Citizen Goes To War!!!

Days until War Countdown deadline: 10


Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Director William Wyler

The story of one family's joys and heartbreak during the blitz. Mrs. Miniver received 12 Oscar nominations and won 6, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing Screenplay, Best Actress (Greer Garson), Best Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright) and Best B&W Cinematography.

But was it any good, hell yeah! The screenplay is very well written, never over sentimental, never milking the situation for unearned emotions. It's a very smooth, low key story, where a lot happens but the film doesn't throw it in your face. Instead we experience the quiet resolve of The Minivers as they face bombs dropping all around them.

During the film I noticed how skilled the lighting was in many of the scenes, especially the blackout scenes during the war. Instead of the usual over bright movie sets we get these wonderfully subtle shadows with light placed in just the right places.


The other standout was Greer Garson. She has this relaxed yet regal poise about her. The strength in her face and the emotions that she reveals says so much more than words could. In the movie Dame May Whitty says to her 'That you are giving me one of your looks.' That look can move mountains.

Days until War Countdown deadline: 9



Dunkirk (1958)
Director Leslie Norman

59 years before Christopher Nolan made the hit movie Dunkirk...a British made movie told the story of the British Expeditionary Force and the efforts to evacuate the nearly 400,000 men from the shores of Dunkirk...all under heavy bombardment by the Luftwaffe.

I'd never seen this movie before but I'm glad I watched it as it gave me a lot of insight into the events of Dunkirk that occurred before the rescue mission. One of the things the film covers is how the British civilians, before Dunkirk, view the war as not that imperative, some called it a 'fake war'. What I appreciated about this movie is it spent time on what caused the men to be trapped at Dunkirk and how their rescue changed the attitudes about WWII in Britain.

John Mills stars as a Corporal who along with a half dozen men get separated from their platoon and don't know that the rest of the British forces are at Dunkirk wanting desperately to be evacuated. Mills and his men have to make there way back to Dunkirk through heavy pockets of German infantry.

I noticed one famous shot from Dunkirk (2017) had been done originally in Dunkirk (1958), that shot is a wide angle shot of British soldiers laying on the beach as the Luftwaffe drop bombs...the bombs fall in the far background and continue exploding in a direct line until they reach the soldiers in the foreground...That was my favorite shot in Dunkirk (2017) and it was neat to see here too.

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Days until War Countdown deadline: 7

The Thin Red Line (1964)
Director Andrew Marton

"In Guadalcanal during World War II, a private and his sergeant clash during the heat of battle with the Japanese."

I had never heard of the original 1964 The Thin Red Line until I accidentally ran into, so I watched it. I was surprised at how much I liked it. Its an engaging film with a theme of sanity and war induced madness powering the storyline.

Keir Dullea plays the lead (the same role Jim Caviezel played), Keir Dullea is best known for 2001 A Space Odyssey, he's well suited for playing the unhinged young soldier thrust into a world of killing and death. He was excellent in this. His commanding sergeant was played by Jack Ward who imbibed his role with enough finality and cruelness to make him the catalysis for Dullea's descent into madness. And yet Warden plays it with enough common sense that his role never dives into a caricature.

The Thin Red Line (1964) is a character driven war film with enough action to suit a wide range of taste.
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Days until War Countdown deadline: 6

Command Decision (1948)
Director Sam Wood

Good movie but you need to know it's not an action film, there's no scenes of actual war, sans the opening title sequence. It's based on a 1948 stage play which in turn was based on a 1947 novel both written by William Wister Haines. This movie is shot, written and acted like a film version of a stage play only the sets look real. There is long blocks of dialogue with key actors giving theatrical monologues. I liked that as it was really about PR and politicians with the military only getting what they needed if they schmoozed with the right person. A strong ensemble cast adds to the theater play feeling starring: starring Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Charles Bickford, John Hodiak, Edward Arnold and Ray Collins.

Days until War Countdown deadline: 5

This one was a lock on my ballot since day one. I rewatched it last night and if anything I think even higher of the film and of Gregory Peck's performance than I did before. Dean Jagger is also amazing in this. But it's the story that makes this film.

A well loved commander who thinks of his men first is getting a bad rep as a bad luck bomber squadron. Their losses are unusual high and moral is low. Out goes the first commander and in comes tough as nails General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck). The General rides his men hard and gets results but at what mental cost to the men and to the General?

This film is so good that this says it all:

This film is used by the US Navy as an example of leadership styles in its Leadership and Management Training School. The Air Force's College for Enlisted Professional Military Education also uses it as an education aid in its NCO academies. It is also used as a teaching tool for leadership at the Army Command and General Staff College and for leadership training in civilian seminars. It is used at the Harvard Business School as a case study in how to effect change in organizations.