I don't remember seeing it. That must have been one of the first 'speakies'. The later BBC series by the same name was excellent. That genre makes me think of All Quiet On The Western Front from 1939 - one of the best movies of all time. The book on which the movie was made was banned for years (too anti-war). (later) It showed the horrors and cruelty of trench warfare too realistically. Hi, John.
That war was so backwards it was about as bad as the American civil war in the tactics and slaughter of one another. I believe they called that the Napoleon Tactics using massive crowding, no matter how many of your force was killed you still had a 50/50 chance of winning. In WWII we still had old calvary and Infantry leaders from a days gone by. I remember a trip to El Paso Txx one weekend pulling a horse trailer with two horses belonging to one of our club members. She was in the Army and stationed there at El Paso. It took about 13 hours to drive from Houston to El Paso and we got there late but drove straight out to the old stock camp where long ago our Horse drawn Artillery and Calvary Troops kept the live stock. It hadn't changed one bit because it was kept historical but still the soldiers that were stationed there were allowed to keep horses if they desired. This photo shows what it was like in 1916, my Grandmother's Older sister's husband was stationed there in that period and I still have photos from 1915 with him and another artilleryman. I have post cards that he had purchased from the post canteen and mailed to her. She died from that massive epidemic that killed millions here at home and abroad. It was so bad they delayed sending US Troops to Europe to fight in WWI.
The use of horses in Europe during WW1 was an historic last-time event, beautiful, romantic and tragic. The horses died along with the soldiers of the same violence. I remember reading a little about this long ago and had a picture in my mind of a soldier on horseback going up against a tank with his sword. Conceivably this really could have happened and probably did. The UK kept putting calvary into the front lines during the entire war. I refreshed my memory with this Wikipedia article - my bold. Horses in World War I All of the major combatants in World War I (1914–1918) began the conflict with cavalry forces. Imperial Germany stopped using them on the Western Front soon after the war began, but continued with limited use on the Eastern Front, well into the war. The Ottoman Empire used cavalry extensively during the war. On the Allied side, the United Kingdom used mounted infantry and cavalry charges throughout the war, but the United States used cavalry only briefly. Although not particularly successful on the Western Front, Allied cavalry had some success in the Middle Eastern theatre due to the open nature of the front, allowing a more traditional war of movement, in addition to the lower concentration of artillery and machine guns. Russia used cavalry forces on the Eastern Front but with limited success. The military used horses mainly for logistical support; they were better than mechanized vehicles at traveling through deep mud and over rough terrain. Horses were used for reconnaissance and for carrying messengers as well as for pulling artillery, ambulances, and supply wagons. The presence of horses often increased morale among the soldiers at the front, but the animals contributed to disease and poor sanitation in camps, caused by their manure and carcasses. The value of horses and the increasing difficulty of replacing them were such that by 1917, some troops were told that the loss of a horse was of greater tactical concern than the loss of a human soldier. Ultimately, the blockade of Germany prevented the Central Powers from importing horses to replace those lost, which contributed to Germany's defeat. By the end of the war, even the well-supplied US Army was short of horses. Conditions were severe for horses at the front; they were killed by artillery fire, suffered from skin disorders, and were injured by poison gas. Hundreds of thousands of horses died, and many more were treated at veterinary hospitals and sent back to the front. Procuring fodder was a major issue, and Germany lost many horses to starvation. Several memorials have been erected to commemorate the horses that died. Artists, including Alfred Munnings, extensively documented the work of horses in the war, and horses were featured in war poetry. Novels, plays and documentaries have also featured the horses of World War I.
Actually it was WWII that saw the most slaughter of horses due to the German Army using a horse drawn supply system. In a lot of vintage film of allied air attacks on the roads of Europe you would see the horses targeted along with anything else. It must have been sickening to witness it. Myself in Vietnam experienced that when I saw water buffalo also killed when in the line of fire. They were beautiful animals so docile and un treatening, it just made me sick to see one go down. Strange how you feel sorrow for an animal but little for the enemy while engaged. Afterwards when it's over then normal reality and behavior returns. Some people never did return and lived in a somewhat frozen time. My Grandfather was a half track driver in the 36th Texas Div who made the Sicily landing before D Day, after D Day they were moved to France and came ashore and the armor or most it was assigned to the new 7th Army under Patton's command. He told me a few things about it but I can only imagine what it was like to travel down those roads that had the rotting horses just laying everywhere along with the dead soldiers. He had it pretty rough for 2 years and I don't think he ever really became 100 percent again. He was a farm boy born in Lyrely Georgia in 1912 so I would suppose he loved horses. His father was a Georgian Indian and his Mother would lock his father in the corn crib until he would sober up after a day in town.
Colorado Territory (1949) - Joel McCrae, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, Henry Hull I enjoyed it. Always been a fan of Joel McCrae. It is a "re-imagining" into a western, of a famous movie by the same director. To state which would give away the ending. This movie was better, imo. {gasp} (It was on Turner Classics)
We rewatched “Ender’s Game” on Prime. We had seen it when it first came out but we both had forgotten much of it. The movie was good but it didn’t capture the true scope and emotional impact of the tragedy at the end of the movie when Ender finally realizes the truth. Books do that so much better usually.
Today I watched the movie Mechanic Resurrection. This is a terrific narrative with great action. Jason Statham is the star in this movie, and he is providing a great effort.
I recall the original with Charles Bronson, but have not watched any of the remakes. I guess they're full of modern special effects, huh? I was gonna say that it was the only movie in which Bronson was killed (a real shocker), but his character also died in The Professionals.
Amazing there has been no mention of D-Day, a whole library of historical movies and actual film. I guess America does have a very tiny mind. I plan on watching a lot of actual footage tonight on youtube. There is film on youtube that no one has ever seen because they never looked at youtube or surfed for any specific films. Disabled for playback on other sites. Link to YouTube video
I watched A Life At Stake from 1954 and enjoyed it thoroughly. It stars Angela Lansbury and Keith Andes back when Angela was a sexy young vamp. It's hard to connect her with the Murder She Wrote actress. It's about a house builder whose partner absconded with the company money, leaving him broke and in debt to his friends who had invested in his venture. The event cost him his money, reputation, friends and marriage, leaving him bitter and alone. He is targeted by a murderous couple who promise to restore his life. They go into business with their victims, insure them heavily and then arrange an 'accident'. Excellent plot with many twists, good acting and a satisfying ending. Free on Youtube.
I watched Gosford Park for the second time. Terrific cast. "Gosford Park is a wonderful, smart and terrifically entertaining film. Excellent performers join a very good script to create a complex portrait of flawed beings, all looking out for themselves, one way or another.Mar 30, 2022"