WWII-related movies you would like to see made

[Henrik Krog]

Hi all

I have been playing around with a few ideas for WWII-related movies that Id actually like to see, but havent been made yet. If you have like ideas, post them.

Mine are:

- "Firestorm" - A movie about the firebombing of Hamburg. Follow people on both sides, the "little people", like Flak crew (incl Hitler Youth), firefighters, hausfrauen, the bomber pilots, fighter pilots on both sides. Should make for some action-packed aerial fighting as well as thought-provoking carnage at the end. I got the idea from a documentary I saw about 1 in the morning on German television. Sheer horror!

- "Triumph of the Will" - a movie about the making of "Triumf des Willens". Follow around Riefenstahl, Hitler, cameramen, Hitler Youth and so on. Should make for some grand pictures of the thousands assembled.

- "Total War" - Same as above, only about Göbbels total war speach in the Berliner Sports Palast. I heard the entire thing for the first time a couple weeks ago. Should really bring out how people could be brought into the war. Include the after-speach dessication Göbbels made of the actions of the audience.

- "Blitzkrieg" - Instead of the continuing east-front anti-war flicks, how about a German-perspective "Band of Brothers" set in the early-war blitzkrieg-successes. Personally, I rather like looking at tanks, so an armored unit would be best for my tastes - plays into the picture most people have of all Germans being in tanks or stukas, too. Im thinking a bit of whether the movie should be focused on Belgium/France, or if you maybe should make a movie about a guy joining the army in 1939, then dying in Normandy.

Was that it?

No, Id like to see one more:

- "Keren" - showing the Italians as they have never been shown in WWII-movies outside Italy, as heroes. T´was a hardfought battle, too, in East Africa.

Finally, how about

- "Decima" - A movie about the famed Italian frogmen that sank ship after ship of the Allies fleets. I know its been done, but Id like modern special effects to do them justice.

Henrik

[WMDGreen]

Hello

I,ve just posted a reply to a previous related question about war films by Uncle Joe, my response was an idea for a film about 'Wacht Am Rhein', the so-called Battle Of The Bulge, around the basis of a Volksgrenadier unit.

Here's another idea

'Long Stop Hill', the British, Commonwealth & US & Vs the Deutsche Afrika Korps, with realistic tank and infantry combat in Tunisia early 1943, hopefully with decent looking Tigers, PzIIIs and PzIVs against Shermans and Churchills.

I would make sure the Axis were depicted as a realistic mix of DAK, Fallschirmjager, with some reinforcement units in semi regular temperate army uniform, and Italian troops.

[warlover]

I'd been thinking a good movie would be a story that follows both a German and Allied soldier seperately as protagonists who end up coming face to face. It would be a real testament to the brutality of war. You make the audience like both characters and in the end one of them ends up killing the other.

I like the idea of a German "Band of Brothers" in it they could make the allies look incompetent for a change

Just my two cents.

Regards,
Chris

[Henrik Krog]

I'd been thinking a good movie would be a story that follows both a German and Allied soldier seperately as protagonists who end up coming face to face. It would be a real testament to the brutality of war. You make the audience like both characters and in the end one of them ends up killing the other.

Sort of like "Enemy at the Gates"??

I always like Ed Harris, no matter his role.

Henrik

[Groscurth]

A movie about the war in at the border between France and Italy in late '44 and '45. The German mountain troops where at the It. side, while the French occupied their own, recaptured forts. A war, most off the time in the snow, with ski's and climbing gear.
Some famous French and German climbers were there.

[SMoutin]

I'd been thinking a good movie would be a story that follows both a German and Allied soldier seperately as protagonists who end up coming face to face. It would be a real testament to the brutality of war. You make the audience like both characters and in the end one of them ends up killing the other.

Well aint that great, my idea of the perfect war movie too! like a much more realistic and impartial version of Saving Private Ryan. The audience would follow the parallel paths of a group of british 50th Infantry Division soldiers landing on Gold Beach and a group of Grenadiers of the Panzer-Lehr rushing to the front. Both will end up fighting each other in a climatic battle somewhere in the Bocage (battle of Tilly-s-s-Seulles comes to mind)

That sure would be quite a sight.

