Alright I would have to go with these:
Saving Private Ryan
Battle of Britain
The Great Raid (newer one but I liked it alot)
Empire of the Sun
Where Eagles Dare
Band of Brothers: episode 5? (the one with the medic)
The Pianist
The Longest Day
A Bridge Too Far
U-571 although Gray Lady Down is another very good one

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Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it- Sun Tzu

In no particular order cause that far to flippin hard

The Dirty Dozen (the original)
The Great Escape
PT-109
The Dambusters
A Bridge to Far (only watched this again last week)
U-571
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (had to watch it for school still kinda like it)
Flying Leathernecks
The Desert Rats
Stalag 17

but i have to include

Band Of Brothers (it's just one really long movie if you settle in for the weekend)

Of the Wikepedia list, I liked 47 of the war movies listed--for various reasons.

Ones i'd choose, not just for realism, but for stories and because of the actors involved (and this is tough to choose)

As THE best war film of all-time and you can't get much more real than this film--as well as everything you see used in the film is authentic--including the destroyed German cities:
#1) Decision Before Dawn w/ Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, Gary Merrill and Hans-Christian Blech.

The rest are not necessarily in order but:

Cross of Iron w/ James Coburn, Klaus Lowitsch, James Mason, Maximilian Schell and David Werner.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo w/ Van Johnson, Don DeFore and Spencer Tracy.

Hell To Eternity w/ Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, John Larch, Sessue Hayakawa, George Shibata and Goerge Takai (Mr. Sulu of Star Trek fame). This is the story of Marine Guy Gabaldon, who btw, is still alive and living on Okinawa. Guy Gabaldon is known as The Pied Piper of Saipan. This movie has the most realistic Banzai Charge/Bayonet fighting I have ever seen in any movie.

The Longest Day w/ the Duke, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Hans-Christian Blech, Gert Frobe, Curt Jurgens, Robert Ryan and so many others.

Dunkirk w/ Sir John Mills. Has actual footage in it shot by both the Germans and the Allies.

Colditz w/ Sir John Mills and Eric Portman. True to form story of allies officers escaping the Colditz Schloss Prison Camp.

The Password Is Courage w/ Dirk Bogarde. Great allied prisoner of war escape movie.

Hell Is For Heroes w/ Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, James Coburn and Harry Guardino.

Pork Chop Hill w/ Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, George Peppard, Bob Steele, George Shibata, Norman Fell, MArtin Landau, Gavin McCloud, Woody Strode and Robert Blake.

Too many great war movies to list and this should be a top 100 list instead.

Some honorable mentions:

A Time To Love and A Time To Die w/ John Gavin, Erich-Maria Remarque, Lisalotte Pulver, Don Defore, Keenan Wynn, Jock Mahoney and a very young "Dana" Jim Hutton.

The Train w/ Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield and Wolfgang Priess.

Sink the Bismarck w/ Kenneth More.

Back to Bataan w/ the Duke and Anthony Quinn.

Merrills Marauders w/ Jeff Chandler, Claude Akins, and Ty Hardin.

The Great Escape (need I say more?)

Kelly's Heroes w/ Eastwood and Savalas.

Where Eagles Dare with Eastwood and Burton.

The Dirty Dozen w/ Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson.

Stalingrad w/ Thomas Kretschmann.

Die Brucke.

08/15 trilogy.

Just to name a few.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Bull pops his head above the parapet, shouts :

' The Bridge At Remagen - Battle Of Britain - The Dam Busters - Ice Cold In Alex !! '

- and ducks his head again.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Martin, those are all excellent choices and I had thought of including Ice Cold In Alex on the list, but by the time I started posting; I simply forgot. Needless to say, it's been probably 25 years since I last watched that film but, I remember being very impressed with it. And besides, Sir John Mills is and will always be, one of my top 5 most favorite actors--only topped by John Wayne, Richard Basehart and Hans-Christian Blech. And embarassingly, I completely had forgotten about The Bridge At Remagen. I never tire of that fine film either.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

My list (In no particular order):

1. The Longest Day
2. A Bridge Too Far
3. Patton
4. The Battle of Britain
5. Saving Private Ryan
6. Cross of Iron
7. Stalingrad
8. The Great Escape (not exactly a war film but I am very fond of it)
9. The Dirty Dozen
10. Kelly's Heroes (a bit of a comedy but still great)

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Saving Private Ryan
The Downfall:1945
Stalingrad
To Hell And Back
The Pianist
Cross of Iron
Band of Brothers (TV)
Hitlers SS: Portrait of Evil
Schindler's List
Triumph of the Will

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

"The Bridge on the River Kwai", is absolutely, far and away, my favorite WWll film!! Followed by "Enemy at the Gate".

