Popular war movies depicting Canadian soldiers ...

[FSTO]

I am fond of US war movies like the classic western Rio Grand and the charge of the light brigade.

You are kidding right?

 

[Infanteer]

I do remember that US Cavalry unit in the Crimean War....

 

[Xylric]

I think the best Canadian war movie is Passchendaele, although technically, Dunkirk counts as well.

 

[MarkOttawa]

A very serious Hollywood effort about Canada/RCAF in World War II, much filmed here--in colour!-- before US was attacked at Pearl Harbor as pro-British side propaganda. Turner Classic Movies (TCM--great channel and web stuff) shows occasionally, fun movie esp. technically:

The RCAF and WW II: “Captains of the Clouds”
https://mark3ds.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/mark-collins-the-rcaf-and-ww-ii-captains-of-the-clouds/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[FSTO]

I think the best Canadian war movie is Passchendaele, although technically, Dunkirk counts as well.

Sorry you feel that way because after the opening scene the rest of the movie was crap!

 

[mariomike]

A very serious Hollywood effort about Canada/RCAF in World War II, much filmed here--in colour!-- before US was attacked at Pearl Harbor as pro-British side propaganda. Turner Classic Movies (TCM--great channel and web stuff) shows occasionally, fun movie esp. technically:


Mark
Ottawa

"Take your hat off, Billy ( Bishop ). I'll give you a haircut!" 

Captains of the Clouds

 

[Xylric]

Sorry you feel that way because after the opening scene the rest of the movie was crap!

I'm aware.

Basically, the problem is that there aren't enough Canadian war movies.

 

[OldSolduer]

I'm aware.

Basically, the problem is that there aren't enough Canadian war movies.

The Battle of Kapyong would be a good start point.....

 

[Xylric]

I'd honestly like to see a movie about the 1859 Pig War.

 

[tomahawk6]

The first VC earned by a Canadian serving with the charge of the light brigade was Alexander Roberts Dunn.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I would like to see one about the RCN's contributions to WW2.

I know, I know The Cruel Sea is close, but its not Canadian.  And considering how much of a role the RCN played in the North Atlantic it definitely deserves some attention.

 

[mariomike]

Corvette K-225

 

[Blackadder1916]

The Battle of Kapyong would be a good start point.....

Sure, but how could you have an identifiable hero, tie in wartime romance, film on location, and have closing credits dissolve from the final film scene to actual pictures of the devastation to the tranquil  scene of the site as it is today.  For a Canadian event, the obvious choice would be Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives.  We could call it "Tractable".  Could even have a side story of Poles at Hill 262 and a cameo of some aging, over the hill American actor as "Patton" to appeal to the Eastern European and middle American markets.  To account for the impossibility of turning a profit (with a high cost Canadian production) by theatre release it could be a Netflix production (aren't they supposed to be investing $500 million in Canadian productions).  There are plenty of bankable high profile Canadian actors (and a few of them aren't named Ryan) so it doesn't have to be an American actor whose character is identified as "Canadian" so that he can be in a British story without having to do a fake accent.  There, business plan in place.  To make it an Army.ca production, the background story treatment could be written by someone who frequents this means, surely there is someone who can write and is familiar with the operation (no names, no pack drill).

Hey this crap writes itself.  Oh, just to cover the bases - Copyright 2018 Blackadder1916 in conjunction with Army.ca. 

 

[daftandbarmy]

Nailed it....


Canada Does A Lot Of Things Right … But Not War Movies

This week on Task & Purpose Radio: The Warzone, Patrick, Adam, and Lauren review the 2015 Canadian war film Hyena Road. While Canada does a lot of things right ― health care, maple syrup, coffee shops ― war films does not appear to be one of them. The movie, set in Kandahar, Afghanistan, exhibits every war stereotype imaginable and then some.

https://taskandpurpose.com/podcasts/canada-lot-things-right-not-war-movies/

 

[MarkOttawa]

"The Longest Day" on TCM tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 6) at 2000 EST--quite accurate, well worth the watch if haven't seen--followed at 2315 by "Tora! Tora! Tora!", also very good (best era for serious historical WW II movies):
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/133203%7C0/The-Longest-Day.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

"Longest Day"--just after some 35 minutes in US 82nd Airborne's BGEN James Gavin refers to "British and Canadian pathfinders".

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Retired AF Guy]

"Longest Day"--just after some 35 minutes in US 82nd Airborne's BGEN James Gavin refers to "British and Canadian pathfinders".

Mark
Ottawa

Which is if I remember correctly is the only reference to Canadians in the movie. The book makes a couple of references to Canadians, but that's about it.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Lovely harmonica version of "The Longest Day" theme, written by Ottawa's Paul Anka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KzFIE-kdus

Mark
Ottawa

 

[drikols]

I have said for a long time I wish a Canadian war movie would be produced.  Unlikely as Hollywood has no interest in our history, but still a dream I'd like to see come true.  Afterall we have many "interesting" battles which could be made into great movies.  Thanks for the list though, been looking for something of this nature for a while.