Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In honor of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” what is the best war movie ever made?
Read More‘Dunkirk’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Monumental War Epic Is The Best Film He’s Ever Made Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Howard Hawks’ “The Dawn Patrol,” from 1930, shows soldiers and officers cracking up from the cruelty of their missions — and shows the ones who manage not to, singing and clowning with an exuberance that suggests the rictus of a death mask. There’s courage and heroism, virtue and honor — at a price that makes the words themselves seem foul. John Ford’s “The Lost Patrol,...
This week’s question: In honor of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” what is the best war movie ever made?
Read More‘Dunkirk’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Monumental War Epic Is The Best Film He’s Ever Made Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Howard Hawks’ “The Dawn Patrol,” from 1930, shows soldiers and officers cracking up from the cruelty of their missions — and shows the ones who manage not to, singing and clowning with an exuberance that suggests the rictus of a death mask. There’s courage and heroism, virtue and honor — at a price that makes the words themselves seem foul. John Ford’s “The Lost Patrol,...
- 7/24/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Netflix’s documentary series “Five Came Back” profiles the wartime experience of five Old Hollywood directors who all served in World War II: John Ford, Frank Capra, John Huston, William Wyler and George Stevens. The films they made documenting the war for decades have been rare or completely unavailable to the public. But they’re now all available for streaming. Here’s the story on each: “The Battle of Midway” – dir. John Ford (1942) “At that moment, reality comes to him, and he moves to meet it.” That’s how in “Five Came Back” Paul Greengrass described John Ford’s filmmaking in “The Battle of.
- 4/6/2017
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
‘Five Came Back’: How the Story of Hollywood Directors In World War II Became a Great Netflix Series
Entertainment journalist Mark Harris followed up his well-reviewed 2009 “Pictures at a Revolution” with an even better and more accessible book, the dramatic story of five top Hollywood directors and their roles in producing WWII propaganda films, told over 500 pages: “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War. The first book was doomed not to become a movie due to prohibitive clip costs. But the urge to open up Harris’s exhaustive research on “Five Came Back” via dramatic documentary shorts shot in the global arena was irresistible — and they were free.
Read More: ‘Five Came Back’ Review: A Cinephile’s Dream Documentary Becomes Enthralling for Everyone on Netflix
There’s plenty of rich footage to choose from: Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight” propaganda, John Huston’s re-enacted “The Battle of San Pietro,” John Ford and William Wyler’s live footage of the D-Day invasion from sea and air,...
Read More: ‘Five Came Back’ Review: A Cinephile’s Dream Documentary Becomes Enthralling for Everyone on Netflix
There’s plenty of rich footage to choose from: Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight” propaganda, John Huston’s re-enacted “The Battle of San Pietro,” John Ford and William Wyler’s live footage of the D-Day invasion from sea and air,...
- 4/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
‘Five Came Back’: How the Story of Hollywood Directors In World War II Became a Great Netflix Series
Entertainment journalist Mark Harris followed up his well-reviewed 2009 “Pictures at a Revolution” with an even better and more accessible book, the dramatic story of five top Hollywood directors and their roles in producing WWII propaganda films, told over 500 pages: “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War. The first book was doomed not to become a movie due to prohibitive clip costs. But the urge to open up Harris’s exhaustive research on “Five Came Back” via dramatic documentary shorts shot in the global arena was irresistible — and they were free.
Read More: ‘Five Came Back’ Review: A Cinephile’s Dream Documentary Becomes Enthralling for Everyone on Netflix
There’s plenty of rich footage to choose from: Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight” propaganda, John Huston’s re-enacted “The Battle of San Pietro,” John Ford and William Wyler’s live footage of the D-Day invasion from sea and air,...
Read More: ‘Five Came Back’ Review: A Cinephile’s Dream Documentary Becomes Enthralling for Everyone on Netflix
There’s plenty of rich footage to choose from: Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight” propaganda, John Huston’s re-enacted “The Battle of San Pietro,” John Ford and William Wyler’s live footage of the D-Day invasion from sea and air,...
- 4/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Arguably the best documentary ever made about Hollywood and wartime, Five Came Back is nirvana for movie lovers and a real eye-opener for anyone new to the subject. Based on the brilliant, richly detailed bestseller by Mark Harris, this three-part chronicle of filmmakers doing their patriotic duty is receiving a theatrical run while also being available as a miniseries on Netflix. Whichever way you catch it, don't think of missing it.
Subtitled A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, Harris' 2014 book pivoted between the P.O.V.s...
Subtitled A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, Harris' 2014 book pivoted between the P.O.V.s...
- 3/30/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Netflix has released the trailer for a fascinating new three part documentary called Five Came Back. It focuses on how World War II changed Hollywood and features directors like Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro diving into this subject matter.