In no particular order:

1. The Winter War
2. The Unknown Soldier (Edwin Laine's original version)
3. Das Boot
4. Cross of Iron
5. Memphis Belle
6. Saving Private Ryan
7. The Longest Day
8. Kelly's Heroes
9. The Great Escape
10.Band of Brothers (Fine, it's not a movie... Learn to live with it )

Bubbling under:
- Stalingrad
- A Bridge Too Far
- Schindler's List
- Stalag 17

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Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way.
-George S. Patton, Jr.-
FYI! My avatar is an old Finnish Aviator's Badge, designed in 1918 and it has nothing to do with one Austrian corporal or his ideas.

Hey way to to bring back an old post Andrew!! I like this one! I haven't seen to many yet but here are my top ten in no particular order!

10. Kelly's Heroes
9. Saving Private Ryan
8. The Bridge At Remagen
7. The Great Escape
6. Battle OF Britain
5. U-571
4. The Longest Day
3. The Dirty Dozen
2. Band Of Brothers
1. A Bridge Too Far

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Scott

In no particular order...

1. The Great Escape
2. The Longest Day
3. The Heroes Of Telemark
4. The Dirty Dozen
5. Kelly's Heroes
6. Memphis Belle
7. Saving Private Ryan
8. Enemy At The Gates
9. The Pianist (not a war film in the true sense, but still an excellent movie)
10. Downfall

A mixture of factual and entertainment value.

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

Here are mine, also in no order, unless otherwise noted.

Mister Roberts My favorite movie, war or not.
SPR
Bridge on the River Kwai
Memphis Belle
The Battle of Britain
Great Escape
Cross of Iron
Longest Day
Sink the Bismarck
The Caine Mutiny

Honorable mentions

Casablanca
From Here to Eternity
The Secret of Santa Vitoria
Von Ryan's Express
Where Eagles Dare
*If Kelly's Heroes can make it in some people's list, then the last two should be able to also.

What do y'all think about closing this thread in a few days then creating a poll to choose #1 and select from the top ten nominees of this thread?

The poll will be votes only, no comments.

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Best Regards,
JW

1. Twelve O'Clock High
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Band of Brothers
4. The Big Red One
5. Sahara (Bogart)
6. Casablanca
7. The Train
8. The Dam Busters
9. The Longest Day (with reservations - LOVED the glider scene)
10. Das Boot


...and ones that are just plain fun ...

Father Goose
Operation Petticoat
Mister Roberts
To Have and Have Not


...jeeze... the list goes on and on....

-whatever

-Lou

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I need minions.

Sounds good to me... As long as The winter War and The Unknown Soldier are two of those nominees!

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Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way.
-George S. Patton, Jr.-
FYI! My avatar is an old Finnish Aviator's Badge, designed in 1918 and it has nothing to do with one Austrian corporal or his ideas.

That makes a change - I just looked back at my list from 1 year ago and realised that actually, it'd remain pretty much the same......

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

My list (In no particular order)

1 The Train
2 Attack
3 The Eagle as landed
4 Joy Divison
5 Cross of iron
6 Where eagle dare
7 Hell is for heroes
8 Kelly's Heroes
9 Downfall
10 The Great Escape

The trouble with only a "Top Ten" list as the list is always subject for change. i.e.

Decision Before Dawn (will always be my Nr 1 choice)

Sands of Iwo Jima.

The Longest Day.

The Dirty Dozen.

Kelly's Heroes.

The Colditz Story.

Where Eagles Dare.

The Password is Courage.

A Time To Love and a Time To Die.

Battleground.

See what I mean? ;-))

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Doggonnit, I can't believe that I forgot all about Battleground!

Cinema Extroidinaire!



Originally Posted by Slipdigit

Quote:

What do y'all think about closing this thread in a few days then creating a poll to choose #1 and select from the top ten nominees of this thread? The poll will be votes only, no comments

Anyone else care, besides Andrew P.?

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Best Regards,
JW

That works for me!

-whatever

-Lou

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I need minions.

bring it on Slip! I like the idea!

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Scott

[[[Go for it! It would be interesting to see what is chosen?]]]

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Okay, Friday night I'll set up a poll from the top ten nominees and let the voting run for a week. People nominating more than ten, I will choose the first 10 you mention, unless to say otherwise.

Y'all better be nominating your favs and campaigning for them.

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Best Regards,
JW

No need when we all know that: Decision Before Dawn is the best F*****g war movie ever made ;-))

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

can't say that I have ever seen that movie, Carl.

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Best Regards,
JW

Jeff, watching "Decision Before Dawn" is a must. It stars: Richard Basehart as Lt. Rennick, Gary Merrill as the Colonel, Oskar Werner as "Happy" aka (Karl Maurer-former Luftwaffe Medic) Hans-Christian Blech as "Tiger." Other good actors in this movie include: Hildegard Knef, Wilfrid Seyfarth (the SS Special Courier)-look for a quick glimpse for: Klaus Kinski-as the whining soldier, and lastly; Til Kiwi.

This movie was filmed five years after the end of the war and what you see is the real thing. Meaning: All the uniforms, insignia, weapons, vehicles and bombed-out cities; are the real thing and not hollywood props.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.