My faves:
Vietnam war movies:
5. Platoon
In 1979, Francis Ford Coppola came out with Apocalypse Now, the definitive Vietnam War movie on an artistic level.
In 1986, Oliver Stone came out with Platoon, the definitive Vietnam War movie on a more realistic level.
4. The Deer Hunter
An amazing ensemble cast of Robert Deniro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken & a very beauteous Meryl Streep join all their high-powered acting forces together to form a story that conveys what can happen when the effects of war comes to a small working class town,
leaving wounds, scars, broken relationships & lost friends.
Notice the sparseness of the dialogue & yet the effectiveness with which each actor brings to this film to effectively (not to mention, in a refreshingly unpreachy manner) portray a group of ordinary people trying to deal with the unordinary consequences that were the Vietnam War.
3. Full Metal Jacket
"How tall are you private?"
"Sir, five foot nine, sir!"
"Five foot nine? I didn't know they stacked sh#t that high! You tryin' to squeeze an inch in on me somewhere, huh?"
" Sir, no sir!"
"Bullsh#t! It looks to me like the best part of you ran down the crack of your momma's ass and ended up as a brown stain on the mattress! I think you been cheated! Where in the hell are you from anyway, private?"
"Sir, Texas, sir!"
"Holy dog sh#t! Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down. Do you suck dicks?"
"Sir, no sir!"
"Are you a peter puffer?"
"Sir, no sir!"
"I'll bet you're the kinda guy that would f#ck a person in the ass and not even have the godd@mn common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I'll be watching you."
2. The Killing Fields
A true life tale of a journalist's journey of survival that provides a brutal & revealing look at the aftermath of the communist takeover of Cambodia & the re-"disciplining" of it's population.
1. Apocalypse Now
The "2001: A Space Odyssey" of the war genre in that it's a story of a long journey that culminates into a meeting with a strange godlike figure. And even though you might not know what it all meant, what you do know is that whatever it was, it was pretty damn epic & pretty damn cool.
The imagery & the surrealness of the film all lead up into a piece of work that could've easily been a number one film fave on any other director's filmography. And yet, for Francis Ford Coppola, the fact that there are still two more movies that IMO, are even better than this grand "arty" war epic (The Godfather Parts I & II) , is a great example that the 70's was a period of time that showcased the abilities of a great director during his prime.
BTW, Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, a documentary that follows the true story of how Apocalypse Now was made, is not only a great companion piece to this film, but a also a great work of cinema on it's own (definitely worth it's own watch).
WW ll movies:
5. Midway
Midway is a great example of taking an important military battle and depicting the grand scale of this real life historical event on film, despite the obvious perspective to the American side (which was usually the standard back then anyway).
The fact that at certain points, the film focuses on varoius specifics of the major decisions which resulted in the manner the battle would eventually unfold, helps in adding weight to the portrayal of those in military higher-ups who were instrumental in shaping this event.
Adding to the significance of the story is an ensemble cast of heavyweights of the time such as Charles "They-Don't-Get-Any-Bigger" Heston & Henry "I'm-Barbarella's-Dad" Fonda.
4. Kelly's Heroes
Take a heist movie & combine it with a war movie & what do get?
Three Kings.
Take a heist film & combine it with a war movie both made in beginning the 70's decade & what do you get?
Kelly's Heroes.
A cool cast of actors that include Clint Eastwood, Teddy Savales, Carroll O'Connor, Don frikkin' Rickles & an offbeat yet definitely fun & memorable role from Donald Sutherland.
3. Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora!
2. Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood excellently directs this tale of the pacific war from the view of a band Japanese.
A country in which the war is not just against the the Allies, but also in a war within intself between the new methods & technology of the new age against it's revered ancient traditions of honor for one's native land & emperor, not to mention against the obligational feelings towards own family.
Who knew that a tale about the "other side" would make such a great American movie?
1. The Longest Day
Featuring an all-star-cast-of-it's-time-line-up that makes up a really long list of actors that star in this really long movie about a really long day near the end of a really long war.
For me, The Longest day represents the high quality of films that were at the forefront of the unglorified depictions of war that were making their way onto the big screen during the era of 60's cinema.
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