Memphis Belle

[PanzerIV]

There wasn't much on last night so I watched Memphis Belle again even though it had started forty five minutes earlier. It took no time to remember why I hadn't bothered watching it in years.

It's a comical disgrace abundant with inaccuracies and was a vehicle for a bunch of LA pretty boys to get together and try to sell tickets.

The only commonality it had with the documentary "The Memphis Belle" was while the movie had the crew over Bremen, Germany, the documentary stated they supposedly were bombing the sub pens in Wilhemshaven, Germany. In fact the offical site of the Mephis Belle said the last mission was really over Lorient, France.

Thankfully there are some occassional gems out there and not every movie is Hollywood embarassment like Pearl Harbor or Memphis Belle.

Opinions and thoughts on this flick?

 

[KLin]

SNAFU - Situation Normal, All Fvcked Up.

 

[warcrow]

I actually enjoyed this movie. I was never watching it to be informed...only to be entertained.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I thought it was a decent movie. I liked it. Pearl Harbor was crap though, Memphis Belle is much better than that pile of shyt.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i liked it

 

[Drakkon]

If you don't look at it as a historical recreation and more as just an action flick i thought it was okay actually...
comparing documenries to hollywood movies is like comparing sex to porn...sure the real thing is great but porn is so much more entertaining

 

[Amused]

If you're looking for historical accuracy, Hollywood and movies are the LAST place you wanna look.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: warcrow
I actually enjoyed this movie. I was never watching it to be informed...only to be entertained.

 

[K1052]

You mean you shouldn't try to down a Japanese Zero at 1,000+ meters using a Thompson SMG?

 

[Electric Amish]

I enjoyed it...a little sappy, but not horrible.

 

[rudder]

Hollywood and WWII movies just don't go together. A few rare exceptions like BoB. But then something like U-571 or Windtalkers comes along. Great stories to be told, but Hollywood dumbs everyting down for ticket sales.

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: K1052
You mean you shouldn't try to down a Japanese Zero at 1,000+ meters using a Thompson SMG?

K1052, I KNEW you would be in this thread.

 

[Amused]

The one thing I liked this movie for was the visuals of the bombers in flight and in giant formations.

Not outstanding special effects for today, but when it came out they were the best ever seen.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rudder
Hollywood and WWII movies just don't go together. A few rare exceptions like BoB. But then something like U-571 or Windtalkers comes along. Great stories to be told, but Hollywood dumbs everyting down for ticket sales.

Agreed. U-571 was another craptacular movie.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV

Originally posted by: K1052
You mean you shouldn't try to down a Japanese Zero at 1,000+ meters using a Thompson SMG?

K1052, I KNEW you would be in this thread.

Heh.

All kidding aside, I thought SPR and BoB were as reallistic as possible.

The only mistake I noticed was in SPR with the Springfield sniper rifle. He fires about 8 rounds from a 5 round internal mag (an editing mistake I'd guess) and the scope was not correct for the era.

 

[b0mbrman]

Why are you paying Hollywood to make crappy movies?

If you stop watching crap, they'll stop making crap.

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: Amused
If you're looking for historical accuracy, Hollywood and movies are the LAST place you wanna look.

You are certainly correct to an extent in that some of the most basic historically accurate facts are often missed but some movies like Das Boot do everything right and make you literally feel like you're in the movie especially cranked up in surround sound. All I can say for Memphis Belle is that they shouldn't have modeled it after a real bomber since nothing else was accurate in the least including the crews real names!!

Edit: Actually I realize Das Boot was filmed in Germany and not Hollywood so although not the best example you get my point they can do much better.

 

[mcvickj]

Originally posted by: warcrow
I actually enjoyed this movie. I was never watching it to be informed...only to be entertained.

Same here.

 

[Actaeon]

I liked the movie alot. When I was little, I used to watch the part where the tail got sliced off by the ME109 when it was shot down.

"Mother and country, can you hear me?"
*STATIC, BZZZZZZZZZZZ*

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Hollywood is about entertainment not historical or any other kind of accuracy. If you expect otherwise you will continue to be disapointed.

 

[Toasthead]

Originally posted by: warcrow
I actually enjoyed this movie. I was never watching it to be informed...only to be entertained.

exactly..its not a documentary

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV

Originally posted by: Amused
If you're looking for historical accuracy, Hollywood and movies are the LAST place you wanna look.

You are certainly correct to an extent in that some of the most basic historically accurate facts are often missed but some movies like Das Boot do everything right and make you literally feel like you're in the movie especially cranked up in surround sound. All I can say for Memphis Belle is that they shouldn't have modeled it after a real bomber since nothing else was accurate in the least including the crews real names!!

Edit: Actually I realize Das Boot was filmed in Germany and not Hollywood so although not the best example you get my point they can do much better.

Interesting side note:

The Das Boot u-boat was borrowed to shoot the surface u-boat scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: warcrow
I actually enjoyed this movie. I was never watching it to be informed...only to be entertained.

I wasn't watching it be informed either, trust me. I suppose if I didn't know the real facts maybe I would have enjoyed it slightly more but I could not get out of my head how much b.s. was in it.

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: PanzerIV

Originally posted by: Amused
If you're looking for historical accuracy, Hollywood and movies are the LAST place you wanna look.

You are certainly correct to an extent in that some of the most basic historically accurate facts are often missed but some movies like Das Boot do everything right and make you literally feel like you're in the movie especially cranked up in surround sound. All I can say for Memphis Belle is that they shouldn't have modeled it after a real bomber since nothing else was accurate in the least including the crews real names!!

Edit: Actually I realize Das Boot was filmed in Germany and not Hollywood so although not the best example you get my point they can do much better.

Interesting side note:

The Das Boot u-boat was borrowed to shoot the surface u-boat scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Cool! Thanks for that trivia tidbit. Raiders happens to be in my top five list of best movies of all times and I never knew that. They were in fact both filmed around the same time come to think of it.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV

Originally posted by: Amused
If you're looking for historical accuracy, Hollywood and movies are the LAST place you wanna look.

You are certainly correct to an extent in that some of the most basic historically accurate facts are often missed but some movies like Das Boot do everything right and make you literally feel like you're in the movie especially cranked up in surround sound. All I can say for Memphis Belle is that they shouldn't have modeled it after a real bomber since nothing else was accurate in the least including the crews real names!!

Edit: Actually I realize Das Boot was filmed in Germany and not Hollywood so although not the best example you get my point they can do much better.

I loved Das Boot. One of the best WW2 movies ever.