"Last ditch stand" movies

[Bluehawk]

"Glory"

 

"We Were Soldiers"

[45ACP]

I often wondered if the reason Errol Flynn never fired it was because it wasn't real. It might have been hard for the studio to get the M42s because everything was going into the war effort. Or maybe the stars wanted them custom made hard to say.

 

I own one of the made up M1A1's and some of the studio photos.

Ronnie

[maddog1129]

I would have to add Downfall.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/

 

Bruno what's-his-name deserved his Oscar nom for that performance.

 

I always wanted to see "A Walk in the Sun" but never did.

[craig_pickrall]

Walk is fairly easy to find. It has been sold as a $1 movie at Wal-Mart in DVD, it is included on many of these WW2 collection sets, it is usually on TV especially on military holidays and it is probably included on the free movies from Netflix.

[gmat]

Although Northwest Passage is quoted as similar to Operation Burma, Distant Drums, with Gary Cooper and also directed by Raoul Walsh, is even mores similar. Raid into enemy territory, splitting the group to escape, with one half being killed or tortured, as related by a dying survivor. Indians replace the Japanese as the villains. Enjoyed both, but saw Distant Drums much later and was struck by the similarities.

 

My favorite is Pork Chop Hill. Would 633 Squadron qualify?

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[panzerbait]

Guns of Navarone ... isn't that Gregory Peck also? and Anthony Quinn and Anthony Quayle and David Niven and I forget who all in the same movie

 

the thing I liked about the latest version of the "Alamo" a few years ago was that they finally let the Mexican soldiers be played by Hispanic actors

??? The John Wayne version had hispanics playing the part of Mexican soldiers, but even aside from that the modern version is, IMHO, a superior film. (although I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the original!)

[Grant G.]

I guess you could add "Hell is for Heroes" with Steve McQueen :thumbsup:

[45ACP]

Love "Hell is for Heroes" with Steve McQueen as a burnout. Good movie. Then there is "Men at War" with Robert Ryan and Aldo Rey.

[gwb123]

Although only a part of the movie, the VC attack overrunning the base camp in "The Green Berets" probably qualifies as a classic last stand. In fact some would say that it had a remarkable resemblance to the attack scene in "The Alamo".

 

Although not a military movie, "Titanic" comes to mind. If you don't like the DiCaprio love story, you also have "A Night to Remember" to choose from. I still get choked up when I hear "Nearer My God to Thee".

[js584]

I like the old WW II movies, not much for special effects but great stories. Many of the actors actually served in WW II so that kinda adds to it. Heres 3 good last standers from different eras. IMHO

 

WW II ATTACK starring Jack Palance and Eddie Albert

Korea Pork Chop Hill starring Gregory Peck

WW I The Lost Battalion starring Ricky Schroeder

[Ronnie]

I am surprised the M42's are a wardrobe made uniform. I thought they were issue. They look great.

 

As far as correct gear goes have you seen A WALK IN THE SUN?. Those guys look like they stepped off a page of FM 21-15. They are perfect. The medic only makes a brief appearance but he has the correct bags too. This was made in 43 or 44 I think.

Craig they look great on screen but in hand you can see that they are not OD#3. Each actor had several uniforms starting with clean down to distressed. They were also marked with a tag and the actors name. The actors also wore regular M1's with a/b liners.

Ronnie

[Ronnie]

I often wondered if the reason Errol Flynn never fired it was because it wasn't real. It might have been hard for the studio to get the M42s because everything was going into the war effort. Or maybe the stars wanted them custom made hard to say.

Flynn did fire a M1A1 in two scenes. When they are withdrawing from the village and in the final scene on top of the mountain.

Ronnie

[45ACP]

I guess I'll have to get a copy and watch again because I don't remember him firing. It's been a number of years since I last saw it.

[Teamski]

Platoon is pretty last ditch as well as A Bridge Too Far.....

 

-Ski

[gwb123]

Platoon is pretty last ditch as well as A Bridge Too Far.....

 

-Ski

 

I wrote a college paper on "A Bridge Too Far" for a film course I was taking. That film had a big impact on me as I was in ROTC at the time and it was hard to watch the debacle unfold.

 

Someone earlier mentioned "Zulu Dawn"... believe it or not that was my first date with my wife... looking back, I am surprised that didn't end things right then and there!

