World War II Movie Night
126 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★ - 41 ratingsOn World War II Movie Night, host J. Byron delves into the countless movies made about the greatest conflict in human history. How much can we learn about World War II from how it's portrayed in film? Can movies render this infinite subject more manageable? Fun and stimulation mix in this engaging, thought-provoking podcast.
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Episodes
14. "The Philadelphia Experiment" (1984)
October 18, 2019 00:52 - 47 minutes - 65.8 MBGrab a Coke, lower your expectations and dive into 1984’s “The Philadelphia Experiment,” the first movie treatment of the War's most famous urban legend. Witness the seriousness of the legend descend into ‘80s cheese. Breezy is the tone of this episode, with multiple asides, tangents and personal anecdotes. Sorry in advance.
14. "The Philadelphia Experiment" (1984)
October 18, 2019 00:52 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MBGrab a Coke, lower your expectations and dive into 1984’s “The Philadelphia Experiment,” the first movie treatment of the War's most famous urban legend. Witness the seriousness of the legend descend into ‘80s cheese. Breezy is the tone of this episode, with multiple asides, tangents and personal anecdotes. Sorry in advance.
13. "The Great Raid" (2005)
October 04, 2019 01:01 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBWorld War II Movie Night goes down to the Philippines for 2005's "The Great Raid," which shows the 1944 raid that freed POWs from a Japanese prison camp. The movie portrays the real-life stakes of the time, when the Japanese began systematically killing survivors of the Bataan Death March, as the war began to turn. Although a flop upon its release, does "The Great Raid" deserve a look?
12. "Darkest Hour" (2017)
September 20, 2019 00:18 - 44 minutes - 61.4 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first biopic with 2017's "Darkest Hour," one of several movies made about Winston Churchill, and the one many consider the best. From the makers of inaugural episode feature "Atonement," "Darkest Hour" follows Churchill (Gary Oldman) through several days in May 1940, during which he is chosen as Prime Minister amid the increasing German takeover of Europe, including the events that would come to be known as 'Dunkirk.' Witness Churchill's increasing desperatio...
12. "Darkest Hour" (2017)
September 20, 2019 00:18 - 46 minutes - 64 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first biopic with 2017's "Darkest Hour," one of several movies made about Winston Churchill, and the one many consider the best. From the makers of inaugural episode feature "Atonement," "Darkest Hour" follows Churchill (Gary Oldman) through several days in May 1940, during which he is chosen as Prime Minister amid the increasing German takeover of Europe, including the events that would come to be known as 'Dunkirk.' Witness Churchill's increasing desperatio...
11. "The Longest Day" (1962)
September 06, 2019 01:24 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBAn insanely large undertaking, 1962's "The Longest Day" is regarded as THE D-Day movie. Made close enough to June 6, 1944, to feature multiple cast members and consultants with connections to the War, tonight's movie strives for authenticity and accuracy. The astonishingly large, international cast includes the likes of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, not to mention Henry Fonda and Richard Burton. Witness some of the most ambitious battle scenes ever filmed, including aerial- and tracking-sho...
11. "The Longest Day" (1962)
September 06, 2019 01:24 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MBAn insanely large undertaking, 1962's "The Longest Day" is regarded as THE D-Day movie. Made close enough to June 6, 1944, to feature multiple cast members and consultants with connections to the War, tonight's movie strives for authenticity and accuracy. The astonishingly large, international cast includes the likes of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, not to mention Henry Fonda and Richard Burton. Witness some of the most ambitious battle scenes ever filmed, including aerial- and tracking-sho...
10. "Das Boot" (1981)
August 22, 2019 22:37 - 32 minutes - 44.5 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first foreign-language film, and the first from the view of the Axis. A truly timeless classic, "Das Boot" is a high-mark of world cinema. A German U-Boat crew in the Battle of the Atlantic staves off boredom and claustrophobia, interspersed with moments of sheer terror and even guilt. The men aboard U-96 range from ardent Nazis to those critical of Hitler and the Reich, such as the no-nonsense captain. Mostly, though, the men try to avoid thinking about thei...
10. "Das Boot" (1981)
August 22, 2019 22:37 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first foreign-language film, and the first from the view of the Axis. A truly timeless classic, "Das Boot" is a high-mark of world cinema. A German U-Boat crew in the Battle of the Atlantic staves off boredom and claustrophobia, interspersed with moments of sheer terror and even guilt. The men aboard U-96 range from ardent Nazis to those critical of Hitler and the Reich, such as the no-nonsense captain. Mostly, though, the men try to avoid thinking about thei...
9. "South Pacific" (1958)
August 08, 2019 22:01 - 37 minutes - 52 MBWorld War II Movie Night ventures into an atypical genre with 1958's "South Pacific," the film version of the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Famous show tunes dot the action as U.S. sailors and nurses pass the time waiting for the War to get going. A secret mission to spy on the surrounding Japanese-held islands provides the backdrop of a relationship between a nurse and a Frenchman with a mysterious past, not to mention a very-questionable-by-today's-standards relationship between...
9. "South Pacific" (1958)
August 08, 2019 22:01 - 42 minutes - 58.4 MBWorld War II Movie Night ventures into an atypical genre with 1958's "South Pacific," the film version of the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Famous show tunes dot the action as U.S. sailors and nurses pass the time waiting for the War to get going. A secret mission to spy on the surrounding Japanese-held islands provides the backdrop of a relationship between a nurse and a Frenchman with a mysterious past, not to mention a very-questionable-by-today's-standards relationship between...
8. "Saboteur" (1942)
July 26, 2019 01:22 - 42 minutes - 58.7 MBWhat could've been just a quickie thriller by Alfred Hitchcock also captures American paranoia as the nation contemplated entering the War. Many of the Hitchcock indicators are here: falsely accused man taking flight, secret murder plots, evildoing cabals, but in this context they get some gravitas from the impending global conflict... World War II Movie Night's first movie released DURING the War, witness whiplash-inducing scene changes and legendary writer Dorothy Parker's crackling dialog...
