Battle of the Bulge

[Worf101]

I'm glad you enjoyed the movie Smoke and thanks for the information on Cinerama E-man. I didn't know much about the flaws in the process but you educated me quite well. As for "Battle of the Bulge" it's a great movie killed by terrible history. The ONLY thing the film gets "right" was that there was a... "Battle of the Bulge"! The units are wrong, the tanks are REALLY wrong, the use of models was pathetic and the climactic tank battle NEVER HAPPENED! They couldn't have screwed this one up from a military history stand point more if martians had landed in the middle of the whole thing!

The above being said, this movie is one great piece of fiction. I saw it in Cinerama as a kid, bought the Tape as an adult and now have the DVD. Several things stand out for me from this one.

1. The opening credits and themes... wood block etchings for the intro, never seen anything like it.

2. Colonel Hessler singing "Der Panzer Lied" (The Tanker's Song) with his men before battle. I still humm that tune from time to time.

3. Charles Bronson's empassioned plea that after the war Germany be mashed flat, grassed over and used as a pasture for Buffalo so that he or his kid wouldn't be back fighting the basterds all over again in 20 more years.

4. Telly Savals's plea to be allowed to fight after hearing of the destruction of Ambleve and his new found love.

5. Bronson's emphatic warning to Col. Hesler that if any of his men were harmed in captivity he'd personally be the one to put the rope around his neck when the war was over.

6. Col. Hesler cooly sparing the life of a young French Boy who, took a shot at him, only to order the death of the boy's father instead.

All great, iconic scenes. It may suck as history but it's great entertainment.

Worf

[recoveryone]

I can't believe smoke had not seen the film before now? Its on every Memorial day, Veteran day weekends. One of the all time war epics, right along with The Longest Day, and Midway.

[Smokey]

Thanks emaidel for the info

The movie is so wide that [black] matte almost cover half of TV screen. And director took excellent advantage of Cinerama with alot of over terrain shots and wide angle gun and battle scenes.

Robert Shaw probably had the best performance in this movie as Col. Hessler. Remember him best in the Jaws movie, but now it is going to be from this movie.

They couldn't have screwed this one up from a military history stand point more if martians had landed in the middle of the whole thing!

LOL. I knew from DVD reviews that this film was mostly fiction, and alot of reviewers on Amazon shot it down for being so. Guess they could always crack open a history book for the facts

And definitely agree with opening overture and credit shots.

Can't believe smoke had not seen the film before now? Its on every Memorial day, Veteran day weekends.

Some of us don't have cable