Classic War Movies: 5 Films - Young Winston / Prisoner / Commandos Sty

Mill Creek, long known as a low-quality bargain-basement DVD label, has improved its reputation by presenting high quality movies from Columbia Pictures (Sony) with good picture and sound, in economical packages. This 5-pack of respectable war films (actually "The Prisoner" is a Cold War film at best) is well worth the money, and will keep you watching all week."Bitter Victory" (1957), in b/w widescreen, directed by Nicholas Ray, is an existential war movie set in WW2 Libya. Romantic rivals Richard Burton and Curt Jurgens lead a commando raid to steal General Rommel's plans and papers. Jurgens suffers a bout of cowardice before knifing a sentry, and Burton guilts him over it. Also along are Nigel Green as a criminally-inclined safecracker and Christopher Lee as a commoner-type soldier. There is a burst of action with the raid, but the film is mostly about psychological conflict. Even the music is of an edgy-jazz nature and not the stirring martial variety. Commando knife and dummy practice room resembles a Picasso. An interesting and carefully written, acted, and directed war movie."Commandos Strike at Dawn" (1943), directed by John Farrow. This is a wartime tribute to the brave Norwegians who stood up against the Nazi invaders. Paul Muni is a fisherman, a single father, who organizes resistance in his picturesque town by a fjord. He knifes the German commanding officer who has just finished a nice dinner and stepped out to the porch. Muni collects other brave men and they sail to England to alert the British Army that the Nazis are planning to strangle the Allied shipping lanes carrying supplies to Russia. The movie title promise is delivered in an exciting and moving conclusion. Always good to see the distinguished Muni as a resolute hero. Look for George Macready as a school teacher and Ray Collins as an outspoken village father."Castle Keep" (1969), in widescreen color, directed by Sidney Pollack. This expensive epic, for which a huge castle was built, beautifully decorated, and then blown to bits, seems to fit as a late 1960s, ironic approach to WW2. Army Major Burt Lancaster, with a piratical eye patch, drives in a jeep with eight dogfaces, including the always wisecracking Peter Falk, deep in the wintry Ardennes Forest to the Castle Keep. The owner (Jean-Pierre Aumont) is more concerned that none of his expensive art treasures get damaged than how Major Burt is sleeping with his beautiful young wife (Astrid Heerin). There is also a nutty Army pacifist (Bruce Dern) who leads a band of followers, and Peter Falk taking over the bakery in town to bake bread. Eventually, our guys stand steadfast as the Germans pour all their armor and men against the castle in the Christmas 1944 Battle of the Bulge. This odd and unusual take on the typical WW2 story is well mounted, acted, and directed. Many odd visual touches create a certain sense of the surrealistic."Young Winston" (1972), in widescreen color, directed by Richard Attenborough, stars the very youthful blond and blue-eyed Simon Ward as the future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his salad days. Winston's father, Lord Randolph, (Robert Shaw) is cold and distant. His mother, Lady Jennie (Anne Bancroft), is a great beauty but not very much warmer. They send the boy Winston to one of those awful high end private schools where the sick instructors love to cane the boys across their bare posteriors. After graduating from the horrors of this "public school," as it is called, Winston joins the Army Cavalry, where he has to supply his own horse. In three successive years, 1897, 1898, and 1899, he serves as officer and war correspondent in three wars, one in Northwest India, one in the Sudan, and one in South Africa against the Boers. The British ought to be glad they have given those places up. In the Boer War, Winston is captured and interned in an apparently humane prisoner camp in Pretoria, from which he escapes and stirs up international headlines. An English countryman (Edward Woodward) facilitates Winston's passage to neutral territory. In 1901, Winston Churchill enters Parliament as a Conservative, finds a wife, then we zoom forward to him as a beloved old man, with the 1945 Royal Family, waving to thronging crowds from Westminster Palace. I am aware of a dream sequence before the conclusion, showing a snoozing old Winston dreaming of talking with his father, but this unfortunately is not included. Nonetheless, an interesting and worthwhile movie with many important British stars like John Mills, Ian Holm, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Hawkins, and Jane Seymour."The Prisoner" (1955), in b/w widescreen, directed by Peter Grenville. This is a somewhat dry but well acted and directed story in which the "war" is between a Catholic bishop (Alec Guinness) and the Communist Party interrogator (Jack Hawkins) who is determined to make him confess to treason and being an "enemy of the people." The action takes place in an Iron Curtain nation after WW2. Interestingly, the interrogator is not a monstrously wicked functionary but seems very reasonable, thoughtful, and intelligent. The two opponents knew each other as youths, and Hawkins is always searching for that little crack in the bishop's past into which he can fit a chisel to destroy the brave clergyman's defenses. The Communists fear the Church because it is something they cannot totally control. Wilfred Lawson is memorable as the old turnkey, who needs his job and isn't a bad fellow. The movie should serve as a warning against state tyranny anywhere, however it may try to justify itself.So that's it. Five very watchable movies, presented with good picture and sound, for a bargain price. No chapters, no trailers, no extras, with just a few interval stops. What's not to like?

It was a good value but I’m not a fan of bulk packages of old movies. It was what was advertised so I give a good grade to the seller but I think next time I’ll seek to buy each movie individually

Two movies were great, Commandos Strike At Dawn and Bitter Victory, this made the DVD okay to buy. Other three movies were quite boring to me.

Old fashion WWII movies

this is great value set of 5 great war movies at a bargain price bare bones release but great deal

Very good movies

I had seen a small part of "Commandos Strike At Dawn" and wanted to see the whole movie. Amazon was the only vendor that had the movie. I enjoyed the movie. I haven't watched the other movies yet.

Quality not to good, no subtitles

I purchased this DVD collection because it contains Young Winston (1972) directed by Richard Attenborough. An underrated film with some superb acting by Simon Ward and Robert Shaw (in Winston's father Lord Randolph Churchill's role). Ordered as a separate item, Young Winston is much more expensive than as part of this collection. A serendipitous online discovery I guess.

Excellent DVD.

DVD's coded for USA. Will not work in UK. Total waste of money

salle cinéma….

Great