WAR WEEK from 10th to 16th March

War has been a favourite genre for the film industry and the famous battles of American history and European history have provided rich subject matter for the films featured in TCM’s War Week this March. TCM’s War Week features some fine examples of military might; some made during the war were blatant propaganda tools, whilst others made after tell the story of war from a different perspective with the valuable tool of hindsight.

Military movie fans will be spoiled for choice with afternoon matinees at 3pm followed by prime time movies at 9pm.  All these fine examples of classic war stories pay tribute to the heroism of troops involved in bloody battlefield combat and tell the moving personal tales of those scarred by war. 

These films feature best explosive action, thrilling suspense, bloodthirsty skirmishes and fascinating characters in movie history. Many of the directors and the actors involved in these great films had first hand experience of fighting in either the First or Second World Wars.  Read on to find out just how Hollywood’s biggest stars and directors stepped up to the challenge and fought for their country.

Actors and directors as War Heroes

Charles Bronson stars in The Dirty Dozen (1967) on Tuesday 11th March at 9pm and Never So Few on Thursday 13th March at 3pm

There’s some speculation as to Bronson’s actual role in WWII; three different accounts tell that he was a B-29 tail-gunner, a nose-gunner and a truck driver.

1. What is undisputed is that he served using his real name, Charles D Buchinski, in the Air Force.
2. He used his rights as a GI to study art once the war was over and excelled in acting.
3. His decision to change his name from its Lithuanian origins was due to the Red Scare in the 50s and his fear that he may not get acting roles.
4. Bronson became with many War roles with his most famous being the claustrophobic tunnel digger in The Great Escape (1963)

Lee Marvin stars in The The Dirty Dozen (1967) on Tuesday 11th March at 9pm

1. New Yorker, Marvin was renowned as a bit of a tearaway and was thrown out of several schools before signing up to serve in the US Marines when WWII started.
2. He incurred an injury to his sciatic nerve having been shot and wounded during the battle of Saipan.
3. It is reported that he was one of only nine soldiers in his unit to survive this attack.
4. Marvin was awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery during the war.
5. Undoubtedly his experience helped to give him extra credibility as the many tough-guy war heroes he ultimately played.

Richard Burton stars in Where Eagles Dare (1968) on Monday 10th March at 9pm

1. Richard Burton served as a member of the Royal Air Force during WWII.
2. One of his first performances was a radio documentary about the Air Training Corp, of which he was a member.
3. He’d been spotted as a potential actor prior to joining up so virtually as soon as he de-mobbed, Burton started acting professionally.
4. In Burton’s varied career, one of his most memorable roles is as Major Jonathan Smith in Where Eagles Dare.
5. Burton controversially criticised Winston Churchill because he felt that war rhetoric was inappropriate when compared with horrific injuries many civilians had incurred 

William A Wellman director of Battleground (1949) on Tuesday 11th March at 3pm

1. Wellman was involved in WWI combat as an aviator and earned himself the nickname, Wild Bill, which stayed with him throughout his Hollywood career.
2. So passionate was he to fly that he joined the air wing of the French Foreign Legion and served with the Lafayette Flying Corps.
3. Hell-raiser Wellman managed to survive being shot down and injured during combative action.
4. He was eventually recruited by the US Army in 1918 and commissioned as an officer.
5. Back in California, his reputation won him admiration and his friend, Douglas Fairbanks, helped him break into movies where he went on to an Oscar-winning career, using his war stories as the subject for many of his films.

John Ford director of They Were Expendable (1945) on Saturday 15th March at 3pm

1. Ford enlisted in the US naval reserve in 1934 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander.
2. He continued to serve, as a reserve, until 1951 when he was retired with the honourable rank of Rear Admiral.
3. After WWII, Ford included every actor’s former military rank in his film’s credits.
4. Ford was said to be present at the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach but unfortunately, the film from this event has never been found.
5. Being both a combat photographer and capable of filming spectacular battles, Ford was able to accurately depict war in his subsequent films, and he also won two Oscars for the semi-documentary films he made to support the war effort.

Where Eagles Dare (1968) on Monday 10th March at 9pm

Epic WWII movie featuring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton as Allied agents held captive in a German castle.

