War Movie Theatre

Live from the Imperial War Museum's Podcast Festival, we kick off Great War Month by watching Sam Mendes's men-with-a-mission trench-running bonanza, 1917, with John Crace of the Guardian. Is this the operation that changed the course of the Great War? Should they have searched that farmhouse? Might there, in fact, be a better way to get the message through? All this and more. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adored by Stanley Kubrick and studied at the Pentagon, 1966's The Battle of Algiers is a film quite unlike any other. Is it a guide to how to run an insurgency, or how to fight one? Supported by the newly independent Algerian government, it doesn't shy away from the violent realities of the independence movement's terrorist campaign. There's never been anything quite like it.Next week, we'll be watching 1917, if we can successfully record our appearance at the Imperial War Museum's podcast festival. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this the film that changed the course of the SAS? Helicopters on the roof as we watch some of the worst spying in cinema history, followed by some of the best embassy-storming. Released as "The Final Option" in the US, this is the film that failed to turn Lewis Collins into James Bond. We're joined by Paul Bavill of the History Rage podcast, and he's not even the angriest person featured. That turns out to be listener Russell Phillips, who got in touch to complain about one scene in the film before we'd even recorded the episode. You can read his blog on the film here. Next week: The Battle of Algiers.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're hunting Nazis through Canada as we watch Powell and Pressburger's 1941 breakthrough movie 49th Parallel. Would the submarine crew on the run have made it further if they hadn't felt the need to kill everyone who was rude about Hitler? And what was the frankly appalling reason the US censor demanded so many cuts? We're joined by Terry Stiastny, author of Believable Lies: The Misfits Who Fought Churchill's Secret Propaganda War.Next week, we're storming the US embassy in Who Dares Wins.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zut alors! This week we're popping over the Channel to watch the Frenchest war movie ever made, the true story of the frantic arguments on both sides about how to save - or destroy - the city. Featuring effortlessly cool members of the Resistance, battles of bicycles, and a furious Fuhrer. Rob and Duncan are joined by former Labour party policy man Karim Palant, whose entire street WhatsApp group was mobilised to find a cable that would let him watch his DVD. Next week, we're off to Canada to watch 49th Parallel. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, a Booker-winning novel that becomes an Oscar-winning film. A tale of war and love in the desert, based, very loosely on a real World War 2 espionage mission. Rob and Duncan are joined by the author and psychotherapist Lucy Beresford, to talk about her relationship with war movies, why she loves this film, and whether it would have been better if the studio had got their way and cast Demi Moore in the lead. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 1964 film about accidental nuclear war from a legendary director and featuring a German scientist with homicidal ideas? That's right, it's Dr Strangelove... hang on, no, it's Fail Safe. Overshadowed on release because of a lawsuit from a rival film (you can guess which), this parable from Sidney Lumet has come to be regarded as a classic, with fans including George Clooney.The Ocean's 11 star couldn't be with us to make the case for it himself, so we're joined by a man known to many as the Clooney of British politics, Mark Pack: polling expert, Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords and Total Nerd.You can watch the film on DVD, by streaming, or here: https://archive.org/details/fail-safe-1964_202408Next week, we're back in the desert for a story of betrayal and sand: The English Patient.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this going be a bug hunt, or a stand-up fight? Rob is joined by Brian Raftery to talk about James Cameron's 1986 magnificent take on the Alien universe. Has there ever been a better sequel? Is it really a Vietnam allegory? And after all that time in hyper-sleep, shouldn't Ripley's savings be worth more?Next week, it's Cold War countdown Fail Safe.The podcast series by Brian mentioned in the show are "Do We Get To Win This Time?" and "Mission Accomplished", from Ringer podcasts.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Duncan have done their job for Uncle Sam. Now they're podcasting for themselves. This week we're watching the 1990 movie Memphis Belle and the 1944 documentary that inspired it: The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. Is the crew going to finish its 25th mission? Which of them will go on to save Frodo? And would Eric Stoltz have had a better career if he'd realised Back To The Future was a comedy?You can watch the 1944 documentary here: https://youtu.be/DW4F_ZMrS3A?si=g7HPQtEnXfQkdMxzNext week, we're watching Aliens.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An obsessed director, a cast of unknowns, and a country on the brink of revolution. Somehow these ingredients produced one of the great Vietnam movies. Hugo Rifkind of The Times goes further, making the case that Platoon is the greatest Vietnam movie of them all. Hugo's novel "Rabbits", about a different kind of teenage battle, is now out in paperback. