The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Storyline :  This movie deals with the situation of British prisoners of war during World War II who are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge, but under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson, they are persuaded that the bridge should be constructed as a symbol of British morale, spirit, and dignity in adverse circumstances. At first, the prisoners admire Nicholson when he bravely endures torture rather than compromise his principles for the benefit of the Japanese Commandant Saito. He is an honorable, but arrogant man, who is slowly revealed to be a deluded, obsessive man. He convinces himself that the bridge is a monument to British character, but actually is a monument to himself, and his insistence on its construction becomes a subtle form of collaboration with the enemy. Unknown to him, the Allies have sent a mission into the jungle, led by Warden and an American, Shears, to blow up the bridge.

Stars :  William Holden,  Alec Guinness,  Jack Hawkins,  James Donald,  Sessue Hayakawa, André Morell,  Geoffrey Horne,  Peter Williams,  John Boxer,  Percy Herbert, Harold Goodwin,  Ann Sears,  Heihachiro Okawa

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Rio Lobo (1970)

Storyline :  After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose treachery caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.

Colonel Cord McNally, an ex-Union Officer teams up with a couple of ex-Confederate Rebels to search for the traitor who sold information to the South during the Civil War. Their quest brings them to the town of Rio Lobo, where they help recover this little Texas town from ruthless outlaws who are led by the traitor, for whom they were looking.

Stars :  John Wayne,  Jennifer O'Neill,  Jorge Rivero,  Jack Elam,  Victor French, Christopher Mitchum,  Jim Davis,  Bill Williams,  David Huddleston,  Mike Henry

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The Passage (1979)

Storyline :  During World War II, a Basque shepherd is approached by the underground, who wants him to lead a scientist and his family across the Pyrenees while being pursued by a sadistic German.

Stars :  Anthony Quinn,  James Mason,  Malcolm McDowell,  Patricia Neal,  Kay Lenz, Paul Clemens,  Christopher Lee,  Robert Rhys,  Michael Lonsdale,  Marcel Bozzuffi, Peter Arne,  Neville Jason,  Robert Brown,  Rose Alba,  Jim Broadbent

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Troy (2004)

Staryline :  It is the year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age. Two emerging nations begin to clash after Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband, Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. So they set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy. With the help of Achilles, the Greeks are able to fight the never before defeated Trojans. But they come to a stop by Hector, Prince of Troy. The whole movie shows their battle struggles and the foreshadowing of fate in this remake by Wolfgang Petersen of Homer's "The Iliad."

Stars :  Brad Pitt,  Eric Bana,  Orlando Bloom,  Brian Cox,  Peter O'Toole,  Sean Bean, Diane Kruger,  Brendan Gleeson,  Saffron Burrows,  Tyler Mane,  Julie Christie, Rose Byrne,  Julian Glover,  Garrett Hedlund,  Vincent Regan,  James Cosmo, Nigel Terry,  John Shrapnel,  Trevor Eve,  Mark Lewis Jones,  Adoni Maropis, Frankie Fitzgerald,  Nathan Jones

Troy Russsian

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Paths of Glory (1957)

The stark black and white depiction of the brutal reality of war and the nonchalant manner in which the powers that be play with innocent lives is the subject of a sardonic depiction of the corruption of power in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Paths of Glory’, set in World War I.

The story revolves around Col. Dax, a lawyer turned officer who commands a French regiment that is holding 

its position against a well-fortified German position called the Anthill. Dax’s superior officer, General Mireau is tempted into setting Dax’s battalion on a suicide mission of taking the seemingly impregnable Anthill, by an offer of promotion by his superior officer, General Boulard. Despite Dax’s protests, he bravely leads his men on a bright and sunny day against the Anthill.

Mid-way through the assault, he discovers that many of his men have not left their trenches as they were afraid. A frustrated General Mireau and a General Boulard, order Dax to pick 3 of his men for court-martial on the grounds of cowardice, in order to set an example for the rest of the French army. To Dax’s disgust, his officers pick 3 men on personal prejudice. Dax offers to defend the men in the court-martial.

Stanley Kubrick’s films often take a cynical look at man’s behavior, when he is in the seat of power. In Spartacus, he shows 2 senators casually having a chat, while 2 gladiators fight to death. In a movie that pre-dates Spartacus, Kubrick shows us the lack of value for human life, as innocent men, who have shown courage under fire are court-martialled for cowardice, while the cowards go unpicked. Through this, he brings out the corruptibility of the human mind and its ability to sacrifice another, for its own good. Georg Krause’ black and white cinematography is fantastic and shows some difficult terrain and scenes clearly.

Krik Douglas, delivers a commanding performance as Col. Dax. His respect for his men and his concern for their lives is evident in his passionate defence. He is the only idealist on scene as he sees politics cloud reason. He is ably supported by Adolphe Menjou as Broulard and George Macready as Mireau.

‘Paths of Glory’ is a mirror to the human mind.

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The Blue Max (1966)

‘The Blue Max’ is one of the most authentic wartime aviation films. Set during WW I, when air warfare was in its infancy, the film traces the flight path of a young German fighter pilot who grows too big for his boots in his blind quest for Imperial Germany’s highest military decoration.

The plot centers around Leutnant Bruno Satchel, a Corporal, who had himself transferred to the Air Corps during WW I. Satchel is an arrogant and ambitious young man who eyes ‘The Blue Max’ and considers that to be beyond his duty to his country. In his quest he befriends no one and goes about his business shooting down enemy planes, sometimes despite orders not to engage.

As his fame grows, German propagandists use his image to shore up dipping morale. On a routine mission with another pilot, Willi von Klugermann, Satchel claims two of Willi’s kills as his own after Willi’s plane crashes. When this is reported to the higher-ups, Satchel’s image is under threat as is the credibility of the propaganda. Will the German military give him ‘The Blue Max’ or will they have him investigated is what the plot tries to uncover.

John Guillermin’s direction is thrilling to say the least. The flying is authentic with absolutely no special effects. The dog fights are superbly choreographed, exposing the viewer to the grave danger that pilots were exposed to in the early years. The sub-plots revolving around Satchel’s personal tail-spin and his run-ins with the authorities and colleagues are handled with the same effectiveness making for superb all-round viewing.

George Peppard as Bruno Satchel towers over the cast in his portrayal of a cold and calculative, yet sometimes immature young man. His body language, finely tuned physique and intense acting are a convincing combination in a stirring portrayal. Ursula Andrews as the voluptuous and scheming Countess Kaeti von Klugermann, who seduces Satchel and turns against him when he spurns her escape offer is at her sexy best.

‘The Blue Max’ is a must-watch for those interesting in wartime aviation and war movies in general.

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