[warlover]

warlover wrote:

I'd been thinking a good movie would be a story that follows both a German and Allied soldier seperately as protagonists who end up coming face to face. It would be a real testament to the brutality of war. You make the audience like both characters and in the end one of them ends up killing the other.


Sort of like "Enemy at the Gates"??

I always like Ed Harris, no matter his role.

Henrik

Henrik, I also like Ed Harris in most of his roles, however, I don't believe that it was the filmmaker's intention to have the audience identify with Ed Harris's character in Enemy at the Gates, he was the "Villain".

I'd like to see a movie that has the audience REALLY identifying with both the German and Allied soldier (lots of positive character developement) to make the ending all that more tragic. Kind of depressing but, that's what war is.

Regards,
Chris

[Henrik Krog]

There is a movie out there set during the winter 1944/45, where an American platoon stumble upon a German one.

Both are tired of fighting, its close to Christmas, and slowly they find out that the German platoon wants to surrender.

Just to make sure there will be no repression of the German´s families, they line up and begin shooting into the air, so the neighbouring germans wont find out they are actually surrendering.

Problem is, the american platoon contains a guy, quite patriotic, black-white kinda guy who isnt too bright. The American sergeant leave him behind, but for some reason he comes to, sees the americans lined up with their guns down, and the Germans discharging their weapons.

He figures they are executing his mates, and shoots the German sergeant. The Germans thing they are being betrayed, and fire back.

When all is over, all the Germans and a couple of the americans are dead. The americans decide to keep silent, and the dimwit gets a medal.

This movie really had me from the get-go.

Still, Id like to, for once, see a German equivalent of the 50s and 60s "we are the heroes" war-movies.

Henrik

[Patrick]

Hi

That movie was called "A Midnight Clear", I think.

There is one movie I remember that takes individual German and Allied soldiers and has them come together. "The Young Lions", with Marlon Brando playing the German and Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin playing the Americans. It's one of the few movies I can think of where the German lead character is portrayed sympathetically as a decent man. I remember one scene in a bombed German city very vividly with a young boy missing a leg, perhaps 8 years old, has to negotiate over a fallen utility pole with crutches while Brando wordlessly watches.

[Helmut]

Hi

There is one movie I remember that takes individual German and Allied soldiers and has them come together. "The Young Lions", with Marlon Brando playing the German and Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin playing the Americans. It's one of the few movies I can think of where the German lead character is portrayed sympathetically as a decent man. I remember one scene in a bombed German city very vividly with a young boy missing a leg, perhaps 8 years old, has to negotiate over a fallen utility pole with crutches while Brando wordlessly watches.

I really enjoyed the YOUNG LIONS film also. Have you read the book? Unfortunately it is not nearly as symathetic to the German Character as the film is. In the book they make allusions to the german character being involved in the extermination camps . He starts the book as a nice guy but due to his war experiences becomes a real jerk at the end. Still an interesting read.

Regards,

[Dackelstaffel]

And What about a new version of "All quiet on the western front" but this time the german squad will be in Russia in the Rjev area 1942/1944.
Just an idea...

[Alecci]

I would very much like a new movie decdicated to the assassination attempt and uprising of July 20, 1944, with proper attention to details and historical accuracy.

One could also make it a movie series depicting the conspiracy at large and the most important of its assassination attempts against Hitler. This concept, filmed in style with the one used in 'Band of Brothers' would be must interesting in my honest opinion.

[Tom Houlihan]

...a story that follows both a German and Allied soldier seperately as protagonists who end up coming face to face. It would be a real testament to the brutality of war. You make the audience like both characters...

It's been done! Lee Marvin, I believe, played the American. He and a Japanese soldier were trapped on an island. The ended up needing each other, and realized that deep down, they were pretty much the same. You can't ask me for the name of the movie, because I cannot recall it at the moment!

[Patrick]

I think the movie is "Hell in the Pacific".

[Edelweiss.]

Perhaps a film made in the mould of Das Boot, but instead of a U-Boat, this film would be told from the view of a single Luftwaffe bomber and/or fighter squadron, and the individual members of such a squadron. Perhaps the coverage could include the Battle of France/Battle of Britain/North Africa/Italy/Eastern Front...

Thinking about it, it would probably be more plausible for the film to focus on one specific campaign, my personal preference being North Africa. Has this been done before?

Regards,
Edelweiss