War

  • Unknown – Slom Jugoslavije (Rat na Balkanu) AKA The Breakup of Yugoslavia (War in the Balkans) (1941)

    Documentary1941-1950WarYugoslavia
    Slom Jugoslavije (Rat na Balkanu) (1941)
    Slom Jugoslavije (Rat na Balkanu) (1941)

    Quote:
    A short film which documents the “April War” or the beginning of World War II with the German’s invasion of Yugoslavia.Read More »

  • Andrew V. McLaglen – The Devil’s Brigade (1968)

    Andrew V. McLaglen1961-1970USAWar
    The Devil's Brigade (1968)
    The Devil’s Brigade (1968)

    During World War II a special fighting unit is formed combining a crack Canadian outfit and a conglomeration of US Army misfits previously serving time in military jails. After an initial period of conflict between the two groups, their enmity turns to respect and friendship and the unit is sent to Italy to attempt a dangerous mission which has heretofore been considered impossible to successfully complete.Read More »

  • Vladimir Basov – Shchit i mech AKA The Shield and the Sword (1968)

    1961-1970DramaRussiaVladimir BasovWar
    Shchit i mech (1968)
    Shchit i mech (1968)

    Alexander Belov (Lyubshin) is a Russian spy in the Nazi Germany, working under cover name as Johann Weiss. His perfect German and cool demeanor allows him to make a career in the SS Headquarters in Berlin. Now he is risking his life while getting the Nazi war plans and delivering it to his contact for the sake of Victory. Written by Steve ShelokhonovRead More »

  • Tokuzô Tanaka – Shin heitai yakuza AKA Hoodlum Soldier Deserts Again (1966)

    Tokuzô Tanaka1961-1970ActionJapanWar
    Shin heitai yakuza (1966)
    Shin heitai yakuza (1966)

    This film is a sequel to Yasuzo Masumura’s popular “Hoodlum Soldier”. In this the two soldiers desert in Manchuria, steal an army truck, and end up in the hands of the military police. They also become involved with a brothel-keeper and eventually start a brothel themselves. Again captured they break out and face yet more adventures.Read More »

  • Kunio Watanabe – Byakuran no uta: zenpen: kôhen AKA Song of the White Orchid (1939)

    Kunio Watanabe1931-1940DramaJapanWar
    Byakuran no uta zenpen kôhen (1939)
    Byakuran no uta zenpen kôhen (1939)

    1939 national policy film set in Manchuria.

    Quote:
    Song of the White Orchid was a co-production of Toho and Mantetsu, the railway that served the colonial region of Manchuria, and the first film in the Kazuo Hasegawa/Shirley Yamaguchi (Ri Koran) “Continental Trilogy.” Handsome Hasegawa (representing Japan) runs up against an impertinent Yamaguchi (representing the continent); not surprisingly, in the course of the film the woman comes around and realizes the benevolent intentions of the Japanese. In Song of the White Orchid Yamaguchi leaves Hasegawa, who plays an expatriate working for the railway, because of a misunderstanding. She joins a communist guerilla group plotting to blow up the Manchurian railway. Learning of the subterfuge that led to the misunderstanding, she renews her faith in Hasegawa—and by extension Japan—and tries to undermine the plot.Read More »

  • Wolfgang Petersen – Das Boot (1981)

    Wolfgang Petersen1981-1990DramaGermanyWar
    Das Boot (1981)
    Das Boot (1981)

    A German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.Read More »

  • Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – The Battle of the River Plate AKA Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956)

    Michael Powell1951-1960DramaEmeric PressburgerUnited KingdomWar
    The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
    The Battle of the River Plate (1956)

    In the fall of 1939, the German heavy cruiser (referred to as a pocket battleship) Graf Spee seems to have command of the Atlantic. In the first three months of World War II, she was responsible for sinking nine ships. The British sent three cruisers commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood to confront her. The battle took place on December 13, 1939 and the British came out on top. The Graf Spee headed for the neutral harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay. They were given only a short time to effect repairs and the British did their best to make them believe a British fleet of six or eight ships awaited them. Rather than chance the loss of his men, the German Captain ordered the Graf Spee scuttled.Read More »

  • Vinko Bresan – Kako je poceo rat na mom otoku AKA How the War Started on My Island (1996)

    1991-2000ComedyCroatiaVinko BresanWar
    Kako je po ceo rat na mom otaku (1996)
    Kako je po ceo rat na mom otaku (1996)

    Plot:
    The film is set in Croatia in mid-1991, after the Croatian Parliament had proclaimed the country’s independence, seceding it from Yugoslavia. However, army garrisons around the country are still held by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), which does not acknowledge the parliament’s decision. The JNA garrisons are largely manned by conscripts hailing from all over Yugoslavia who are serving their compulsory military service, and headed by senior officers who ignore Croatian demands that the JNA should leave Croatian territory and release Croats under their command. In this backdrop, the film begins with the arrival of art historian Blaž Gajski (played by Vlatko Dulić) to a small unnamed Croatian island with the intention of rescuing his son Zoran (Leon Lučev) who is serving at the local JNA barracks…Read More »

  • Kwon-taek Im – Jagko AKA Pursuit of Death (1980)

    Kwon-taek Im1971-1980DramaSouth KoreaWar
    Jagko (1980)
    Jagko (1980)

    Quote:
    Two old adversaries meet by chance in a rehab center and realize that the conflict which has dominated their lives since the Korean War has run out of road. Both men are in ruins. One is a former cop, the other a former communist guerrilla; the flashbacks to their sad backstories show Im’s skill in anchoring the currents of modern Korean history in wrenching emotional drama.Read More »

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