to work

[the330thbg]

again,

Saving Private Ryan initial invasion scene..,

From the whizzing sound of the bullets to the wet 'thwack' sound they make when they impact flesh and/or trees, ground etc.. sent chills down my spine!

If you want inaccurate.., just watch an old episode of 12 O'clock High!!! the most hilarious flying sequences ever!!! It's a B-17G, not a B-17E, no a C-47.., wait a C-54.., ohhh.., i get it ????

[The Inspector]

OK, OK, OK. Not WARBIRD, but how about hearing the plates creaking and rivets popping and ricochetting around during the 'lay on the bottom of the Med' scenes in Das Boot in DOLBY in the theatre?

[the330thbg]

What is the B-17 movie from the 60's with Steve McQueen and Robert Wagoner.., that is a great B-17 war movie with spectacular footage.., except the fake ending sequence!

[Speedy]

Perhaps the thread's question becomes more legitimate when we respond to it in terms of the emotions a given scene elicits. No, I've never been shot at, but at some level fear, bravery, sadness, etc., is the same for everyone. And if a scene is capable of reaching that level, then, for me, it is realistic.

As I was reading this thread, THAT was pretty much the line along my thinking. If I'm sitting, watching a movie...with my military flying background, love of history, and warbirds, etc...what movies make me 'feel' like I'm really there, with realistic looking flying, dialogue, situations, etc....as opposed to rolling my eyes and thinking "bullsh*t" inside my head. And I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. Memphis Belle (2)..great seeing that many warbirds airborne, but....Top Gun? Makes me embarassed to have been a Naval Aviator. Pearl Harbor? GAAAAHHHHH!!!! Artistic liberty and 'based on a true story' flare to make it appealing to the MTV generation...let's face it...sometimes it really sucks.

(Randy? Corpus Christi? Iron Eagles III???...in which case was actually laughing out loud!)

That being said:

The last 45 minutes of Tora, Tora, Tora (where you can forgive the 'plywood' P-40's and 'not the right Mk. B-17's, etc.) is amazing. I can watch that over and over and over and get chills every time.

Same goes for virtually all the flying scenes in Battle of Britain. Even though you're dealing with non-period Spitfires, and Merlin-ized 109's and 111's...and perhaps not the right planes in the right scenes (i.e. 111's standing in where 110's should be, etc.). It looks and feels right. Maybe it's just all those British accents. And there are just a LOT of planes all in the same picture at the same time...very well choreographed, with no--or very primitive--special effects. I was pointing out to my son the other day that if you watch the 'scenes' from the Sept. 15th raid/attack in Battle of Britain, and then watch the attack on the Death Star in Star Wars...it's obvious what movie George Lucas had watched the night before! Some of it is a scene-for-scene copy!

Bridges at Toko Ri is a classic...the Top Gun of it's era, as a former Skipper of mine said that it is what inspired him to want to be a Navy pilot. For me, while the flying scenes are top notch, it is more the story and the conclusion (wow...you mean the good guys don't always win?) that makes it so good.

The 'Cadillac of the Skies' scene in Empire of the Sun is so emotional that I am not afraid to admit I've teared up during every time I see it.

The first 10 minutes of Catch-22 are exhillerating, and the take-off is one of the most breathtaking scenes ever captured on film. I'm too young to have seen it in the theater, but can't help but get goosebumps thinking what that would have looked like on a big screen.

And tips to a whole handful of 40's/50's era flicks like 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, Air Force, etc...that while they are pure Hollywood propaganda, at least get the 'feel' of the time and era right.

But I think my bottom line is the Tora/BoB combination for my 'most realistic'.

[the330thbg]

Speedy
"I was pointing out to my son the other day that if you watch the 'scenes' from the Sept. 15th raid/attack in Battle of Britain, and then watch the attack on the Death Star in Star Wars...it's obvious what movie George Lucas had watched the night before! Some of it is a scene-for-scene copy"


The attack on the "Death Star" in the final scenes of Star Wars is heavily influenced by the climactic sequence of The Dam Busters.

In the film rebel pilots have to fly through a trench while evading enemy fire and use a single special weapon at a precise distance from the target in order to destroy the entire base with a single explosion; if one run fails another run must be made by a different pilot.
Some scenes from are very similar to those in The Dam Busters and some of the dialogue is nearly identical in the two films. These scenes are also heavily influenced by the action scenes from the war film 633 Squadron, which depicts a fictional air raid.

Star Wars also ends with an Elgarian-style march, like The Dam Busters.


To see how much infuence 'Dam Busters' had on 'Star Wars', watch this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NMfBKrdErY

[airnutz]

Tho I haven't seen it yet, I've heard the film, "Dark Blue World" has been complemented on it's accuracy of the
period.

Any comments from those who've sampled it?

[Django]

What is the B-17 movie from the 60's with Steve McQueen and Robert Wagoner.., that is a great B-17 war movie with spectacular footage.., except the fake ending sequence!

The War Lover

Dark Blue World is a really good movie. I can't speak to it's accuracy, but I really enjoyed it.

[old iron]

I know it is not aviation, but I think the most accurate WWII scene is the T-34 attack on the German positions in "Cross of Iron." I remember seeing it when the movie first came out - it was obvious that this was not the result of special effects, these were REAL T-34s. Where did they get them? (they rented the Yugoslavian Army!). Nothing in all the war movies that I have seen since then has created in me the same awe of seeing something close to the real thing.

[michaelharadon]

Old Iron, you make me think of the tank scene in Pvt. Ryan. Makes me glad I wasn't there.

[Robbie Roberts]

Holy Mackeral...I can't even begin to pick out a "most accurate". I CAN, however, tell you what one of my the most glaring inaccuracies in my viewing is.
In "The Longest Day"...a wide shot of the fleet and 2 Skyraiders fly over.

Mudge the eagle eyed

Don't forget all the M-151 Mutts in "In Harm's Way" with John Wayne...

Of course, "Kelly's Heroes" is one of the most authentic for uniforms, equipment, weapons & vehicles... Except for the T-6's strafing them... The story was hokey, but ya gotta love them positive waves baby! And they did a great job disguising T-34s as Tiger tanks! But the turrets are a little too far forward...

Robbie

[evanflys]

The Hunters

Evan