"He's Dead. I'm Crippled. You're Lost."

And now for something completely different: epic war movies. There are many, but the best ones are able to let history speak on a grand scale, without simplistic renderings or overly partisan agendas. The ones I prefer try to get at all sides of war, not just the immediate victors' or -- as is the case with most Vietnam movies, losers' -- angle.

Irish-born Cornelius Ryan (1920-1974), a young war correspondent during WWII, knew how to show the many faces of war with both deftness and fairness; he provided the basis for two excellent film adaptions. His books The Longest Day (1959), The Last Battle (1966), and A Bridge Too Far (1974) look at D-Day, the fall of Berlin, and Operation Market-Garden with a clear, wise eye.

Something of Cornelius Ryan's generous spirit is reflected in the following movies:

The Longest Day (1962). Today's header is derived from the Richard Burton character's final assessment of D-Day at the end of this great film, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, who utilized no fewer than four directors in the field. All sides are given their due, which is incredibly refreshing. "Sometimes I wonder which side God is on. . ." -- Major General Gunther Blumentritt, June 6, 1944.

Zulu! (1964). Rorke's Drift. Michael Caine is superb. Zulu Dawn (1979). Depicts the Battle of Isandlwana, in which the Zulus defeated the British; not bad, either, but not as exciting as the earlier film.

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). Pearl Harbor from multiple perspectives.

Waterloo / Ватерлоо (1970). Napoleon vs. Wellington. A little ragged in parts, but a great story and amazing to see. Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles.

A Bridge Too Far (1977). Near the end of WW2, Netherlands. Sean Connery, et al.

There are, of course, zillions of war movies, and I'm not even including documentaries. The caveat for the above films: viewers can learn a bit of narrative history in an entertaining way. There are also spectacular scenes in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Paths of Glory (1957), and particularly the air assault on the VC village in Apocalypse Now! (1979). Two unconventional but extraordinary war films also worth mentioning here: Gillo Pontecorvo's La Battaglia di Algeri / The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Queimada / Burn! (1969) with Marlon Brando. Most of the war movies of the past twenty-five years either suck or carry a transparent agenda (eg., Oliver Stone) -- or I simply don't like the director/film. An excellent exception is: Der Untergang / Downfall (2004/2005), about the collapse of Nazi Germany from the German perspective. Let's not forget Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima / Iōtō Kara no Tegami (2006).

Today's Rune: Opening.