 "GREAT WORLD WAR TWO MOVIE" | 2008-08-09 |
| - Reviewed By kmfrysinger |
After seeing this movie on cable for a number of years, it is good to finally have my own copy on DVD. I have many military movies and this one fits in well with the others.
The movie has been panned due its historical inaccuracies, but while the film doesn't capture the 'factual' battle it certainly captures the 'spirit' of the battle. My chief complaint is while I think Robert Shaw an excellent actor, they erred by not using a German actor for the Panzer Leader's part, all the other men were German other than Shaw, and he makes mention of this in the black and white interviews. In fact as he mentions, he had to tone his performance down, as he was over doing the Prussian part.
One outstanding and notable feature of this production was the number of German Tiger and American Sherman tanks used, at the time of filming an unusual number seemed to still be available. And as shown in the special features, the uniforms and equipment passed rigid inspection for historical accuracy. The script, however, was not quite so historical, but the movie is packed with entertainment none-the-less.
For anyone wanting to view a stunning, exciting World War II movie as they once made them, this is certainly one to see. Though it was originally filmed in Cinerama in 1965 it has transferred very well and due to Cinerama may have a better clarity. With so many movie stars dead and gone, and with them the studio system, a film such as this will never come our way again. But thanks to DVDs it will be with for a long time.
Semper Fi. |
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 "Enjoyable Movie; Horrible Account of History" | 2008-06-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A329ALHKYK62O7 |
When it comes to the film "The Battle of the Bulge", I feel one should seperate the generally epic and enjoyable film from its horrendous telling of history.
On the positive side, "The Battle of the Bulge" is a truely epic war film complete with a very suitable musical score and some talented actors. Robert Shaw gives a very memorable performance as a German tank officer who enjoys battle while Hans Christian Blech does a fine job as his older, combat weary aide. The actors portraying the Americans (Fonda, Bronson, Ryan, etc.) do a generally good job though overall Shaw and Blech steal the show. While lacking the realistic gore of "Saving Private Ryan", this film does have some impressive battle scenes. The massive tank battle near the conclusion is overall a superb example of filmaking. While some models were employed in shots of tanks exploding, a lot of the action was filmed with an impressive number of actual tanks. There is also a memorable scene of a German tank brigade advancing through a snowy forest just before the first battle scene. Also, this DVD has some scenes that had been cut from a video version I had previously had and also has contemporary interviews (including Shaw), a theatrical trailer, as well as a featurette.
While the movie is fun to watch, its depiction of history is particullary bad. As there were very few Tiger II tanks left and M-4 Shermans may have been hard to find, I see little problem with the film using M-47 Pattons and M-24 Chaffees respectively in their place. In fact, some M-24 tanks saw service in Europe before the war ended. That said, it was laughable to see one of the people interviewed say that they were using the tanks which actually fought in the battle (he should have known better though a very few M-24s may have been in the Ardennes fighting). Also, tiger tanks (whether I or II) never formed brigades. Battalions were the largest formations they comprised (the 501st was the unit that supported Piper's spearhead's breakout on December 17th). Also, most German tanks in the Ardennes were either Panzer Mark IV tanks or Panzer V Panthers and not Panzer Mark VI Tigers. Also, why don't the allies have air support in the final tank battle since the skies are plainly clear (the terrain in the scene is incorrect as well though I can see why the filmakers would want to film a tank battle on open country)? To create suspense, the film makes it appear the Germans had a chance at possible victory. In truth, their plan was almost surely doomed though they could have inflicted more allied casualties if some events had been changed around.
Anyway, if you like epic war movies, I recommend this one. Just don't expect it to be historically accurate. For those interested in a popular level discussion of the battle, I would recommend the original Osprey Campaign Series book on the Ardennes and a later book in the same series dealing with the Northern Front of the battle (I haven't read the book dealing with the southern Ardennes). |
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| "Theme song "Panzerlied" lyrics by Kurt Wiele" | 2008-06-16 |
| - Reviewed By bernie-at-nationwide-net |
This is supposed to be an epic war movie. And it is. It is a great vehicle for many of the popular actors of the time which includes some immortals. This is not intended to be a documentary. The over all intent of this presentation other than entertainment is to show that war has a lasting effect on those people that live through it.
