The Pacific - Complete HBO Series
From the producers of Band of Brothers, The Pacific tracks the real-life journeys of three U.S. Marines--Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda)--across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theatre during World War II. The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain forests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day.
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All Quiet on the Western Front
Taken from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is a devastating portrait of a small group of German soldiers during World War I. In this 1979 made-for-TV version the star-studded cast is lead by Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as Paul Baumer, strongly supported by screen veterans Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm and Patricia Neal. As both narrator and star, Thomas occasionally seems to reincarnate his familiar John-Boy persona, but does at least succeed in creating a character that has more levels than his television alter ego. After watching all of his high school buddies loose their lives, Paul returns home a changed man, conflicted in his feelings about the Army and war, and altered from an idealistic schoolboy into a fearful and humble veteran.
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Band of Brothers
A richly-acclaimed World War II drama, and one that deserved the many plaudits it garnered, Band Of Brothers remains as compelling, gripping and moving as it was when it first appeared over half a decade ago. And now it makes a very welcome debut in high definition. Across ten haunting episodes, Band Of Brothers follows the real-life story of the American army?s Easy Company, an elite paratrooper regiment, from their initial training through to the very end of the war. Along the way, not only do Easy Company take part in some of the most infamous battles and events of the War, but they also suffer many, often brutal losses. And Band Of Brothers pulls no punches in putting those moments across on screen.
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The Battle Of The Somme
The greatest battle the British Army has ever fought began on 1st July 1916. Using graphics, powerful stills and remarkable archive footage, this programme presents an in-depth treatment of The Somme: the strategic and tactical planning and preparation; the course of the actual battle, particularly the disastrous first day where 60,000 men lost their lives, mercilessly mown down by the German machine guns. Observe here, the bitter experiences of the soldier on the ground.
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Gallipoli
Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring a young Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. The climax of the movie occurs on the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli and depicts the futile attack at the Battle of the Nek on 7 August 1915. This film effectively combines history and drama.
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Battle Of The Bulge
Battle of the Bulge is a war film released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson. This World War II spectacular tells the story of the tank battles of December 1944, in which the Nazi Panzer forces staged a last-ditch offensive on the Belgian front. Unlike most World War II epics, "Battle of the Bulge" contains virtually no portrayals of actual senior Allied leaders, civilian or military.
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The Dam Busters
The Dam Busters turns a minor World War II incident into a saga of heroic stiff-upper-lippery in the classic British style. A bombing raid is proposed on a strategically vital Ruhr dam, but its position is inaccessible. Enter eccentric inventor Dr Barnes Wallis (Michael Redgrave in best daffy professor mode) who comes up with a genius idea--a bomb that will bounce on water like a skimmed pebble. Naturally the top brass pooh-pooh it, but gallant Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) is persuaded, and between them flyer and boffin forge ahead.
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Saving Private Ryan
Since its release in 1998, Steven Spielberg's D-Day drama Saving Private Ryan has become hugely influential: everything, from the opening sequence of Gladiator ("Saving Marcus Aurelius") to the marvellous 10-hour TV series Band of Brothers, has been made in its shadow. There have been many previous attempts to recreate the D-Day landings on screen (notably, the epic The Longest Day), but thanks to Spielberg's freewheeling hand-held camerawork, Ryan was the first time an audience really felt like they were there, storming up Omaha Beach in the face of withering enemy fire.
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The Diary of Anne Frank
This five-part BBC drama presents an intimate portrayal of the tragically short life of Anne Frank and her family. Anne's diary was first published over fifty years ago and is the very moving account of a young girl in hiding from the Nazis during the years from 1942 to 1944. The Diary of Anne Frank pieces together the fascinating and emotive details of her life and times and illustrates how hope, humour and courage can survive in such horrifying circumstances.
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Dunkirk
1940 France. A British Corporal is forced to take responsibility for the lives of his men when their officer is killed in battle. The troops are boxed in and he has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile, British civilians are recruited into the British war effort with Operation Dynamo, the secretive mission to evacuate 338,226 French and British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. Leslie Norman skilfully directs this amazing true story of one of the most crucial events of World War II, perfectly capturing the Dunkirk Spirit.
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Cold War
Spy Planes as the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. engaged in the dangerous battle for hearts, minds and power, engineers, pilots and military personnel were developing the most advanced planes ever seen. In the name of deterrence and defense, they assembled the most advanced and powerful militaries in history. Spy Planes tells the tales of these extraordinary creations, detailing the missions and introducing the pioneers who made it all possible. From unforgettable encounters to cancelled projects, this is the complete tale of a high-stakes, high-high-altitude battle.
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Zulu
One of the last of the classic-era widescreen epics, Zulu was also one of the last war movies to celebrate the virtues of the famous British stiff upper lip. At Rorke's Drift in 1879 a handful of British soldiers, hopelessly outnumbered by 4,000 Zulu warriors, fought one of the most celebrated defensive actions in military history. Zulu tells the story on an epic scale, bringing to life the heroism, courage, loyalty and sacrifice of those desperate hours
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A Bridge Too Far
1977's A Bridge Too Far by director Richard Attenborough features an all-star cast in an epic rendering of a daring but ultimately disastrous raid behind enemy lines in Holland during the Second World War. A lengthy and exhaustive look at the mechanics of warfare and the price and futility of war, the film is almost too large for its aims but manages to be both picaresque and affecting, particularly in the performance of James Caan.
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