Here are the ten we'll be discussing ...
The Guns of Navarone (1961) : Platoon (1986)
Paths of Glory (1957) : A Bridge Too Far (1977)
It Happened Here (1964) : Zulu (1964)
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) : Downfall (2004)
Kagemusha (1980) : The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Because I (Garen) chose the ten adventure films, I gave Murray preference over the category this time. I really thought he'd go for horror, SF or fantasy; I also suggested martial arts and war, and he surprised me by opting for war, partially because it's not something either of us have looked into that much - which is sort of why we're doing it.
Most of the films have come from my collection as I am something of war film fan. It was difficult to choose ten and leave out some other favourites (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Ill Met By Moonlight, Saving Private Ryan, The Four Feathers, The Great Escape, Tora Tora Tora!, Where Eagles Dare ...). We were quite strict with our definition of the genre, initially also considering films such as Casablanca and Starship Troopers but deciding a narrower definition would limit our already-numerous options.
As before there'll be no regular schedule for these - watch me on Twitter for announcements - but the first one should appear within two or three weeks, and then whenever we're able from then on. I hope you'll tune in!
Recently turned on the tube and a Japanese film called The Burmese Harp, directed by Kon Ichikawa’s, was just opening its’ credit. The screenplay was by Natto Wada (which is like having a last name of ’Smith’) but being black and white, all Japanese, and never hearing a thing about it, I continued to watch. If you haven’t seen it, one I would recommend for your ‘to see’ list. (Also really glad I didn’t know a thing about it. I had no idea what I was about to watch. One I’ll watch again.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that recommendation, Linda. I love it when I catch a film by accident and it really repays the time spent watching it! I see The Burmese Harp is available in the Masters of Cinema range. I might have to check it out.
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