Opinions on Some Old War Movies... Please (1 Viewer)

[Pete Battista]

When my mother passed away recently I ended up with her DVD collection. She was a huge fan of war movies... both old and new. But she had this one old Mill Creek Entertainment boxset... and since I know next to nothing about war movies... especially old ones... I was wondering if any of these were worth watching soon.

Combat Pack: 20 Movie Pack

- The Adventures of Tartu (Robert Donat 1943)
- Aerial Gunner (Richard Arlen 1943)
- Battle of Blood Island (Richard Devon 1960)
- The Big Lift (Montgomery Cliff 1950)
- Black Brigade (Stephen Boyd 1970)
- Blood on the Sun (James Cagney 1945)
- British Intelligence (Boris Karloff 1940) Never Knew Boris Karloff did a war movie!
- Commandos (Lee Van Cleef 1968)
- Convoy (Stewart Granger 1940)
- The Dawn Express (Anne Nagel 1942)
- Flying Blind (Richard Arlen 1941)
- Four in a Jeep (Ralph Meeker 1951)
- Gung Ho (Randolph Scott 1943)
- Identity Unknown (Richard Arlen 1945)
- The Last Chance (E.G. Morrison 1945)
- Minesweeper (Richard Arlen 1943)
- The Navy Way (Robert Lowery 1944)
- One of Our Aircraft is Missing (Eric Portman 1942)
- Private Buckaroo (The Andrew Sisters 1942) This one will take some convincing... says it is a musical comedy. I do not like musicals.
- Spitfire (David Nivan 1942)

 

[Simon Howson]

Why not look them up on IMDB.com?

I have found that the median rating given by the Top 1000 voters is often a reasonably accurate reflection of the quality of the film. It is rare that I feel they vastly over or under rate a film.

Sorry to hear about your mother passing away.

 

[Pete Battista]

I never really bothered much with IMDB. I rather have opinions from people I (even somewhat) know over an average of people I do not know at all. But that is just me.

And thanks... she passed away on the 21st of this past month. As much as I miss her... I am glad she is not suffering any longer.

 

[ahollis]

The BIG LIFT is and interesting film that takes place during the 1948 Berlin Airlift. GUNG HO is a good example of the propaganda films coming out of Hollywood during WWII. It concerns a battle in the South Pacific. BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND is an interesting low-budget film of two US soldiers that are the only remaining ones after a battle with the Japanese. The catch is they don't like each other. CONVOY is a British made film that takes on the importance of the Atlantic convoys between the US and Europe before the US entered the war.


With the exception of GUNG HO, THE BIG LIFT, BLOOD ON THE SUN and CONVOY, the rest of the films are really low-budget B films and there is not a thing wrong with it. The problem I would have is every one of these are Public Domain films so the transfers might not be that great and if you are not a true fan, you could get discouraged.


But sit back and enjoy the films and my condolences on the loss of your Mother.

 

[Pete Battista]

Thanks... I appreciate it.