The story is of course the title "Battle of the Bulge" only instead of concentrating on Bastogne we are treated to the formula which on the U.S. side Lt. Col. Daniel Kiley (Henry Fonda) figures out them sneaky Germans is going to attack through the forest and of course Col. Pritchard (Dana Andrews) wants to have Lt. Col. Kiley committed. On the German side Col. Martin Hessler (Robert Shaw) just wants to have fun playing tank and wants the war to go on for ever; however his sidekick Cpl. Conrad (Hans Christian Blech) has this thing about preserving his offspring from joining the fun of an endless war.
Can Gen. Grey (Robert Ryan) find a mistake the Germans have made and turn this around or will the German juggernaut just keep coming on. No fair looking at this movie from hindsight.
I have watched this movie on and off for several decades and even though the Blu-ray version does not add any new words or scenes to the movie it does add a sort of 3D effect that adds to ones viewing pleasure. As an added bonus Director Ken Annakin and Actor James McArthur (who plays Lt. Weaver in the movie) are still alive and adds a voice over commentary
The Longest Day [Blu-ray] |
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| "very old favorite wore out vhs /please replace non HD." | 2008-05-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A224FEXYZPDKSS |
Battle of the Bulge.-I was a teenager in the ww2,3brothers in service I wanted to know all about the war. I have many ww2 videos in my collection. Just met you recently, want to order more,but can not play HD.
Have sent"Battle"back . please replace with non HD.Reordered but was sent another"Battle" I am sending it back . Please tell me if you have only HD.
I will still continue to order non HD videos . I hope we can work together on this . I still want to order ww2 videos .Thank You .
Maitland Breen . Wish you could give me a contact phone #. MB |
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| "Entertaining But Not Historical." | 2008-04-16 |
| - Reviewed By beto2sell |
Great entertainment. But of limited historical value. No proper credit given to the roll of 3rd Army and Air Force for ending the Nazi's offensive. Still, the almost 3 hours movie keeps pace and viewer interest.
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| "Very Entertaining Widescreen WWII Movie" | 2008-03-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: AQJDBWTIWQW08 |
Very entertaining war movie with a big-name cast that can be enjoyed by all, especially when viewed in Blu-ray format on a 50-inch screen where the 2.76:1 widescreen format is sized to 17" x 44". Excellent BD picture quality and the tank battle scenes look very good in widescreen. The BD has some extras including a brief interview with Robert Shaw and some interesting shots of his wife and kids on the set.
This movie was completed after an 8-month shoot. Former German general Von Lashert (something like that), an actual participant in the battle, was a major advisor on the film and helped to ensure the authenticity of uniforms and equipment. I've seen some reviews here that criticize the authenticity of the tanks but, if true, it certainly does not detract from the movie; after all much in the way of spare parts and left-over equipment was needed to assemble the tanks. |
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| "very good" | 2008-02-14 |
| - Reviewed By mickinicky |
| Thank you very much for such great service. this dvd was great no problems what so ever! |
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 "Non-factual, but some great actors." | 2008-01-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: ADLS01PIVC44G |
Primarily, I enjoy war movies that provide factual recounts of the events or persons covered in the film. Not war movies for the sake of a war movie. The movie "Battle of the Bulge" does not provide much of anything historic, but uses the historic event to tell it's own "Hollywood-istic" story.
There are some great actors in this film, though. It is they, in my simple opinon, who provide any redeeming value to this film.
If you like action WWII war movies you will probably enjoy this. If you excpect some semblance of history this film will likely not impress you too much.
It sure would be nice to have Hollywood do a "Battle of the Bulge" in "Tora, Tora, Tora" fashion ( my basis for judging all war movies ).
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| "Blu-Ray Review" | 2007-12-16 |
| - Reviewed By peterpistolpete |
| Another good Blu-Ray Transfer and it is better looking than the Dirty Dozen by far! |
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| "A good war movie but it doesn't do the battle justice" | 2007-12-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1OYW08VVPMP3Q |
This movie is set during the December 1944 German offensive in the west which came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans put together a huge army and hurled it against four American divisions holding the Ardennes, a hilly area not believed to be passable to tanks in great numbers. American tenacity, as well as a timely counterattack by Patton's 3rd Army and the British-led army to the north allowed the offensive to grind to a halt.
In this production it seems as if the producers tried to find the least Bastogne-like terrain they could find. Also, the thick snow which caused enormous misery on both sides is nowhere to be seen in this film. However, the Battle of the Bulge does have some good acting and some interesting parts to it. The English-speaking agents were actually used by the Germans to disrupt communications and sow chaos (the ones who were captured were later shot, an surprising act of ruthlessness on the U.S. Army's part). But unlike the film version the battle did not end in bang, but rather in a whimper.
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