Saigon.

Shit.

Few movies could pull off opening with those two words.  Apocalypse Now is that movie.  Period.

Apocalypse Now:Redux is a "director's cut" of sorts which puts back several scenes / episodes into the film that were dropped from its initial 1979 release.  Additionally it puts back the original ending.

A.N. is the story of one already-unstable Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen) and his top-secret mission to "terminate the command" of one Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) who has gone stark raving mad and disappeared into the jungles of Cambodia.

Of course most of the film isn't so much about that, as it is about getting there, and how Willard prepares himself (and events prepare *him*) to meet this madman.

Along the way we're exposed to a lot of general madness.  A gung-ho surfer-dude Colonel in search of the perfect break, tigers in the bush, Playboy bunnies, the battle for a bridge that has gone completely out of control, what should be a routine riverboat insepction, native spear and arrow attacks...

... and in this release a couple of other deviations, namely the re-appearance of the aforementioned bunnies at a more-or-less abandoned "wild west" station, and the discovery of a group of French colonials defending their "plantation" in the midst of the war, complete with proper table settings.

I'm not sure putting these scenes back in was a good idea.  A lot of times the "director's cut" of a film rings truer to the original "vision" of a film.  If that's the case here, then its probably for the best that these scenes were dropped.  While the original "episodes" served to illustrate the madness of war, and prepare Willard somewhat for his final encounter, these two additions just don't make much sense at all.  The re-visited bunnies scene just comes across as twisted and morbid, and the French colonials just a boring sidestep.  I can somewhat understand the reasoning behind that bit being filmed, but the first?  It's just too "out there", even for this movie.

Of course eventually he and the remaining personnel on board "PBR Streetgang" finally meet up with Kurtz, and the journey towards madness is complete.  For both Kurtz and Willard.  The insanity of Kurtz is played brilliantly by Brando here.  And if nothing else, Dennis Hopper's short performance as the just-plain-weird photographer under Kurtz's spell is nothing short of genius.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the superimposition of the native's sacrifice with Willard's execution of his duties gets the message across.  Loud and clear.

The "fixing" of the final scenes in this version also tells us what happened to Willard.  The original it wasn't quite clear if he made it out before... well, I guess you'll have to see both to find out.





Technorati Tags: war movies, apocalypse now redux, vietnam, madness, dvd, reviews

New war movies on DVD this week:

Flyboys (2006) ...

Directed by Oscar winner Tony Bill, this epic drama tells the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of Americans who volunteered for the French military before the United States entered World War I. Farm boy Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) joins up and soon finds himself on an adventure more exciting than he ever imagined as he and his fellow soldiers become the world's first fighter pilots. Jean Reno stars as their battle-weary leader.

Of course keep in mind this is brought to you by the same folks who brought us such "classics" as Independence Day and Pearl Harbor.  So I'm not expecting a lot of hyper-realism out of this one.  I haven't watched this yet, but from what I've seen in the trailers and such it looks good for a laugh.  (Note to producers.  WWI Biplanes were made of wood and canvas... they're not going to go crashing through a Hindenburning zeppelin in one piece...)

That looks to be it for this week, anyway.  Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: war movies, flyboys, dvd, new releases

The US Civil War is a period that hasn't received as much attention as World War II, or Vietnam, but the few films or miniseries that have come out about it have been nothing short of great.

1989's Glory continues that legacy. Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman, its the story of one of the few all-black Union companies formed during the war, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

In itself, Glory is a fine picture. The performances by the above four are nothing short of spectacular. The battle scenes depict just what a terrific nightmare and waste of life warfare in the period was. And it portrays the conflict of the North vs. the "property owner" mentality of the seceding South brilliantly.

And of course you have typical "military" moments such as supply issues, conflict within the ranks, etc. etc. etc.

For all its greatness, though, one thing bothers me about Glory. At times it comes across as purposefully, over-the-top, politically correct. There are numerous scenes which, of course, looked at today you can't help but read into them what the director and writers put into them. I (much as I hate to say it) think though that such moments in reality wouldn't have given the actual participants much, if any pause at all. Times being what they were and all. Context being everything you know.

Some of the violence is a bit on the light side, some of it not. But if you can allow the PC-ness of parts to slide, then Glory is one you can't miss. You might be able to catch this on HDNet Movies again in the near future (as I was able to.)



Technorati Tags: glory, movies, civil war, reviews

When you think of war movies, there are a few movies that should immediately pop into your mind. Tora, Tora, Tora. Saving Private Ryan. Platoon. And of course, The Dirty Dozen.

