Can you believe that there are only six Sundays left in all of 2016 and that is not including today. With that being said, there is only six more Sundays at the classics left and we have a good one for you today. The film that we chose for today features two actors that I respect immensely as Yul Brynner (The Ten Commandments) and Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire) star in the 1965 World War II film Morituri. Robert Crain (Brando) is a deserter of the Nazi party living peacefully in India being a pacifist. After a visit from a British intelligence agent, he is blackmailed into doing a mission for the allies during World War II. His mission is to disrupt a shipment of rubber that is leaving Japan, but he has to deal with a tough as nails Captain Mueller (Brynner) and the fact that this is a mission he might not come back from. The film also stars Janet Margolin (Ghostbusters II) as Esther, Martin Benrath (Stalingrad) as Kruse, Hans Christian Blech (Battle of The Bulge) as Donkeyman, Rainer Penkert (Claudia) as Milkereit, Trevor Howard (Superman) as Colonel Statter, Max Haufler (The Trial) as Branner, Wally Cox (Underdog) as Dr. Ambach, and the film was directed by Bernhard Wicki (Paris, Texas).
This was an excellent film especially if you are a fan of Brynner or Brando and if you are a fan of a great story. Marlon Brando is excellent as a guy who hates war and could care less about who wins, but now has to act like an SS pig. Then you have Yul Brynner, a man with a lot to lose himself which is his reputation, but he also isn’t too fond of an SS officers or the Nazi party. He is sort of a jaded naval captain who just wants to get the job done so he can leave. Then they throw all these other factors at you like political prisoners (like Donkeyman) who want to rise against the system and Esther, a Jewish girl who has so many personal scars along with her physical scars that it torments her. There is a lot to offer in this film to go along with the suspense of the espionage side of the film so if you’re a fan of characters then watch this film. The cinematography in the film is excellent as well as you follow all the tense moments of the film. One of my favorite scenes that really shows what Yul brought to the table in the film was the moment when he lost it in a drunken rage. It was such a powerful scene that gave us our final turning point in the script and story. The film is amazing, I loved it, and it’s available on Netflix right now as we speak. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
First of all I want to start this article off by wishing everyone including the men and women of the Armed Forces a Happy Memorial Day. After all, this day is about remembering all soldiers past and present that have fought for this country. So for today’s film, I decided to watch a war film and I picked Flags Of Our Fathers which was directed by Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby). It’s 1945 and the war is almost coming to a close, but America is still at war with the Japanese. While on the island of Iwo Jima, the goal is to hang an American flag at the top of a certain point. The film follows the six men who raised the very flag that we see in that iconic image and all of the issues they had to deal with while at war and after it. The film stars Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions) as John “Doc” Bradley, Jesse Bradford (Hackers) as Rene Gagnon, Adam Beach (Windtalkers) as Ira Hayes, John Benjamin Hickey (The Bone Collector) as Keyes Beech, Barry Pepper (True Grit) as Mike Strank, Jamie Bell (King Kong) as Iggy, Paul Walker (Furious 7) as Hank Hansen, John Slattery (Captain America: Civil War) as Bud Gerber, Robert Patrick (Striptease) as Colonel Chandler Johnson, Neal McDonough (Red 2) as Captain Severance, and Melanie Lynskey (Up In The Air) as Pauline.
As far as the film is concerned, it’s a very different type of war movie because not only do you see the horrors of war, but you see a very different side of it. You see a side of war that the politicians do not want you to see. For instance, throughout the film, the image of the men putting up the flag is more important to the cause then the actual truth behind the picture. The country practically has no money so they use the image and the remaining three men who are alive to try and raise money by selling bonds. They know very well that these guys are not comfortable with the whole hero thing, but they need to use that to try and draw money to win the war. Those are some of the things we do not get to see, but is the film controversial? Maybe or maybe not because it depends on who you ask like Spike Lee. Clint Eastwood as a director is money because I have yet to be disappointed at any of the films the man has made and that is truly amazing. There are some iconic images in this film like all of the warships out in the ocean to the gritty aspects of war. All of the acting was great, the cinematography was amazing, and the story was well written. This film may not be my favorite war movie in the world, but it certainly ranks up there. Like I said above, this day is about remembering all the men and women that served this country. Check out the film, learn some history about the nation, and I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 