Five reasons to watch:

1. This film is wall-to-wall action adventure and one of the best examples of a war movie.  There are explosions, extraordinary chases and fights – the most impressive of which takes place on top of a cable car.
2. The unusual pairing of classical actor Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood worked exceptionally and the supporting from Michael Hordern and Patrick Wymark was excellent.
3. The film is based on a novel by Alistair MacLean whose writing really lent itself to adaptation and previous successes had included The Guns of Navarone and Ice Station Zebra.
4. There’s nothing like some stirring tunes to help keep the pacy action moving and composer Ron Goodwin’s score is memorable and infectious.
5. The spectacular setting of the Bavarian Alps makes this movie incredibly easy on the eye and is a great juxtaposition for the all out action and violence that ensues. 

The Dirty Dozen (1967) on Tuesday 11th March at 9pm

A bunch of criminals and renegades are sent on a dangerous mission and given the chance to prove their heroism and redeem themselves.

Five reasons to watch:

1. There’s an absolutely fantastic cast including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland.
2. It’s a fantastic story jam-packed with extraordinary and well-crafted characters which takes a wry and cynical view of war.
3. The action comes thick and fast with plenty of well-choreographed battle scenes plus an explosive conclusion.
4. This exciting film has something for everything as well as the action it has plenty of humour and suspense.
5. This was legendary director, Robert Aldrich’s (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) most successful film and the profit allowed him to set up his own studio.

Hell is for Heroes (1962) PREMIERE on Sunday 16th March at 9pm

Six US troops are left to hold off the enemy while waiting for reinforcements to arrive in this gritty WWII drama.

Five reasons to watch:

1. Certainly a forerunner to films such as Saving Private Ryan, this film managed to avoid war film clichés from which so many others, made in the 60s, suffered.
2. Steve McQueen draws on his experience of serving in the Marine Corps to give an intensely powerful performance as a disillusioned and rebellious soldier who holds his colleagues in distain.
3. There are some truly memorable performances from a great supporting cast including James Coburn, Harry Guardino, Nick Adams and even comedian Bob Newhart and crooner Bobby Darin.
4. Black and white cinematography adds authenticity to an already gritty depiction of war and its excellent battle scenes were achieved with limited budget and special effects.
5. Director, Don Siegel, captures the atmosphere of war, with its true pain and violence, in this excellent and hard-hitting depiction.

Don Siegel on Steve McQueen "He walked around with the attitude that the burden of preserving the integrity of the picture [Hell is for Heroes] was on his shoulders and the rest of us were company men ready to sell out, grind out an inferior picture for a few bucks and the bosses.  Eventually we grew to like each other".

In Which We Serve (1942) on Thursday 13th March at 9pm

A deeply moving portrayal of sailors fighting for their lives during World War II.

Five reasons to watch:

1. Noel Coward wrote, starred and co-directed with a young David Lean earning a Best Picture and Best Screenplay nomination and an honorary Oscar for his achievement.
2. Alongside Coward there’s a veritable who’s who of British film with John Mills, Bernard Miles, Richard Attenborough, Michael Wilding and Celia Johnson.
3. The film was made whilst WWII was still being fought making the themes of honour, heroism, duty and dignity all the more poignant.
4. A semi-documentary style, gave added realism to the story which is said to have been based on the wartime experiences of Lord Louis Mountbatten.
5. It is no surprise that this is considered one of the best and most influential British war films and it also gives a fascinating insight into 40s British society.

They Were Expendable (1945) on Saturday 15th March at 3pm

WWII drama based on the true story of a Patrol Torpedo naval division protecting the Philippines against Japanese attack.

Five reasons to watch:

1. Ford, who had personal experience of war captures the post-war mood in a sober take on the reality of warfare.
2. The fully rounded characters have a real depth to them and the action comes very much from a human perspective.
3. There are some excellent performances and Robert Montgomery, who’d served in the navy’s PT boats, stands out for his emotive interpretation of Lt Brickley.
4. The excellent cast also included John Wayne, Ward Bond, Leon Ames and Donna Reed.
5. John Ford was horrified by Wayne’s failure to enlist in the war and took every opportunity to remind the fiercely patriotic actor of what he perceived to be cowardice.