Do We Have Enough Nazi Movies? (war, western, actors, 70s)

[ColoGuy]

Originally Posted by Taiko

Operation Finale is about Nazi Hunters and Israel hunting down Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. As to others Angelina Jolie recently produced a movie about an American Olympian who was a POW in Japan, Unbroken in 2014. If anyone where to take on the subject of Japanese committed atrocities I would expect the Asian film community to take the lead.

It was a World War. All of the major forces committed POW atrocities. All of the major forces enthusiastically attacked and killed tens of thousands of civilians.

American exceptionalism occurs between our pretty little ears. The rest of the world is growing a little wiser to it.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Cida

The real question, to me, is: Why are there so few movies about American history? The British are much better at this. Especially so few prior to the 20th century?

Well, for one thing there is a lot LESS of American history; a mere 200-300 years (unless you go back as far as migration of non-European settlers across the Bering land bridge). Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa have a lot more historical fodder to draw upon.

Maybe it's not so much the nationality of the movie plot that gets overused, but the messages they want to present. How many times can you make the case that Hitler was awful? That WWII was hell? That Dunkirk was both a disaster and a miracle? Do you watch these movies to get some under-the-surface message or to be entertained by predictable villains and heroes?

Any genre can be overused. Take superhero movies...can't stand that crop of time-wasters. Endless iterations or recycling of the same tired plots. Well, not even plots...if you include enough CGI action no one has to think at all.

[Hulsker 1856]

Originally Posted by ColoGuy

28 million Russians were killed by the Nazi's. I guess that doesn't seem to matter so much. As for Inglorious Basterds, I suffered though maybe 1/2 hour of yet another propaganda piece. Yes, Jews got killed and were used in prison camps. I get it and have gotten it for the past 1593 reminders.

No, from a cinematic perspective it doesn't. You don't appear to know why.

Hollywood is in the business of putting butts in the seats. Studios are for-profit businesses. Theater owners? They do it for the money.

It's like going to the grocery store. There's lots of beef and chicken and fish. Not a lot in the way of rats and lizards and insects. Because, obviously, stores sell what people want. So does the film industry. It's the same reason there are lots of movies about murder and espionage but not many at all about tax evaders and and embezzlers.

People who want to be educated at the movies are lazy. People who expect to be educated at the movies are foolish. People who think the film industry has an obligation to be educational are profoundly mistaken.

[ironpony]

I feel that there is a lot of movies showing the Nazism side of the war, but maybe they can still make more as long as it's not too cliched. I feel that the Japanese side of WWII is not done near enough in the movies and they could make more movies in that part of the world in WWII, but they hardly ever do in comparison to the German side.

[EuropeanLoyalist]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Is this Operation Finale film an Inglourious Basterds remake? Sure looks like one. I didn't care for Inglourious Basterds, and I have no desire to see Operation Finale. And how many more Nazi movies do we need? Why is Hollywood so obsessed with Nazis? For every one film we have about the Pacific Theater of WWII, we have like a hundred Nazi movies. And most of the ones about the Pacific Theater are not nearly as epic as a film such as Midway -- you'd think that according to Hollywood, WWII was 99% Europe and the Pacific was just a side show -- how insulting to most Americans.

Here's an idea, why not a new subject matter altogether? There are quite a few historical subjects which have never been made into major Hollywood films, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Vlad the Impaler, Boudicca's rebellion against Rome, the attack on the USS Liberty, etc., so why not give the tired old Nazi thing a rest already? Nazi movies? More like not see movies, because I think we're all getting tired of this subject.

They keep beating a dead horse because doing so keeps it fresh in people's minds and makes the nazis look like the bad guys over and over and over and makes people NEVER question what is said and told about them. I don't watch crap movies like this,I consider some people's fetish personally...I like original and intriguing plots for movies. One on the USS Liberty I would LOVE to see....but man can you imagine the heat the director would take!? Just imagine what Mel Gibson got times 100 when he did Passion of the Christ which I truly enjoyed.

[EuropeanLoyalist]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

Nazis committed the Holocaust. Most importantly, we can draw a distinction between Nazis and Germans, and thus freely make Nazis as evil as we want without necessarily vilifying the common German. Heck, even modern Germans vilify Nazis.

There had been lots of Pacific-based movies in the past when the Japanese were more easily vilified. But the US did nuke the Japanese (questionable in many modern minds), and it's not so easy to separate "bad Japanese" from "noncombatant Japanese."

So the politics of making Nazis bad guys is much easier than the Japanese.

Notice, btw, that there are far fewer movies in which Italians are the enemies--same reasons appy.



Because none of those movies would have Americans in them, so would be less interesting to the general American audience.

The USS Liberty was an American ship attacked by Israel so yes it would have Americans in it. I would love to see a movie on the rape/holocaust of MILLIONS of Germans after ww2 99% of them civilians and women and children at that. Also a movie on the Ukrainian holomodor.

[BMI]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Is this Operation Finale film an Inglourious Basterds remake? Sure looks like one. I didn't care for Inglourious Basterds, and I have no desire to see Operation Finale. And how many more Nazi movies do we need? Why is Hollywood so obsessed with Nazis? For every one film we have about the Pacific Theater of WWII, we have like a hundred Nazi movies. And most of the ones about the Pacific Theater are not nearly as epic as a film such as Midway -- you'd think that according to Hollywood, WWII was 99% Europe and the Pacific was just a side show -- how insulting to most Americans.

Here's an idea, why not a new subject matter altogether? There are quite a few historical subjects which have never been made into major Hollywood films, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Vlad the Impaler, Boudicca's rebellion against Rome, the attack on the USS Liberty, etc., so why not give the tired old Nazi thing a rest already? Nazi movies? More like not see movies, because I think we're all getting tired of this subject.

Well there might be a clue if you check who are in positions of power in Hollywood

I agree too many ....I don’t mind a few though ....as long as they are well made.

[TamaraSavannah]

Sort of reminds me of growing up in the 60s (and there abouts). There was ....


The Great Escape
The Last Escape
Mosquito Squadron
633 Squadron
Tobruk
Raid on Rommel
Play Dirty
Operation Crossbow
Von Ryan's Express
The McKenzie Break
The War Lover


........and probably many, many more.



It seems like at various times, these kind of movies are popular.

[oeccscclhjhn]

the book is outstanding!

may not be a nazi movie, but there are nazi's in it

[rstevens62]

I thought Project Valkyrie was a strange movie for them to have made, usually people that resort to violence are not honored or celebrated for the attempt.