Netflix put out an extensive press release with tons of details on what the doc will entail and I'm completely captivated by the film's subject matter. I love the history of film and the history of WWII and seeing a doc focusing on how these two things affected each other is film geek candy! Here are the additional details:
The movie is an adaptation of the book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War written by Mark Harris. It's tells "the extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five filmmakers...
Netflix put out an extensive press release with tons of details on what the doc will entail and I'm completely captivated by the film's subject matter. I love the history of film and the history of WWII and seeing a doc focusing on how these two things affected each other is film geek candy! Here are the additional details:
The movie is an adaptation of the book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War written by Mark Harris. It's tells "the extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five filmmakers...
- 2/28/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Tony Sokol Simon Brew Mar 1, 2017
How the big directors of the 1940s were drafted in to make films for the American military in World War II...
World War II's battles were fought on the battlefields, but also there was, as you probably know, a sizeable propaganda effort too. Major American film directors were involved in the war effort, making propaganda films. for the Us military. This story was wonderfully told by Mark Harris in his terrific book, Five Came Back. And now Netflix has a three-part documentary based on his work heading our way. And a trailer has just been released.
See related Prime Suspect prequel on its way Celebrating Jimmy McGovern's Cracker Endeavour series 4 episode 4 review: Harvest Inspector Morse 30th anniversary: the top 10 episodes
In the series, directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Greengrass, Lawrence Kasdan and Steven Spielberg discuss the great generation of the 1940s,...
How the big directors of the 1940s were drafted in to make films for the American military in World War II...
World War II's battles were fought on the battlefields, but also there was, as you probably know, a sizeable propaganda effort too. Major American film directors were involved in the war effort, making propaganda films. for the Us military. This story was wonderfully told by Mark Harris in his terrific book, Five Came Back. And now Netflix has a three-part documentary based on his work heading our way. And a trailer has just been released.
See related Prime Suspect prequel on its way Celebrating Jimmy McGovern's Cracker Endeavour series 4 episode 4 review: Harvest Inspector Morse 30th anniversary: the top 10 episodes
In the series, directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Greengrass, Lawrence Kasdan and Steven Spielberg discuss the great generation of the 1940s,...
- 2/28/2017
- Den of Geek
As creators today find themselves questioning just what impact their work can genuinely have on the world, Netflix reaches to the past for an example of great filmmakers who risked their lives to make a difference. “Five Came Back,” a three-part documentary series set to premiere March 31, spotlights the legendary directors of 1940s Hollywood who went to the front lines of World War II to document what they saw.
Read More: Steven Spielberg’s Strange History With ‘Cruising’
Helping to tell the wartime stories of John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens are some modern-day legends. Spotlighted in the trailer below are interviews with Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, Guillermo del Toro, Lawrence Kasdan and Francis Ford Coppola. Meryl Streep steps in to narrate.
Written by Mark Harris (adapted from his book) and directed by Laurent Bouzereau, the series digs into the legacy of documentary work created...
Read More: Steven Spielberg’s Strange History With ‘Cruising’
Helping to tell the wartime stories of John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens are some modern-day legends. Spotlighted in the trailer below are interviews with Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, Guillermo del Toro, Lawrence Kasdan and Francis Ford Coppola. Meryl Streep steps in to narrate.
Written by Mark Harris (adapted from his book) and directed by Laurent Bouzereau, the series digs into the legacy of documentary work created...
- 2/28/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
One of the more popular film-related books of the last few years is Mark Harris‘ Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, which recounts the experience directors John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens had heading to war and then returning to Hollywood to make some of their greatest films. In a welcome surprise only recently revealed, the book has now been turned into a three-part series on Netflix and it’ll arrive next month.
Featuring narration from Meryl Streep and interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, and Lawrence Kasdan, the first trailer has arrived. Judging from this preview, it looks to be a rousing documentary capturing this crucial time in cinematic history and the world at large. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, he and his team pored through 100 hours of archival and newsreel footage...
Featuring narration from Meryl Streep and interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, and Lawrence Kasdan, the first trailer has arrived. Judging from this preview, it looks to be a rousing documentary capturing this crucial time in cinematic history and the world at large. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, he and his team pored through 100 hours of archival and newsreel footage...
- 2/28/2017
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Today in movie related history...
1907 Cracking Rosalind Russell is born. Stars in many classics including: His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and Auntie Mame and is nominated for 4 Best Actress Oscars. The only actresses that share her fate of 4 Best Actress nominations w/out a win: Greta Garbo, Marsha Mason, and Barbara Stanwyck. Of the four only Marsha Mason didn't receive an Honorary later on.
1913 Suffragette Emily Davison runs onto the track at the Epson Derby and is trampled by King George V's horse. It's a huge turning point in the court of public opinion and the suffragette movement. It was reenacted in last year's Suffragette.
