| alphus99 | 29 Oct 2011 4:01 a.m. PST |
A friend of mine and I are are tooling up for some North Africa wargaming action in 10mm and I was wondering what films/movies fellow TMPers would recommend as being worth watching to get us in the mood. The only one I'm aware of is The Desert Rats – they can be set at any time during the period. Thanks! Al |
| Connard Sage | 29 Oct 2011 4:02 a.m. PST |
Ice Cold in Alex. The Steel Bayonet. Sea of Sand |
Warcolours Painting Studio  | 29 Oct 2011 4:10 a.m. PST |
A nice one is the italian "El Alamein – La Linea del Fuoco": don't know how it was titled in english though, but it should be available. |
| The Gray Ghost | 29 Oct 2011 4:32 a.m. PST |
The Desert Fox
Raid on Rommel |
| Joep123 | 29 Oct 2011 4:53 a.m. PST |
I want to second the recommendation of Vanth.
El Alamein-La linea del Fuoco, is an Italian movie about the men in the Italian Pavia Infantry Division, stuck and pretty much abandoned at El Alamein. It goes into the daily lives of guys in the trenches.
I liked the Desert Fox too.
Joe |
| Schogun | 29 Oct 2011 5:47 a.m. PST |
Sahara (1943, with Bogart, not McConaughey) Also see list on IMDB:
link |
| SauveQuiPeut | 29 Oct 2011 6:02 a.m. PST |
'Nine Men'(1943) is a good movie. The plot revolves around a small British patrol being surrounded and trapped by a larger Italian force. Includes a young Gordon Jackson as a bonus… |
| combatpainter | 29 Oct 2011 6:25 a.m. PST |
Play Dirty Michael Caine
Rat Patrol 60s TV Show
Tobruk |
Frederick  | 29 Oct 2011 6:52 a.m. PST |
Sahara is a neat movie, if for no other reason than the tank Humphrey Bogart commands is an M3 Lee |
| Plynkes | 29 Oct 2011 6:53 a.m. PST |
"The Way Ahead" is mostly a recruits-go-through-training picture, but the final act is them seeing their first action in North Africa: Tunisia if memory serves, but I may be wrong. |
| dBerczerk | 29 Oct 2011 7:46 a.m. PST |
"The Young Lions" with Marlon Brando as a German officer has a neat segment set in North Africa. There's a remake of the Humphrey Bogart "Sahara" by the same title, staring Jim Belushi in Bogey's role. Not as good as the original, but in color, and not half-bad as remakes go. "Five Wells to Cairo" with Franchot Tone and Otto Preminger (?) as Rommel is not bad either. "Patton" with George C. Scott also has an interesting North Africa segment. |
| War In 15MM | 29 Oct 2011 7:50 a.m. PST |
Not much military action, but Five Graves To Cairo is a neat movie. There is some North Africa (US involvement) in the opening portion of The Story Of GI Joe (great movie). Like Frederick and Schogun, I really enjoy Sahara with Bogart. |
| Martin Rapier | 29 Oct 2011 10:14 a.m. PST |
My favourites would be: Ice Cold in Alex, just great all over. Sea of Sand (just for the Chevy vs Armoured Car duel). The Way Ahead, although it only covers Tunisia. It does feature a couple of immobile real Panzer IIIs, and Valentines substituting for moving ones. One not mentioned so far is The English Patient, shame about the para drop on Tobruk! |
| Juan Kerr | 29 Oct 2011 10:52 a.m. PST |
I think it's called "The Hill'…about a British camp for rowdies, discipline cases etc. No Axis in it but is set in North Africa! |
| Tarleton | 29 Oct 2011 11:22 a.m. PST |
"Sea of Sand" about an LRDG patrol. "Ice Cold in Alex" some action but great terrain shots/ideas. |
| NigelM | 29 Oct 2011 11:25 a.m. PST |
Big Red One has a fair bit based around Operation Torch |
| timurilank | 29 Oct 2011 2:16 p.m. PST |
I would select this film as a pre-conflict warming up; "The Lion of the Desert" with Rod Steiger, Oliver Reed and Anthony Quinn. |
| skinkmasterreturns | 29 Oct 2011 2:34 p.m. PST |
I recently painted some Lee/Grants,and of course one of them was named "LuluBelle". |
| Tommy20 | 29 Oct 2011 3:10 p.m. PST |
The Gray Ghost:
Raid on Rommel combatpainter:
Tobruk For a bonus, watch these two back to back. They are largely the same movie. I don't mean similar, I mean THE SAME MOVIE. One of them re-used all of the second-unit and action scenes from the other. It's hilarious! |
| Tgunner | 29 Oct 2011 4:17 p.m. PST |
Here's an interesting one: YouTube link The title says that this is the battle of Bir Hakeim but I don't think it is. Granted, Bir Hakeim was fought in June 1942 but I don't think that the Free French were equipped with US equipment by this time. This film looks more like Tunisia in 1943- hilly terrain, French troops with US Enfields and Thompsons, GI helmets mixed in with Adrian and Brodies, same with uniforms, 25lbr Quick Fires, Algerian troops, and sp on. Anyone have ant idea about what movie this is? Looks pretty cool! |
 miniMo | 29 Oct 2011 4:17 p.m. PST |
Patton -- starts out in Africa. |
| archstanton73 | 29 Oct 2011 4:44 p.m. PST |
Play Dirty, Ice cold in Alex The Way Ahead, The Battle of El Alamein(Italians!1) Sea of Sand… |
| Grumble | 29 Oct 2011 5:34 p.m. PST |
Sahara – a classic. (The original) |
Toshach  | 29 Oct 2011 8:06 p.m. PST |
I'd have to say "Sahara" for me. Surprising at how it's tough to find really good movies covering that theater. |