The story of twelve convicted death-row and long-term army misfit prisoners chosen to lead a covert operation behind enemy lines during the height of the war. Of course that exercise takes less than half of the movie. The fun part is getting there.

Half comedy and half action-flick, The Dirty Dozen delivers in just about every way possible. You've got Lee Marvin as the maverick officer leading this bunch. Donald Sutherland as the goofy-crazy one. Telly Savales as the psycho-scary one. Jim Brown as the big silent one. Charles Bronson as the smart one. I could go on but that'd get boring!

And that's something you're not going to be during this. There's nary a dull moment. The between-action-moments are full of comedy relief. In particular the "visiting officer" scenes are hilarious, followed closely by the "war games" sequence.

It's also proof that you can deliver a sound action picture without obnoxious amounts of swearing and graphic violence. Sure there's lots of lives forfeited, mostly on the Axis side...(hey its a war movie fer cryin out loud!) But we get to feel the loss as not everyone makes it out alive. Which is equally important.

Sure it gets a little corny and 60's-kitschy at times, but it doesn't matter. Watch The Dirty Dozen. Again and again and again. And then go shave with cold water you pansies!

Normally I haven't been big on sub movies, heck or Navy movies in general. Lately I'm getting a bit of a thing for them. What with the strategic maneuvers, the tension of the crew, and the man vs. man and ship vs. ship aspect of the whole thing.

The Enemy Below is just one of those movies. After a lengthy (like 30 minutes!) bit of character development on board the US Destroyer, we finally get a glimpse of the adversary, a U-Boat headed for an important rendezvous.

Lets just put all the cards on the table here. There's a lot of the usual sub vs. ship maneuvering going on here. A lot of the usual, "If he's smart he'll..." or "He's smarter than I thought!" type of thing, eventually terminating with (and you may as well know) a draw. Yes, a draw. Nobody wins here today.

And that's the point I think. From the outset we're told from the viewpoint of both ships what a pointless exercise their being there is. And in the end, people and boats are lost....

...but honor is not. In an age where the enemy seemingly has no honor, its good to see that concepts like this once existed amongst rivals. If not in reality at least in fiction.

Catch this one on TV if you can, but I don't think I'd expend the greens otherwise.



Technorati Tags: war movies, navy, destroyer, the enemy below, u-boat, world war ii, movies

What can you say about Father Goose? A light-hearted comedy starring Cary Grant and Leslie Caron, about a drunken slob forced into a position as a coastal spotter in the South Pacific during WWII. He manages to pick up a French schoolteacher and her wards, a pack of well-off young girls. And of course, hilarity ensues.

This movie is just funny, it was funny then, and its funny now. It's proof that you don't need immense amounts of swearing and bathroom humor to be funny. Sure there are plenty of chauvinist jokes in there, but hey, its '64! Run with it!

I've seen this movie numerous times, and it's one of those that's just funny every single time. And there's actually some war-movie action to speak of! What with Zero's strafing their grass hut, and subs taking out Japanese patrol boats....

What's not to like? Not that much I'm afraid. I just can't find anything to gripe about!

Aw heck, just watch it. With your whole family. You can actually do that with this one.



Technorati Tags: movies, reviews, father goose, cary grant, leslie caron, dvd

Happy New Year from the WarMovieBlog! This'll be the first look at Private SNAFU. Of course you all know what SNAFU means (and if you don't I've heard that its German...)

Private SNAFU was a character in several US Army Training films from World War II. Created by Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) and Phil Eastman, and brought to life by the Warner Bros. Cartoon Folks, then still headed by Leon Schlesinger at Termite Terrace. I'm not sure, but I believe word has it they were directed by Bob Clampett, and presumably animated by his "crew" at the Terrace.

"Booby Traps" tells the unwary soldier to watch out for, well, booby traps in the field. SNAFU comes across a Harem in the desert, loaded with lots of hot little 40's numbers. Of course he's more interested in the tobacco and piano at first, but finally catches on. They re-use the "wrong note on the piano" gag made famous in so many other Warner Brothers Cartoons, and ultimately a little mechanical Hitler reminds our bumbling hero of the correct note. Missing from this one is the stubbled cigar-smoking Technical Fairy, First Class.

I'll be looking at the Private SNAFU toons, and probably several other of WB's Wartime Looney Tunes at some point. I think they deserve some kind of attention and relation to their place in history.

Hopefully you should see the toon below, if not, go to video.google.com!



Technorati Tags: war movies, world war ii, army training film, private snafu, looney tunes, warner brothers