1936 Bruce Dern is born and never stops acting thereafter. Also donates Laura Dern to the world for which he has our undying gratitude
1940 The last allied soldiers leave Dunkirk. Britain's Pm vows that his forces will "never surrender". Christopher Nolan is currently filming a movie about Dunkirk called,...
1907 Cracking Rosalind Russell is born. Stars in many classics including: His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and Auntie Mame and is nominated for 4 Best Actress Oscars. The only actresses that share her fate of 4 Best Actress nominations w/out a win: Greta Garbo, Marsha Mason, and Barbara Stanwyck. Of the four only Marsha Mason didn't receive an Honorary later on.
1913 Suffragette Emily Davison runs onto the track at the Epson Derby and is trampled by King George V's horse. It's a huge turning point in the court of public opinion and the suffragette movement. It was reenacted in last year's Suffragette.
1936 Bruce Dern is born and never stops acting thereafter. Also donates Laura Dern to the world for which he has our undying gratitude
1940 The last allied soldiers leave Dunkirk. Britain's Pm vows that his forces will "never surrender". Christopher Nolan is currently filming a movie about Dunkirk called,...
- 6/4/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Glenn Frankel's exploration of famous John Ford's Western, The Searchers, is our Den Of Geek Book Club non-fiction choice this month...
John Ford's The Searchers is a film that has had many interpretations placed upon it since it was released in 1956. Some would say it's a plea for tolerance. Others would point out that some scenes contain a less forgiving message. The key element of Glenn Frankel’s book takes a different stance. It starts with surprising fact – that The Searchers is, in fact, based on a true story, taking its inspiration from events that played a huge part in the way settlers viewed Native Americans in the nineteenth century, and beyond.
The Making Of An American Legend charts the way that truth can become legend, and legend can become film. Of course, John Ford loved these sorts of distinctions; 'When the legend becomes fact, print the legend'...
John Ford's The Searchers is a film that has had many interpretations placed upon it since it was released in 1956. Some would say it's a plea for tolerance. Others would point out that some scenes contain a less forgiving message. The key element of Glenn Frankel’s book takes a different stance. It starts with surprising fact – that The Searchers is, in fact, based on a true story, taking its inspiration from events that played a huge part in the way settlers viewed Native Americans in the nineteenth century, and beyond.
The Making Of An American Legend charts the way that truth can become legend, and legend can become film. Of course, John Ford loved these sorts of distinctions; 'When the legend becomes fact, print the legend'...
- 3/16/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Back in the fall of 1941, John Ford, who had, in just three years, directed Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and How Green Was My Valley, walked away from Hollywood and, at 47, gave himself to the Navy. For the next few years he filmed nothing but the Second World War. He was in North Africa when the Allies moved in. He boarded the U.S. aircraft carrier Hornet to film the Doolittle raid on Japan. He was on the beaches of Normandy for D-Day. And in the opening moments of Midway, he stood on the roof of a power station, filming...
- 4/28/2011
- by Mark Harris
- EW.com - PopWatch
Whether they are glossy or gritty, embedded or independent, the best war documentaries still reveal the sheer savagery of combat, says film-maker Kevin Macdonald
When was real combat first recorded on film? Probably almost as soon as the "cinematograph" camera was invented. They say that around 1916, Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa used to stage battles for his cameramen to record when the light was good. During the second world war, John Ford and John Huston were just two of the great Hollywood directors who picked up 16mm cameras to film real action for, respectively, The Battle of Midway and Report from the Aleutians. But these were straightforward propaganda movies for the most part: they made no pretences of showing what combat was really like for a soldier – what it felt like physiologically and psychologically. Their aim was to stir the patriotic fervour of the audience and to soothe their anxieties about the conflict.
When was real combat first recorded on film? Probably almost as soon as the "cinematograph" camera was invented. They say that around 1916, Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa used to stage battles for his cameramen to record when the light was good. During the second world war, John Ford and John Huston were just two of the great Hollywood directors who picked up 16mm cameras to film real action for, respectively, The Battle of Midway and Report from the Aleutians. But these were straightforward propaganda movies for the most part: they made no pretences of showing what combat was really like for a soldier – what it felt like physiologically and psychologically. Their aim was to stir the patriotic fervour of the audience and to soothe their anxieties about the conflict.
- 4/5/2011
- by Kevin Macdonald
- The Guardian - Film News
Most war films are, ultimately, about winning. In 1945, however, as World War II was ending, John Ford made probably the finest U.S. war picture, about one of America’s greatest defeats—-in the Philippines—-the title of which alone is devastating in its implications: They Were Expendable (available on DVD). Ford, who had entered the Navy in 1941, at age 47, was closely involved in numerous missions and operations all through the War, serving with the O.S.S. (forerunner of the C.I.A.) and making several war documentaries, including this country’s first one, The Battle of Midway (1942), which mostly he himself shot hand-held…...
- 10/17/2010
- Blogdanovich
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