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pub landlord and war-waffler Al Murray joins Rob and Duncan to watch The Longest Day in this episode from 2024. Can any American be more gratuitous than John Wayne? And while everyone knows Sean Connery was in the film, not that many people know about the TWO other Bond stars in tiny roles...Next week, we're back with a new episode, watching Platoon.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over August, we're replaying old episodes while we record some new ones. This is one from 2023 where we watched a film we hadn't seen before and which really stayed with us, a depiction of hunger, betrayal and the struggle to survive in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Is it possible to do so and keep your integrity? And has anyone seen my dog?Next week: The Longest Day.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our August season of repeats, this week's classic episode, first aired in May 2024, sees Rob and Duncan high in the Bavarian Alps on a mission of such complexity that they need special guest Tim Shipman to tell them what's going on. But can they trust him? Can they trust anyone? And what will win the Broadsword Radio Award for Total Implausibility? Next week: King RatHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first in our August repeat run is the revival of our Christmas 2023 episode on Casablanca, with special guest Hadley Freeman. A passionately political film disguised as a romance, this is also a Jewish movie where no one mentions being Jewish, and a war movie where the war is all offscreen. It's hardly a surprise that Rob and Duncan think Humphrey Bogart is cool, but Hadley's pick for the sexiest man in the film is frankly a shock. .Next week: Where Eagles Dare with Tim Shipman. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what is surely the most obscure episode of any podcast ever recorded, Rob and Duncan are joined by author and documentary-maker Phil Tinline to watch 1954's "Prisoner of War", the film that was going to turn Ronald Reagan into a major movie star. The reason that never happened wasn't simply the quality of the movie. It was also because of a shift in the US military's attitude to prisoners returning from Korea, which makes this film a fascinating window into the changing mindset. "Every man has his breaking point," Reagan warns, but why did that message become unpopular? And more importantly, how is he smuggling his hair products into North Korea? You can watch Prisoner of War here: https://youtu.be/uUhJVRCMN6U?si=XHxsSNf2cNjH0fCB or here: https://archive.org/details/prisoner-of-war And you can watch Phil's documentary about it here: http://www7.bbk.ac.uk/hiddenpersuaders/documentaries/every-man-breaking-point-reagan-brainwashing-movies/And you can buy Ghosts Of Iron Mountain, Phil's new book, here: https://amzn.to/4orOWeCSuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop down to Africa, would you, and pull off a quick coup? This week, Rob and Duncan are joined by Tim Shipman to watch the most 1978 film ever released. Richard Burton! Richard Harris! Roger Moore! It's The Wild Geese!Problematic moments, war crimes, it's got them all - or has it? Marvel as Duncan explains that the Geneva Convention might not apply. Thrill as Tim describes how, in a way, the film is sort of a documentary. Inspired by one group of mercenaries, it ended up inspiring another group of mercenaries, who themselves inspired a third group of mercenaries.Next week, we're watching Ronald Reagan - yes, that Ronald Reagan - in "Prisoner of War". Find it here: https://youtu.be/uUhJVRCMN6U?si=XHxsSNf2cNjH0fCB or here: https://archive.org/details/prisoner-of-warHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're going back to World War 1 and over to the desert to watch the epicest epic of them all, David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. Has sand ever looked better? Has casting ever been more problematic? And has my telly broken, or is the screen supposed to be black during the overture? With guest Jack Blackburn of The Times, who loves this film so much that his infant son has already watched it at least once. Next week: The Wild Geese.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Duncan are joined by screenwriter Mark Greig to discuss Robert Aldrich's 1956 noir war movie Attack. Will they make it to the end of the episode with one of them killing another?Next week, it's back to the desert, with Lawrence of Arabia.Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Duncan watch the 1943 film that promised to tell audiences the secret story of British victory in the desert. That was not in any sense true, but unknown to the filmmakers, this movie would inspire a real D-Day operation. More than that, it's an early Billy Wilder film, with all his trademark style. War movie? Spy story? Film noir? You decide.Next week, Robert Aldrich's Attack!Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Duncan are joined by Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale to pick noses, smell farts, and torpedo Allied shipping in the greatest submarine movie ever made, Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 Das Boot. If the submarine war was hell, then making this film wasn't much more fun. But find out how the crew ended up giving Indiana Jones a lift.Next week: Five Graves to Cairo. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.