| SauveQuiPeut | 30 Oct 2011 3:47 a.m. PST |
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| lancer67 | 30 Oct 2011 5:26 a.m. PST |
Tobruk – 2007 version not the Rock Hudson version from the 60's |
| Major Mike | 30 Oct 2011 6:04 a.m. PST |
Der Stern von Afrika (The Star of Africa) German fighter pilots in Africa. |
| Major Mike | 30 Oct 2011 6:21 a.m. PST |
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| alphus99 | 30 Oct 2011 2:31 p.m. PST |
Thanks guys, much appreciated ! |
| projectmayhem | 31 Oct 2011 5:54 a.m. PST |
Does anyone recall a film, almost certainly from the 40s, B&W anyway, possibly ealing or boulting brothers comedy? Its set in a hotel in the desert, the one thing that sticks in my mind is when the italians leave they take down the potrait of Mussolini and put up Winston for the benefit of the incoming British, then swap to a portrait of Hilter and so on. I think the Americans turn up in the end. Ring any bells? |
| green beanie | 31 Oct 2011 6:32 a.m. PST |
Speaking of the two versions of Sahara, did any one notice in the latter version with Belishi, the M-3 is missing the top turrent machine gun turrent and is just one big open hatch? I read some where that it was filmed Down Under for HBO. Now I can not remember the Movie title, but there was one film with the actor Victor Mature about North Africa for he is captured in the beginin when his AEC armoured car gets knocked out. |
| NigelM | 31 Oct 2011 6:37 a.m. PST |
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| Frontovik | 31 Oct 2011 6:59 a.m. PST |
Czech film Tobruk from 2008. imdb.com/title/tt1224376 It's, more or less, the plot to Red Badge of Courage and not a lot happens – there's not big final battle for example – but it covers some of the other nationalities in the Desert War and you get to see the colours/terrain. |
| projectmayhem | 31 Oct 2011 7:12 a.m. PST |
NigelM, yes thank you, spot on – Hotel Sahara. Theres a brief clip on youtube, and bonus as it stars Yvonne de Carlo, superb. So this one gets my vote for Desert War films. The English patient has been mentioned, i just watched this again the other night looking for inspiration on uniform colours etc. The best bit is at the end when hes captured by the britsh, as this scene features a rather nice Tilly truck. |
| green beanie | 31 Oct 2011 12:04 p.m. PST |
Didn't a very young Henry Fonda star in a movie the "Immortal Sgt." where Fonda was a Cpl. of a British patrol in the desert that gets shot up by Italians and they loose the Platoon Sgt. and his spirit leads Fonda on to where the surviviors find an oasis that German partroopers take over and Fonda and two or three men attack in a sand storm. That was alway a good one for I loved the armoured cars in it and the part where the patrol shoots down the Italian fighter the while burning the plane lands and crashs into a British truck. |
| Clovis Sangrail | 31 Oct 2011 3:10 p.m. PST |
Ice Cold in ALex
Play Dirty |
| WillieB | 03 Nov 2011 2:11 p.m. PST |
Was Bitter Victory already mentioned?
And Green beanie is right about Fonda in Immortal Sergeant.
Sea of Sand is great and somewhat special since you can actually see the original (destroyed) vehicles by the roadside. Bit obscure but there's an Italian movie called 'Desert War' from the 60s which isn't bad at all. Key To Rebecca
Adventures in Iraq
Commandos with Van Cleef
Battle of El Alamein |
| number4 | 12 Nov 2011 1:46 p.m. PST |
Battle of the Bulge….M47 King Tigers and M24 Shermans slug it out in the Belgian desert. My favorite scene is where a Pattiger ambushes the train carrying US Artillery reinforcements in a North American railroad tunnel. Robert Shaw got an Oscar and two Zeros for 'most cliched two dimentional German Officer role' |
| Delbruck | 14 Nov 2011 6:22 p.m. PST |
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| 11th ACR | 14 Nov 2011 8:21 p.m. PST |
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| Khaki08 | 01 Mar 2012 6:32 a.m. PST |
Or, go to the British Pathe website and search for all the documentary footage you want… (Or any other WW2 for that matter) |
| Upuaut | 01 Mar 2012 11:19 a.m. PST |
I saw the first part of a WW2 desert movie a few years ago and don't know the name of it, can somebody name the movie? I would like to get it so I can see the rest of it. It is B&W, starts with a British tank trundling across the desert, crew seems to be dead but when the tank abruptly stops moving one of the crewmen wakes up. He is behind enemy lines and finds a small village with a cafe and pretends he is a French waiter, finds out that Rommel is going to be stopping there and begins plans to take him out. That is as far into the movie I got. |
| Marc33594 | 02 Mar 2012 4:57 a.m. PST |
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| warhawkwind | 02 Mar 2012 12:45 p.m. PST |
Sahara with Bogie has to be the best desert film. My pick for one of the top ten war movies of all time. |
| Hornswoggler | 02 Mar 2012 9:01 p.m. PST |
Czech film Tobruk from 2008. I saw this for the first time just a few weeks back and really enjoyed it. |
