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Re: Where in the world is Bren?
CV #291733 02/11/10 05:20 AM
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Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Adrian #291748 02/11/10 11:13 AM
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How DARE you guys take my off topic ramblings OFF TOPIC. Harumph!


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Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Adrian #291749 02/11/10 11:22 AM
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 Originally Posted By: Adrian
Jack, do you remember a made-for-TV movie with Rutger Hauer in it called Escape from Sobibor ? Based on a true story about an uprising in a nazi death camp during WW11.

I certainly recognize the title, but I don't believe I've ever watched it. As fascinated as I am by the WWII era, I tend to steer away from things that deal with the camps (concentration as opposed to POW). Being aware that human being are capable of such unspeakable cruelty just overloads my poor innocent brain. I have some wonderful film documentary series on WWII and the actual scenes of the camps are so disturbing and depressing that I often find it all too much to comprehend. \:\(

However, I will try to give it a shot sometime. Thanks.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Argon #291750 02/11/10 11:25 AM
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 Originally Posted By: Argon
 Originally Posted By: Ajax

One of the things I wanted to mention was that, many of these movies that were made during the war, were intended as morale boosters - propaganda, if you will. Bataan is a perfect example. Viewed through today's eyes, the movie, and particularly the ending, is a bit hokie.

But, if you are able to empathize - to place yourself back in 1942, understand how fearful you were with your country at war, your way of life threatened, with the outcome seriously in doubt, and see the movie through 1942 eyes - things make a whole lot more sense.



I like to watch any of the movies from the WWII era - not just the war flicks - trying to see them through the "eyes of the time"
Good for you and good to hear!!! Not an easy thing to do.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Where in the world is Bren?
St_PatGuy #291751 02/11/10 11:29 AM
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 Originally Posted By: St_PatGuy
I can imagine they'd have to take some liberties with making the PT Boat attacks more exciting. Watching boats bob up and down in the water for an hour does not good drama make! \:D
LOL! Ain't it the truth. As my father used to say "well, they gotta have a story, ya know." \:D


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Ajax #291752 02/11/10 11:30 AM
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I received the "WW II in HD" Blu-Ray set the other day after having watched it on TV a few months ago. Good for the "documentary" groupies...


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Re: Where in the world is Bren?
chesseroo #291754 02/11/10 12:33 PM
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 Originally Posted By: chesseroo
Geez i actually fit into this thread seamlessly.
I own or have seen about half of the movies that Jack has listed.

I have to add a few more for you Bren:

Memphis Belle

Empire of the Sun

A Bridge Too Far

Battle of Britain


and one of my favorites,

Midway.

Some excellent stuff!

Memphis Belle: How can you not like a true story about the guys flying B-17s and one, in particular, which actually made it through 25 missions. Remarkable.

Empire of the Sun: A really quirky movie that fascinated me. Was stunned to realize that the young boy who endured a Japanese concentration camp grew up to be Batman (Christian Bale).

A Bridge too Far. Tough one for me to watch because Operation Market Garden was such a debacle.

Battle of Britain: I have it on Blu-ray. Wonderful to watch those beautiful Spitfires soar. "Never have so many owed so much to so few." Never have truer words been spoken. Truly their "finest hour."

Midway: OOO! OOO! OOO! One of my absolute FAVORITES! Not only because it's a good flick, but because it is about the single, most remarkable, most pivotal battle of the Pacific War. And, that's saying a lot because damn near every battle of the Pacific war was remarkable.

Ya gotta remember that, from December 1941 to May 1942, the Japanese ran rampant over the far East. Nothing but victory after victory, gobbling up territory after territory and country after country.

But, in May, at the Battle of the Coral Sea, which was a tactical loss (they sank the big carrier Lexington and we sank their small carrier Shoho) but a strategic victory (we stopped them from invading and occupying Port Moresby in New Guinea which would have cut our supply lines to Australia and set up the invasion of that country), for the first time the Japanese were stopped.

Then just one month later, in the Battle of Midway, through the most remarkable combination of fantastic code breaking, incredible repair work, courageous self sacrifice, and a ton of blind dumb luck, we sank all 4 of their large carriers (The Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu), all of which participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor (the Zuikaku and Shokaku were not there, the Zuikaku awaiting a replacement air crew and the Shokaku having been damaged a month earlier in the Battle of the Coral Sea). From that time until the end of the war, Japan was on the defensive.

Incredible repair work: The USS Yorktown had limped back to Pearl Harbor after being seriously damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Estimates were it would take a couple of months to repair her. Code breakers had ingeniously confirmed that the imminent Japanese attack was targeting the island of Midway and the Yorktown was needed for the battle. Repair crews worked 24/7 and 3 days after she arrived in Pearl Harbor she was on her way to Midway with repair crews still working on board.

Courageous self sacrifice: 16 of 16 torpedo bombers from the USS Hornet's Torpedo 8 were lost in an attack that scored no hits but actually enabled the dive bombers to successfully press their attack unopposed by the Japanese fighter protection. The fighters were down at low altitude after destroying the torpedo bombers and couldn't stop the dive bombers. Of the 32 crew members in Torpedo 8, only one, Ensign George Gay, survived. He had a front row seat for the entire battle, floating in the water, hiding under a seat cushion so the enemy wouldn't spot him.

There are a number of good books about the battle, but one that pops into mind is Walter Lord's Incredible Victory. Incredible indeed!


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Ajax #291757 02/11/10 01:12 PM
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Who needs history class?

We got Jack!! \:D


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Re: Where in the world is Bren?
St_PatGuy #291758 02/11/10 01:41 PM
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LOL! When I was in school, I LOATHED history. I actually flunked a world history course my college freshman year. Like most young people, most of whom see themselves as the center of the universe, I felt anything that happened before I was born was irrelevant. As I've matured, I've subscribed to Edmund Burke's philosophy that "those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." I don't claim to be that knowledgeable about all history. But, for some reason, the World War II era, and the decade preceding it, captured my imagination. Go figure.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Where in the world is Bren?
Ajax #291759 02/11/10 01:55 PM
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 Originally Posted By: Ajax
I felt anything that happened before I was born was irrelevant.

See how things change: for most young people nowadays, things that happened AFTER you were born are irrelevant history! \:\)


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