[Teamski]

I wrote a college paper on "A Bridge Too Far" for a film course I was taking. That film had a big impact on me as I was in ROTC at the time and it was hard to watch the debacle unfold.

 

Someone earlier mentioned "Zulu Dawn"... believe it or not that was my first date with my wife... looking back, I am surprised that didn't end things right then and there!

 

 

Well, sometimes we come out lucky! On my first date with my wife, I proudly showed her my patch collection. This was when we were 17. 25 years later, we are still happily together. Sometimes it pays to be a geek.

 

-Ski

[Lucky 7th Armored]

Ill third "We Were Soldiers" im more of a WWII guy myself, but i love that movie.

Haydn

[Ronnie]

The Wild Bunch...it doesn't get much last ditchier than that. Pike fights his last battle with the new Colt 1911 and the 1917 water cooled and never pulls the old faithful Colt SAA. They whacked so many "bad guys" in that last scene.

[Gregory]

Don't mention "Objective Burma" aka "How Errol Flynn won the war in Burma" to a Brit. In fact, when it was initially released it met with such outrage in Britain it was taken off!

 

Sabrejet

Hello John,

 

The same as Craig am also surprised by this scale of the anti-American emotions in the case of "Objective Burma!". Last decades the British agent James Bond rescues globe continuously and nobody tells that the British are the "Chosen People" and the UK is a "Saviour of the World".

 

The "Objective Burma!" is only simple action movie without any aspiration to be historical report from the CBI. Did you watch the "Objective Burma!" carefully? Is the Commonwealth not honored by the producers? They were not forced to do it, because that movie is only military fiction, but they wrote as follows:

 

This film is gratefully dedicated to the men of the American, British, Chinese and Indian Armies without whose heroic efforts Burma would still be in the hands of the Japanese.

 

Have you seen that big inscription in the movie mentioned?

 

Every one nation has its nationalism and its "own vision" (far from objectivism) of the WWII history. And every one nation deletes as much as possible from that history its former partners to present itself as a main power that won battle of war. All we do it -- you the British, we the Poles, our American friends and all the other WWII Allies as well. Look at nationalistic anti-American Alexander McKee's the British-focused books. According to him the ETO was won by the British only.

 

I do not see any fault of the "Objective Burma!" producers. More than half a century the British deleted from history the participation of the Polish intelligence, engineers and scientists in the secret battle against Enigma, V-1 and V-2. And what are we to do -- proclaim a war against you for falsifying WWII history? Did the RAF's C-47s fly to UK or to Poland to pick up the V-1 and V-2 elements for the British Intelligence? Was Antoni Kocjan a chief of the British or Polish aviation intelligence and risked his life with his team of experts to deliver those secret German elements for the British? Do the British children learn today about Antoni Kocjan and the Polish military and aviation intelligence who fought against Enigma, V-1 and V-2? No, they learn about the British successes only.

 

Let's leave alone the "Objective Burma!" movie. That was only the "Dirty Dozen" of the 1940s era.

 

Best regards

 

Gregory

[ADAM2001]

Even though they aren't the ALLIED FORCES in action, My nominations are for "STALINGRAD" and "THE WINTER WAR".., quite excellent movies in my opinion!!

 

Adam

[1perazzi]

What about Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis ? And what was the name of the movie with Errol Flynn about Charge of the Light Brigade ? Mike

[Rakkasan187]

I quickly breezed through this post, so if this is a repeat of someone's previous posting, I am sorry, but here are four more movies that I think would fall into the catagory of LAST DITCH::

 

Wake Island

 

Battleground

 

Battle of the Bulge

 

Go For Broke

 

None But the Brave

 

Von Ryan's Express

 

Leigh...

[45ACP]

A couple of bad but fun ones from the drive in movie days of the 60s and 70s.

 

 

"Nam's Angels" aka "The Losers". Love the VW trike with the 19 round rocket pod on top and the two M1919A4s.

"Chrome and Hot Leather" Green Berets take on outlaw bikers.

 

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNjMy...,0,214,314_.jpg

[JMcCulloch]

Black Hawk Down undoubtedly.

[Malygris]

This would fall under the 'on the run' category.

 

It didn't look like anyone had mentioned 'SAINTS AND SOLDIERS' yet.