8. "Saboteur" (1942)
July 26, 2019 01:22 - 40 minutes - 55.3 MBWhat could've been just a quickie thriller by Alfred Hitchcock also captures American paranoia as the nation contemplated entering the War. Many of the Hitchcock indicators are here: falsely accused man taking flight, secret murder plots, evildoing cabals, but in this context they get some gravitas from the impending global conflict... World War II Movie Night's first movie released DURING the War, witness whiplash-inducing scene changes and legendary writer Dorothy Parker's crackling dialog...
7. "A Midnight Clear" (1992)
July 12, 2019 00:49 - 39 minutes - 53.9 MBAll but ignored upon its release, 1992's "A Midnight Clear" has garnered a following among World War II movie enthusiasts. Then-unknowns Ethan Hawke and Gary Sinise lead a squad through snowy forests amid the Battle of the Bulge, assigned to investigate what became of the missing group that preceded them. Upon inhabiting an abandoned chateau, our guys' already-shot nerves are further frayed by strange occurrences, such as corpse displays and unseen Germans taunting them in the darkness. What...
7. "A Midnight Clear" (1992)
July 12, 2019 00:49 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MBAll but ignored upon its release, 1992's "A Midnight Clear" has garnered a following among World War II movie enthusiasts. Then-unknowns Ethan Hawke and Gary Sinise lead a squad through snowy forests amid the Battle of the Bulge, assigned to investigate what became of the missing group that preceded them. Upon inhabiting an abandoned chateau, our guys' already-shot nerves are further frayed by strange occurrences, such as corpse displays and unseen Germans taunting them in the darkness. What...
6. "Catch-22" (1970)
June 27, 2019 22:02 - 47 minutes - 65.4 MBJoseph Heller's satiric war novel got the Hollywood treatment in 1970. Although the movie looked good on paper, it was considered a failure upon its release. Opinions vary wildly on whether that reputation is deserved. Let us delve into the misadventures of Yossarian and the gang as we get whiplash moving from scenes of horny hijinks and madcap antics to existential horror and PTSD-fodder. World War II Movie Night's first entry that doesn't have a clear consensus.
6. "Catch-22" (1970)
June 27, 2019 22:02 - 49 minutes - 68.7 MBJoseph Heller's satiric war novel got the Hollywood treatment in 1970. Although the movie looked good on paper, it was considered a failure upon its release. Opinions vary wildly on whether that reputation is deserved. Let us delve into the misadventures of Yossarian and the gang as we get whiplash moving from scenes of horny hijinks and madcap antics to existential horror and PTSD-fodder. World War II Movie Night's first entry that doesn't have a clear consensus.
5. "The Great Escape" (1963)
June 13, 2019 21:49 - 44 minutes - 61.6 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first bona fide classic with "The Great Escape," one of the most popular movies ever made. Steve McQueen leads an ensemble cast as Allies attempt to escape a German prison camp. A surprisingly fun movie, considering it portrays a real event that ended with many deaths... Asides include the connection between coming-of-age and learning-to-drink.
5. "The Great Escape" (1963)
June 13, 2019 21:49 - 45 minutes - 62.4 MBWorld War II Movie Night has its first bona fide classic with "The Great Escape," one of the most popular movies ever made. Steve McQueen leads an ensemble cast as Allies attempt to escape a German prison camp. A surprisingly fun movie, considering it portrays a real event that ended with many deaths... Asides include the connection between coming-of-age and learning-to-drink.
4. "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage" (2016)
May 30, 2019 22:03 - 45 minutes - 62.2 MBOne of the War's most striking events gets a movie that was savaged by critics and lost a jaw-dropping amount of money. Is is that bad? Find out as we delve into just what happened to the men of the Indianapolis... Asides include the downfall of Nicolas Cage and the good news/bad news about food-desecration.
3. "A Soldier's Story" (1984)
May 16, 2019 22:53 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBAn American movie from 1984, "A Soldier's Story" takes an unflinching look at racial politics and shows a snippet of the black experience in World War II... A black officer is sent to a segregated Army base in Louisiana to solve the murder of a black sergeant. Although everyone initially blames the Klan, a more complicated picture soon emerges, as the soldiers not-so-patiently await their chance to fight Germany.
3. "A Soldier's Story" (1984)
May 16, 2019 22:53 - 46 minutes - 64.6 MBAn American movie from 1984, "A Soldier's Story" takes an unflinching look at racial politics and shows a snippet of the black experience in World War II... A black officer is sent to a segregated Army base in Louisiana to solve the murder of a black sergeant. Although everyone initially blames the Klan, a more complicated picture soon emerges, as the soldiers not-so-patiently await their chance to fight Germany.
2. "The Man Who Never Was" (1956)
May 02, 2019 23:26 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBThis UK/US movie tells the authorized story of the infamous Operation Mincemeat, Britain's successful attempt to fool the Germans with a corpse... Asides include thoughts on how dead bodies are treated in movies.
2. "The Man Who Never Was" (1956)
May 02, 2019 23:26 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBThis UK/US movie tells the authorized story of the infamous Operation Mincemeat, Britain's successful attempt to fool the Germans with a corpse... Asides include thoughts on how dead bodies are treated in movies.
1. "Atonement" (2007)
April 19, 2019 22:56 - 52 minutes - 72.9 MBThis US/UK Romance variously portrays the Battle of France, Dunkirk, and the Blitz... Asides include writing jokes to oneself.
0. Introduction
April 11, 2019 23:11 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBAn Introduction to World War II Movie Night.