Week of November 16th
Downfall (2004)
This hauntingly amazing film chronicles the final days of Hitler from the point of view of his secretary Traudl Junge. Bruno Ganz delivers a poignant and emotionally draining performance as Adolf Hitler, and the setting of the bunker works in conjunction with his performance to radiate a sense of anxiety and intensity in the closed quarters. You have to see this film.
Catch-22 (1970)
Alan Arkin is superb in this film. It is a pretty good adaptation of the novel about a pilot in WWII who is desperate to get out of his missions so he attempts to get certified as insane. A philosophically rich and unconventional war film with an outstanding supporting cast.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
It’s almost hard to believe this film is eleven years old, because it’s one if those films that aren’t ‘dated’ and truly stands the test of time. Even if you don’t like the story and think it may be hokey, you have to admit Spielberg knows how to make a war film and Tom Hanks sure can act. I will freely admit that I own this film, meaning it is acceptable for you to like/watch.
Joyeux Noel (2005)
I love this Christian Carion film for many reasons. It takes a different approach to films about WWI focusing on the toll of human emotion and sacrifice the first great war took on those involved. The film tells the story of the ceasefire the Germans, French and Scottish agreed to on Christmas Eve 1914. With all the horrors of war going on around them, and the division of enemy and ally, they manage to put aside their beliefs and share in the simple human act of peace and understanding.