Movie Battle Scenes: 20th Century Part 1 Quiz

Answer: Joyeux Noel

This 2005 film is a well-made dramatization of the Christmas Truce on the Western Front in 1914, in which British, German, and some French troops stopped fighting for a few hours on Christmas Eve. The men sang Christmas carols, exchanged rations, and even played soccer! The impromptu truce infuriated the commanders on both sides, and, sadly, was not repeated again.

Answer: Battleground

Released in 1949, "Battleground" follows a company of American troops from the 101st Airborne Division during the siege of Bastogne in World War II. The film shows the soldiers as human beings, each capable of bravery and fear depending on the situation. Through the ordeal, however, the men never lose heart. The movie stars Van Johnson and Ricardo Montalban.

Answer: A Bridge Too Far

This 1977 film, based on the book by Cornelius Ryan, has a cast consisting of virtually every popular British and American actor of the period. The battle scenes are sufficiently gory and capture the desperation of the airborne troops, surrounded and low on supplies, as they try to hold on until the ground forces can reach them.

Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front

Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, "All Quiet on the Western Front" was one of the first "anti-war" war movies. The film, which was released in 1930, is very tame by today's standards, yet it still conveys the horrors of life in the trenches for the average soldier. The film, as well as all of Remarque's other works, was banned in Nazi Germany.

Answer: Patton

Released in 1970, "Patton" starred George C. Scott in the title role and won the Oscar for Best Picture. The film is basically accurate, and follows Patton from Corps Commander in North Africa to his leadership of the US Third Army in Europe. There are some good battle scenes, even if the equipment used is glaringly inaccurate.

Answer: The Blue Max

A 1966 film starring George Peppard, James Mason, and Ursula Andress, "The Blue Max" tells the fictional tale of German World War I fighter pilot Bruno Stachel, a man obsessed with winning a medal called the Blue Max. The medal is awarded for shooting down 20 enemy planes, and carries with it great prestige. The film contains excellent scenes, pre-CGI, of early aerial warfare.

Answer: The Green Berets

This 1968 John Wayne vehicle reflects his personal views on Communism and the Vietnam War, and was made as a sort of, "let's go, the Vietnam War is great!" film. Still, for all of its flaws, the movie does have some good battle scenes, even if some of them would not be out of place in an old Western film about the Indians attacking a cavalry fort.

Answer: Sergeant York

Released in 1941 and starring Gary Cooper in the title role, "Sergeant York" is a biography of Alvin C. York, a Tennessee farmer inducted into the US Army in World War I. Due to his religious beliefs, York tried to be excused as a conscientious objector, but was denied.

After reflection, York stayed in the Army and captured 133 German soldiers (with 8 other men) in the 1918 Meuse-Argonne offensive. York received the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Answer: Michael Collins

Liam Neeson gives an excellent performance in the title role of "Michael Collins", a 1996 biography of the Irish revolutionary leader. While not strictly speaking a war film, there is enough action, including pitched battles, brutal police raids and tactics, and cold-blooded murders in the name of politics, to satisfy most war movie buffs.

Answer: Saving Private Ryan

Steven Spielberg's 1998 epic, "Saving Private Ryan", has been acclaimed by combat veterans as being one of most realistic war films ever made. The opening sequence, depicting the landings and breakout from the beach, has come in for special praise. The film stars Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore.

Answer: Cast a Giant Shadow

Kirk Douglas stars in this 1965 film that tells the true story of Mickey Marcus, an American Jewish officer who is sought out by the Israelis to help train and organize their fledgling army during the 1948 war. The film also stars Yul Brynner, Senta Berger, and Angie Dickinson. There are also cameos by John Wayne and Frank Sinatra.

Answer: Hamburger Hill

Released in 1987, "Hamburger Hill" is a dramatization of the 1969 Battle of Ap Bia Mountain, in which US and South Vietnamese troops fought an 8 day campaign to take a heavily fortified North Vietnamese position near the Laotian border. The film captures the differing effects that the battle, as well as attitudes and incidents on the home front, have on the individual soldiers as they try to survive.

Answer: The Bridge at Remagen

Released in 1969, "The Bridge at Remagen" follows a weary American reconnaissance unit in the closing days of World War II as they probe for an intact bridge to cross the Rhine River. A parallel story shows the frustrated efforts of a German major to defend the bridge, in the face of troop shortages and SS death squads executing any German officer who loses ground or retreats.

The film stars George Segal, Ben Gazzara, and Robert Vaughn.

Answer: Pearl Harbor

Even considering the sappy love story, "Pearl Harbor" has some very good action sequences of the attack, which are more accurate than some other filmed versions of the battle. The film was released in 2001, and features some actual World War II vintage aircraft in some scenes. The film stars Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale.

Answer: Cross of Iron

A war film told from the German perspective in World War II, "Cross of Iron" was released in 1977. The film stars Maximilian Schell as a new commander of a German unit on the Russian front, whose sole ambition is to win the Iron Cross, regardless of the cost to his men. James Coburn plays a veteran sergeant trying to keep himself and his men alive.