Battle Of The Bulge (the 1965 film)

[Babelfish]

Having spent a lot of time in the Ardennes region of Luxemburg/Belgium when I lived over in Germany, it's a part of the world I know quite well and am very fond of (besides all the history associated with it, it's also very scenic, very peaceful and a great place for a holiday or a short break).

Anyway, last night 'Er Indoors wasn't feeling well and took herself off to bed early. So I cracked open a cold one, had a look at what was on the movie channels and decided to watch "Battle Of The Bulge" again - out of morbid curiosity mainly, just to see if it was as bad as I remembered it being the last time I'd watched it.

And so it was. In fact it was even worse. So much wrong with it that I don't know where to start. Even allowing for "artistic license" (and God knows I'm not generally a "rivet counter"). Which is a shame, given the calibre of the cast. It could have been a classic, but instead we ended up with a complete travesty being committed to celluloid. When I was a kid I thought it was tremendous. Which pretty much says it all I reckon. It's one of those movies that I'd love to see re-done .... only properly next time!

- Steve

 

[peedee]

I bet you sang along with the panzer crew song though Steve.

P

 

[Babelfish]

That's the best part of the whole film Paul!

- Steve

 

[sd0324]

Loved that movie when I was 10, now not so much. It is pretty bad, not even Henry Fonda could save it.



Steve

 

[Babelfish]

It is pretty bad, not even Henry Fonda could save it.

Yeah Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, George Montgomery, Ty Hardin, James "Danno" MacArthur and even regular blond-nazi-for-hire Karl Otto Alberty. A great cast in an abomination of a film.

Much has been said about the anachronistic tanks, which do look pretty bad. But for me, the worst thing about it was the Spanish locations where it was filmed. There are no vast expanses of sun-baked semi-arid prairie or high, snow-capped mountain ranges in the Ardennes! There are a couple of all-too-brief scenes that were filmed in snowy pine forests, which were more like it. But other than that, unless they'd filmed it on the moon, it couldn't have looked more wrong.

- Steve

 

[Ybrossculpts]

You'd be better served watching Kellys hero's

 

[sd0324]

You'd be better served watching Kellys hero's

Because that was a classic!

Steve

 

[peedee]

You'd be better served watching Kellys hero's

Best western ever made !

P

 

[Babelfish]

Difference is that "Kelly's Heroes" never pretended to be anything other than what it is - a fictional story war action comedy/drama.

But even then they at least made an effort to get things right: The locations were believable (filmed in Yugoslavia but passable as eastern France), most of the vehicles and equipment were authentic WWII stuff - or at least an effort was made to make them look half-way authentic (think the T-34 tanks mocked up to passably resemble real Tiger tanks) - and even the US Army unit placements were correct (35th Infantry Division in & around the town of Nancy). Unlike most WWII movies of that era, some actual thought and effort had gone into it. BOTB on the other hand was fiction and fantasy pretty much from start to finish. It claimed to be "inspired" by actual events. But "Hogan's Heroes" could make the same claim and not sound any more preposterous!

- Steve

 

[Babelfish]

On the subject of "Kelly's Heroes", I've read that the movie we're all familiar with wasn't the director's (or for that matter Clint's) original vision of the film. A lot of characterisation and "Catch 22" style satire was cut from the final version on the insistence of the studio, who just wanted a shoot-em-up actioner. Clint was not a happy camper when he watched the final version.

I'd love to see a Director's Cut, but the excised footage has probably long since been destroyed (the usual approach back then). But some time ago, somewhere on the web I did stumble across a couple of stills from deleted scenes ....

- Steve

 

[tomifune]

Best Battle of the Bulge movie I ever seen was Battleground directed by one of my all time favorite directors, William Wellman. Based around the 101st Airborne, it tells the story from the soldiers point of view. Written by a Bulge veteran, the screenplay won an Oscar. James Whitmore, Van Johnson, George Murphy,a very young Ricardo Montalban and James Arness with Richard Jaeckel who played Lee Marvins Sergeant in Dirty Dozen 20 years later. This scene at the end of the end of the movie really tells the story of all vets and their perseverance.