What's in a Title? War Films Volume II Quiz

Answer: Wings

As the title suggests, "Wings" is a spectacular ode to planes and the pilots who fly them. The plot of it is as pedestrian as can be, but the flight scenes are so fantastic it gained its worthy place in film history. Even by later standards they are thrilling to watch. Furthermore, the battle scenes depicting Battle of Saint-Mihiel grasped something about war which has rarely been matched. It was a huge production requiring thousands of extras, extensive military advice, and an eye for photography.

The other star of the show was Clara Bow, a sex symbol of the time. Her part in the film doesn't really make much sense, but she gives a great performance and it's blatantly obvious why she was such a hit.

There's a really interesting scene in which Jack, on leave in Paris, is hopelessly drunk on Champagne. He sees bubbles coming from everything, whether it be Mary (Clara Bow)'s eyes or a bedpost. Said scene is racy in a way which wouldn't have been allowed soon afterwards when the infamous Motion Picture Production Code came into effect.

Answer: Wooden Crosses

The title refers to all the crosses needed for the graves of fallen soldiers. There are several scenes showing these crosses.

"Wooden Crosses" somehow ended up being almost forgotten for many years. Even stranger is the fact that at the time of its release, it was applauded for its condemnation of war but disparaged on artistic and technical grounds. I would suggest that the exact opposite is true. In fact, one of the film's strengths is the gritty realism in showing trench warfare and the horrors of going over the top.

However, the film's absolute tour de force is the breathtaking use of sound. Apparently, it took hours to get it right but it was worth it. The sound of explosions going off all over the place is absolutely terrifying and makes the battle scenes among the most stunning of all-time, and arguably unsurpassed until Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998.

On an anecdotal note, the film is also note-worthy for an appearance in a minor role by French avant-garde Renaissance man Antonin Artaud.

Answer: Hawai Mare oki kaisen

"Hawai Mare oki kaisen", which translates as "The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya", is a Japanese propaganda film released a year after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. It was made to galvanise the general public's support for the Japanese war effort and it celebrates the seminal attack.

As you would expect from a director of Yamamoto's standing, the film is executed brilliantly. Most of it is fairly uninteresting in narrative terms and follows quite routine events, but his aesthetic vision makes it a joy to watch despite the slow pace. It's all really just a build-up to the spectacular scenes of the bombing raid itself. The latter scenes are so well-done that many at the time were convinced it was documentary footage. It was subsequently banned in the US. However, it was all the work of special effects genius Eiji Tsuburaya, who went on to create Godzilla.

Answer: The Steel Helmet

The title refers to Sergeant Zack's helmet which has a bullet hole in it. Lieutenant Driscoll, whom Zack scorns for most of the film, attempts to swap helmets with Zack as a sign of kinship but he is refused. Later, Zack realises Driscoll was worthy of his respect and regrets not accepting the trade.

"The Steel Helmet" is interesting from a historical point of view. It was the first film to be made about the Korean War, and was made while the war was still going on.

Furthermore, the Korean War was the first to see white and black US soldiers fighting in the same unit. "The Steel Helmet" bravely tackles the issue of race, in fact that seems to be one of the main points of the film. Not only is there an African-American among the soldiers (medic Corporal Thompson), but a second generation Japanese-American (Sergeant Tanaka). When a North Korean officer is taken prisoner, he fruitlessly goads Thompson about segregation and Tanaka about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

"The Steel Helmet" was made on a very low budget and it shows. Most of it was shot in the studio, and the outdoor scenes in a local park. Although the action scenes are laughable, Fuller kept them to a minimum and concentrated on dialogue between this small, highly-charged group of heterogeneous people. The best scenes take place in the temple, significantly under the gaze of a huge statue of Buddha.

Answer: The Guns of Navarone

"The Guns of Navarone" is based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, which was in turn very roughly based on events in the Dodecanese Campaign in World War II. The guns of the title are two superguns based on the island of Navarone which prevent the Royal Navy getting some 2,000 British soldiers off the island of Keros.

The idea of a bound-to-fail mission is always a good premise for a war film. On top of that "The Guns of Navarone" has a wonderful setting, is a wonderful adventure, and most of all features two massive guns which need blowing up.

