Category: War

Plot:

American parachute commandos are sent to destroy a German flame thrower installation on Omaha Beach. Murphy is skeptical of his mission’s practicality, but Strobel is fanatically dedicated to destroying the base, and the two butt heads several times before the film’s bullet-ridden climax.

Hell in Normandy (1968) Review:

This was an Italian-French co-production, and was quite possibly shot in France – this is noticeable in the first few shots. For once, an Italian war films opens with the landscape actually looking like the country it represents. I can’t count the times I’ve seen semi-arid climates and rock quarries passed off for “southern France”, so Brescia’s choice of shooting locations earns him major points in my book. This ’60’s era Italian cinema factory “Spaghetti War Movie” has a preposterous plot full of historical inaccuracies, poorly chosen locations, cheap special effects, ham acting, corny badly dubbed dialogue, a sexy Italian actress and features Hollywood B movies star Guy Madiso. The movie looks just as real throughout – uniforms, weapons, vehicles and sets all look very authentic. Many Italian directors, such as Leon Klimovsky and Umberto Lenzi, disregarded accuracy in favor of action, and that damaged their credibility. Here, one can respect the time and money Brescia puts into making his film look credible.

Cast and Crew:

Directed by Alfonso Brescia
Starring Guy Madison, Peter Lee Lawrence, Erika Blanc

Plot:

War Devils tells a story of a German and American Captain who help each other survive the North African desert during WWII. They meet again a year later during combat operations in France.  A German Captain and American Captain help each other survive the North African desert during WWII. They meet again a year later during combat operations in France.

War Devils (1969) Review:

The combat scenes are actually quite sparse. The first long sequence is a familiar firefight, involving a chase through some ruins is well-done but doesn’t involve anything spectacular. The big tank battle in the middle of the desert is very well filmed, but unfortunately the Germans and Americans use the same type of tanks. The final combat scene in which an American commando units mounts a rescue is very reminiscent of The Dirty Dozen and Five for Hell; in fact, I think some modified sets from Five for Hell were used during the said final, climactic combat scene. The cinematography is quite striking. The African desert is appropriately bleak and and the scenes set in France have a ring of authenticity to them, right down to the thick pine trees and snow. The musical score is said to be written by Stelvio Cipriani. It’s a perfect genre-fitting theme, reminiscent of Francesco de Masi’s music for Eagles over London. Unfortunately, some of Cirpriani’s score uses clips from The Battle of El Alamein which are very noticeably lifted without any modification. – SgtSlaughter

Cast and Crew:

Directed by Bitto Albertini
Starring Guy Madison, Venantino Venantini, Anthony Steel

8 (2010) – Soldiers Outwitting Each Other In A Game of Cat and Mouse

8 (2010) – In the depths of a snowy forest in an unknown wartime, two soldiers from opposing armies try to outwit each other in a perilous game of cat and mouse – until they find themselves outplayed by destiny.

“8” is visually great short film with amazing location, costumes and some unexpectedly beautiful shots. There’s no dialogue and it tries to be ambiguous by taking place In an unnamed setting and time frame because the uniforms and aircraft with turbo prop engines suggest it’s the Second World War , but that said it’s near impossible to visualise on screen a generic war that is timeless and could be taking anywhere or at anytime. It won Best Short Film Award at the 8th edition of “Monfilmfest Giochi di Cinema de Casalborgone”. This is essentially the plot of Bosnian director Danish Tanovic’s Academy Award winning film No Man’s Land (2001).

Directed by Acim Vasic. Starring: Nicky Naudé, Guillaume Tavi