World War II Collection, Vol. 1 - Battlefront Europe (1969)

The Battle of the Bulge: Nazi Panzer forces stage a last-ditch Belgian front offensive that could turn the tide of WWII. Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw and Robert Ryan in the spectacular recreation of a crucial campaign.

Battleground: Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this remarkable war film, nominated for six Oscars(R) (including Best Picture) about courageous American G.I.s caught up in the battle at Bastogne.

The Big Red One Special Edition: "The real glory of war," Samuel Fuller said, "is surviving." A decorated combatant with the famed U.S. First Infantry in WWII, Fuller survived. His 1980 film version of his war experiences did not...until now. Working with 70,000 feet of vault materials and Fuller's shooting script, critic/filmmaker Richard Schickel heads a reconstruction that adds over 40 minutes and transforms a truncated but admired war film into an epic masterwork. Lee Marvin, in a richly layered performance now revealed as one of his finest, stars as the sergeant of peach-fuzzed riflemen fighting from North Africa to Normandy and across Europe. The film is the squad's combat diary, war as it's fought and sweated and bled, and, maybe, survived.

The Dirty Dozen: Twelve jailbirds will earn their freedom...if they survive a suicide mission against the Nazi brass. Tough-as-nails Lee Marvin leads a nothing-to-lose convict squad of Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker and more in the all-time action trendsetter. Where Eagles

Dare: The mission is clear. Get in. Get the general. Get out. Commandos charged with freeing a U.S. general from an Alpine fortress should also be told to trust nothing - including the search-and-rescue orders just issued. Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood go Where Eagles Dare in this twisty World War II thriller written by action master Alistair MacLean (The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra) and directed by Brian G. Hutton (Kelly's Heroes). Known for fiery dramatic roles, Burton ventures into the realm of movie pyrotechnics with dynamic efficiency. And Eastwood's cool-fire presence heightens one searing action sequence after another. The film became Eastwood's then-largest hit and its studio's #1 moneymaker of the year.

Five different looks at one world war

I'm sure there are statistics out there somewhere that could verify it, but my guess is that more movies have been done about World War II than any other war. Certainly, if you wanted to come up with a boxed set of movies about the War of 1812, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with one (the only one that comes to mind is The Buccaneer, dealing with Andrew Jackson, Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans). The WWII boxed set, Battlefront Europe, provides a sampling of stories taking place in the European Theater of Operations.

The first two movies in the set (based on when they were made) both deal with the Battle of the Bulge, that last real offensive by the Germans. Battleground is the better of the two, focusing on one group of soldiers involved in a battle that's bigger than they can fully grasp; they just do their part. As in all of these movies, some will live and some will die. The Battle of the Bulge is one of those all-star, big budget epics that Hollywood produced in the late sixties and early seventies (others include A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day) that were often big on spectacle and short on real substance. The Battle of the Bulge has its moments but it is almost too ambitious and makes it seem like Henry Fonda's character was solely responsible for winning the battle (and maybe the war). Other stars include Charles Bronson, Dana Andrews, Telly Savalas and Robert Ryan.

Ryan, Bronson and Savalas would also be in the next movie, the fictional Dirty Dozen, in which Lee Marvin plays a plays-by-his-own-rules major who fashions a team of convicted soldiers to perform a special mission prior to D-Day. If they succeed, they get their freedom. While it is entertaining, it does take a long time to get to the actual mission. On the other hand, in the other truly fictional movie in the set - Where Eagles Dare - the mission kicks in almost immediately. In this movie, Richard Burton leads a small crew of soldiers (including a young Clint Eastwood) on a raid of a German castle where an American general is being held prisoner. There are some twists, however, in exactly what the mission is supposed to accomplish (from a plotting standpoint, this is easily the most sophisticated movie in the set).

Finally, there is The Big Red One, more specifically, the reconstructed version that adds close to an hour to the movie. The title refers to the insignia worn by the soldiers who are the principals in this movie, that of the U.S. 1st Infantry. Lee Marvin plays a grizzled sergeant (and WWI veteran) who leads a group of soldiers in what seems like every major battle in the ETO (as well as North Africa). I have not seen the original version, so I can't fully say whether the longer version is an improvement, but it is a decent movie.

In fact, all of these movies are decent, though not outstanding. I think if you were creating your own boxed set of WWII movies, none of these would make the top five, though not all would miss the cut by much. There are a few extras in the set, including some "making of" features and a commentary on The Big Red One. Overall, I'm rating this four stars: it's worth watching, but it's not the best there is.
August 10, 2008

Great collection WWII movies

This is a great collection of WWII movies. They are individually packaged movies. The Big Red One: Great movie with Lee Marvin, this version is the extended edition more like a directors cut. They did a very good job on bringing the old footage back into the movie and cleaning it up so that everything looks like it belongs. Excellent movie captures the flavor of surviving small infantry group during WWII. The Battle of the Bulge, great action movie. Not Historically accurate but a good blend of action and adventure. The Dirty Dozen, great movie worth owning all by itself the fact that you get packaged with other movies is just gravy. Battleground, maybe the original Band of Brothers from 1949. Won 2 Academy awards. A good movie that shows the hardships of being a soldier.
Where Eagles Dare, you may have to watch this one two or three times just so you don't miss all the surprises and plot twist.
This is one of the better WWII sets. Lots of action and fun to watch. Maybe get your kids interested in history of what happen durring WWII.
July 14, 2008

Memory Lane

This box is worth the money just for Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen. Being a WWII Tank fanatic spoilt the other movies for me, trying to pass off an Israeli tank as a Tiger, no no no. Other wise a good buy. July 27, 2007

WWII Collection Battle Front Europe

5 of my favorite WWII movies in one package. Super! May 18, 2007

War Movies

Three of this collection are movies I have wanted for many years, and to get them in one collection is my reason for acquiring the set. Battleground is the story of a small group of doughboys stuck in the Argonne, basically surrounded by Germans, and their fight for survival. Where Eagles Dare is about a group of highly trained soldiers trying to destroy a fortress in the Alps controlled by the Germans; however, a mole and high ranking officer overseeing the operation want the group to fail. The Dirty Dozen is a war classic about criminals given a respite to carry out a basically suicide mission against a host of high ranking German officers November 10, 2006

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