Movie Forums Top 100 War Movies - Group Watch

I guess the question is…does there need to be a higher demand? How many shorts ever get voted on these countdown ballots anyways? I’m not privy to such knowledge, but I’d guess few are even considered. Just looking at the results over the various countdowns, there isn’t many shorts that made the top 100. La Jetee. Night and Fog. The House is Black.

Even for this countdown, I doubt you’ll see any shorts make it even if slowed on the ballot, sans Night and Fog. Which is about the surest things of the lot.

If we’re going to go by “essential”, I would argue Tank Girl is hardly essential to the womens countdown. Neither is Private Parts. I mean, what did they really do to earn that status? Duras, Mai Zetterling and Marta Meszaros were probably more deserving who had films omitted. Yet someone liked those two films enough to include them anyways.

But, if we do need to bring up why it’s essential, Shoulders Arms is the first War Comedy ever made.

By essential, I mean enough well-known and highly regarded war shorts that people will end up voting for. I'm not against the idea, I'm just considering all options first. Obviously there isn't going to be a perfect answer, considering the whole point of this is subjectivity. But it helps to have as much information pertaining to the situation as possible

I understand. If they aren’t allowed, I won’t throw a fit or anything and will still submit a ballot regardless

Shoulder Arms


Right from the start, during the introduction titles, I’m already laughing at the hand. With Chaplin, you never know what to expect. As makes a fun sign and shoots at himself, I can’t help but chuckle. It’s that kind of film for me.

Chaplin is my favorite of the silent era comedians. Just ahead of Keaton, and defiantly better then Lloyd, who I’m not a huge fan of.

In this short but funny movie we are treated with a day dreamer who is stuck in a trench. There’s plenty of scenes to laugh at. The flooded room. The sight of him in over sized boots and baggy pants. His disguise as a tree. His keeping track on his victims as one shoots back and he shyly erases one of the marks.

Hailed as the first War Comedy, it was before he perfected the little tramp and introduced him. But you can see the beginnings.

Great movie from a master.

Pretty thrilled to see this. I did find a 45 min version of this, and I do believe it is a Chaplin that I haven't seen and I've seen A LOT of him.

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I wonder what the differences are between the 45 min and 38 min version that I watched is?

I am curious myself. I did notice a "deleted scene" that was almost 10 min where he's in an office, possibly a doctor's office? It was a photo from it so I'm unsure.

I just looked it up. It’s a difference of frames per second.
See, the 45 minutes is the running time when projected at 17 frames per second. Whereas on the Criterion Channel (how I watched it), it must be running at the more conventional 24 frames per second

Interesting

Would you guys believe me if I told you that I thought the shorter version I seen was at a different frame rate as everything seemed speeded up a slight bit.

No, but I believed it when Wyldesyde said it.

Current candidates to host the next round:

Thursday Next
cricket
Citizen Rules

You guys have about 24 more hours to watch the film.

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Usual Suspect hasn't contacted me yet about potentially adding shorts to his list, but I'll update the rules tomorrow to include shorts.

@KeyserCorleone Have you seen Shoulder Arms (1918)? It's pretty damn funny. You should give it a shot then you could pick the next war movie for the group watch I'd love to see what movie you'd pick for us to watch.

Watched and had a wonderful chuckle (as I always do with Chaplin) last night and will have review up this evening.

The shorts rule has been modified.

Shoulders Arms (1918)

BLESS YOU, Wylde!!
Born and bred with this delightful man and I have only seen one pre-Tramp character. A top-hat-wearing rich man, drunk, and here is almost a pre-birth to the Tramp in manner and demeanor. So, very, VERY delighted to see this one. I loved the flooded barracks bit. The opening drilling made me think of Abbott & Costello's scene in Buck Privates. Great little short and a wonderful discovery.

Thank you very kindly, Wylde!

For what it’s worth, Night and Fog is likely to be the only short to make the final countdown. Shoulders Arms has an outside chance. I doubt any of the War propaganda Docs of the 1940’s will even garner many votes, if any, so it shouldn’t be a worry if anyone complains or raises an objection.

It seems to me that documentaries will be largely absent, save something too popular among us movie junekies like Shoah.