Jump to content

War movie themes


Kenny Andrew

Recommended Posts

Yes, always liked Brandenburg Konzerte. What is this old Reichspost official doing commanding a platoon of the Letztes Aufgebot?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I've not seen the film in over 30 years, although it is now out on DVD. First time around I thought he was an old imperial officer but just noticed last night too he is wearing a Reichspost cockade, possibly correct as he might have been one of the few officials left to command the Letztes Aufgebot. That scene was set a few days before the fire storms. Here is another clip which is better quality in which one of the US POW's finds a piece of Dresden china the exact same as one he had at home, this scene is rather sad and is set after they survived the bombing. 

    

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was also a clear ruling during the bombings, that anyone caught plundering would be shot. "Auf Plünderung steht die Todesstrafe".
I think that would apply in any country during wartime conditions.  On the other hand, I cannot imagine them shooting a prisoner of war without any court proceedings, apart from that, you didn't have men running around in such black uniforms that you see in the films, the wartime uniform was field grey.
The porcellain was undoubtedly Meißener Porzellan (often mistakenly referred to as Dresden).

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the irony of the scene is that the SS man just threw the figure away, after ordering him shot. Yes I read somewhere that the black uniforms had to be handed back in, they were then re-badged and issued to foreign auxiliary troops, that's why you hardly see any now. Here's another rather strange uniform from the same film. 

        

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a fantasy uniform dreamt up by someone in Hollywood.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

"Slaughter House 5" - seems a very realistic film, and the "poor quality" adds to the flavour of the past.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Slaughter House 5 is a very good film, I used to have it on Betamax back in the 1980's, it's on my to do list, to pick it back up again on DVD. It was written by Kurt Vonnegut who was actually captured during the Battle of the Bulge and taken to Dresden where he survived the bombing. These events were all true and based on Vonnegut's own life. The above clips from memory are most of the WW2 scenes in the film, with the story involving time travel, which I think was more to do with his post traumatic stress. It is a very good, if not strange film.

Here is a better quality clip of the march into Dresden.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...