Reeldigger

You're implying a deception on the part of the filmmakers which I don't believe really exists. There's nothing in the titles of the film which claim it's a true story nor, unless I'm mistaken, was it marketed as such. In fact, if you look closely there's the usual disclaimer that the story and characters are pure ficticious. I see no difference between this and, say, "The Sands of Iwo Jima." The film is a fiction although based on a real situation and I think the average viewer understands this perfectly well. With all due respect, I don't think anyone ever thought that David Lean or his producer, Sam Spiegel, were in the documentary business.

Third Man

I thought Operation Daybreak (1975) was an excellent WW2 story while it does not encompass a large part of the war it does tell the very important story of the events leading up to and including the assassination of SS-General Reinhard Heydrich, played by the excellent Anton Diffring.

The operation was taken on by a bunch of Czech volunteers under British intelligence - while the film is not totally accurate it does give a good sense of the bravery and sacrifice that these Czechoslovakians took on with this task - That was to ultimately take out The Butcher of Prague.

Simon

dpgmel

Third Man, agree with everything you say regards "Operation Daybreak" IMHO another underated WWII fim, long overdue a Region 2 release ( I believe the only issue of this is from the far east ? ).

Wasn't the assination of Heydrich also portrayed in the US film "Hangmen Also Die " with Brian Donlevy ( haven't seen this one so can't be sure ) ?

Harleybloke

Wasn't there an issue with 'Zulu'?

I'm sure I recall reading that the character of 'Hook', played by the great James Booth had him portrayed as a 'scallywag'.

His decendants took issue with this as the real Pvt Hook was a well respected soldier.

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

Steve Crook

Not just a well respected soldier, but a professional soldier of many years service, a happily married man, and teetotal.

Not at all like the way he was portrayed in the film

Steve

maturin

Didn't he end up as cloakroom attendant at the British museum?


Some British war films which deserve honourable mention:

Carve Her Name With Pride
The Man Who Never Was
Ice Cold in Alex
Nine Men
The Bells Go Down

Third Man

There's a US VHS which is OK!

..and as you say Hangmen Also Die is an account of the assassination as well - that's on the US DVD boutique label Kino, well worth seeking out.

There is also a very rare Czech film about this as well, I've only ever saw it mentioned on a documentary about the assassination, never been able to track it down, anybody know about this?

Simon

Steve Crook

I don't know what he did there but he did work at the British Museum - after another 20+ years service after the battle at Rorke's Drift

Pte. Henry Hook

Steve

RichardW

My favorite British war film is ... The Small Back Room.

batman

Hangmen Also Die is a very fictionalised account of the assassination but, as Simon mentions, it is very good.

The Czech film is Atentat ... I have seen some clips in a documentary about Heydrich but never the whole film.

Atentát (1964)

I wish I had claws.

Steve Crook

A great "Brit Noir" (if the purists will allow the use of such a genre).
Due out on a Criterion DVD, hopefully in August

Susan: Wouldn't it be silly to break up something we both like doing, only because you think I don't like it.
Sammy: Yes, you've got it all worked out in the way women always have. They don't worry about anything except being alive or dead.
Sammy: I must have a drink. Ask me to have a drink woman.
.............................
Susan: Have a drink Sammy.
Sammy: Whisky?
[Susan nods.]
Sammy: No thanks Susan.
.............................
Susan: Where were you going Sammy?
Sammy: I don't know.
Susan: A woman?
Sammy: Maybe.
Susan: How about me?

Steve

christoph404

"Bridge on The River Kwai" I feel ,is an adventure war film inspired by real events. As a film it is well acted and entertaining and an impressive visual spectacle, I like it in the same way as I like "Where Eagles Dare" as a fantasy war adventure.
As a historical document?...well it isn't one, and bears no relation whtasoever to events surrounding the building of the bridge on the River Kwai. Survivors and veterns who were POWs and forced to work on the Kwai bridge have been very critical of the film. A man died for every yard of track through exhaustion or starvation or disease and the suffering was extreme. That is not really shown in the film, all the troops look very well fed when period photos show POWs looking like walking skeletons on the brink of death through disease and starvation. The Kwai bridge was not blown up by a team of commandos aided by an American, in fact it was not destroyed at all as far as I know, but William Holden's presence would have cerainly boosted box office in the US. There is certainly an argument to say that a fantasy adventure film based on an event that caused immense suffering should at least pay homage or acknowledge that reality in some way so although I like the film as a colourful entertainment part of me feels a little uncomfortable that David Lean seems to gloss over events and give it all a heroic self sacrificing ending where the bridge is destroyed which was far from reality. I can certainly understand why survivors would feel unhappy with Leans depiction of events so I would say as a depiction of real events the film actualy fails totaly but as an entertainment it succeeds.

batman

I like the term Britnoir .... it separates those great 'dark' British films of the period from the US variety.

I wish I had claws.

wadsy

Seven Thunders

Steve Crook

Purists say that Film Noir should only apply to Hollywood films made mainly in the 1940s and 50s (actually 1927-58). But the Noir feel in style and sparse dialogue has been used in films made in lots of other countries and outside of that time-frame.

Of course the odd thing is that most people making films noir by that definition, didn't know that they were making a film noir. The term was only coined in 1946 by the French critic Nino Frank and didn't come into common usage until about the end of the period when they were being made

Films that could be called Brit Noir include Contraband, The Small Back Room, Brighton Rock, The Third Man, They Made Me a Fugitive, Cast a Dark Shadow, Night and the City and many others including some of the Hammer films

Steve