However, the real master stroke was in the casting. Not only do you have Gregory Peck in one of his greatest roles as the pragmatic (could Peck be anything else?) Captain Keith Mallory, David Niven as the suave Corporal Miller, Anthony Quinn as surly Colonel Andrea Stavrou, Stanley Baker as hardnut Private 'Butcher' Brown, and Anthony Quayle as mild-mannered Major Roy Franklin, but you also get the delectable Irene Papas as a member of the Greek resistance, and the wonderfully blustery James Robertson Justice and foul-mouthed Richard Harris in character roles.

Answer: The Battle of Algiers

The title refers to real events which took place in 1956 and 1957.

The Italian-Algerian production "The Battle of Algiers" made its mark on film history and is still viewed by many as the defining look at urban guerrilla warfare. As such, it has not only inspired many a revolutionary but has also been shown to those fighting such activity. It was even shown to American soldiers going into Iraq in the early 2000s.

What makes the film so special is director Gillo Pontecorvo's on-location shooting, quasi-documentary style cinematography, and subtle way of avoiding creating sympathetic characters and thus sentimentality.

Of course, the film has proven highly controversial in France since it shows the Algerian War from an Algerian perspective. It was even banned there for several years after its release.

Answer: The Eagle Has Landed

The plot to kidnap Churchill is called Eagle by Oberst Radl. On his visit to Himmler, he says "The eagle has landed" to confirm that paratroopers have parachuted into England.

Oberst Kurt Steiner is played impeccably by Michael Caine, and Oberst Radl is played equally well by Robert Duvall. The show is almost stolen by Donald Pleasence as Heinrich Himmler, and there is a wonderfully silly sequence in which Larry Hagman as Colonel Pitts makes the US military, and himself in particular, look rather foolish.

One of the most interesting things about "The Eagle Has Landed" is the character of Liam Devlin played by Donald Sutherland. A theme rarely touched upon in World War II films is that of some Irish Nationalists' support of the Nazi regime, but here we have a sympathetic character who is working for the Germans as an undercover agent in England. Interestingly, there is also an English lady working as a German sleeping agent in the sleepy Norfolk village where all the action takes place.

Answer: Das Boot

"Das Boot" is simply the German for "The Boat". The film was actually released with both the English and German title in North America, but eventually the original language title prevailed.

Although the film looks a bit shoddy by later standards, it was one of the most expensive German cinema productions of all time on its release. It was so successful around the world that it more than paid for itself.

The film is extremely long (up to 293 minutes depending on which version you see) and there are very few events in a certain sense, but its claustrophobic intensity carries it through and it's really gripping. The real pièce de résistance is the use of sounds. Not only are the crew members listening out for subtle sounds in the water to identify enemy crafts, but also extremely wary of disclosing their exact whereabouts through noises they make.

Answer: Black Hawk Down

"Black Hawk Down" was based on a book of the same name by Mark Bowden, which itself was based on his research into the real events which took place in 1993 as part of Operation Gothic Serpent. The Black Hawk of the title refers to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters which are shot down by local militia using rocket-propelled grenades.

"Black Hawk Down" was criticized for making it look like the whole operation was carried out by United States Army Rangers, Delta Force (US), and SOAR aviators (US), when in fact Malaysian and Pakistani forces troops were also involved.

The film has also been criticized for its apparent advocacy of foreign military intervention in situations such as that of the Somali Civil War. The film's director Ridley Scott has made some interesting comments on the topic. First of all, he states clearly that he did support military intervention in that case. Second, he makes an interesting distinction by saying the film is anti-war, but pro-military, and above all, pro-soldier.

When all's said and done, it's simply a fantastic film, arguably the best combat war film for decades. Many soldiers who have seen combat, including some who were at the Battle of Mogadishu, have applauded the film for getting what action is all about, and even more importantly, what soldiers are all about.

Answer: Fury

The title refers to the nick-name the crew have for their M4 Sherman tank.

"Fury" is a rare breed of war film which manages to be rip-roaringly funny, perceptive about people and how they react, and brutally honest in its depiction of war. Unfortunately, towards the end it takes the wrong turn and becomes totally unbelievable. Nevertheless, there are some wonderful performances, with Logan Lerman as Norman and Brad Pitt as Staff Sergeant Don "Wardaddy" Collier standing out in particular. There are also some brilliantly orchestrated scenes which ask as many questions about how people behave in war as they answer.