Kelly's Heroes

Crossroads · 12-17-2011, 09:34 PM,

Kelly's Heroes was on telly yesterday. Watched it again although I have it on DVD.

What a great movie it is.

That's all.

Larry Reese · 12-17-2011, 10:58 PM,

(12-17-2011, 09:34 PM)Battle Kat Wrote: Kelly's Heroes was on telly yesterday. Watched it again although I have it on DVD.

What a great movie it is.

That's all.

HA, keep preaching... Outstanding show, says Oddball...

LR

**Mr Grumpy** · 12-18-2011, 12:41 AM,

(12-17-2011, 09:34 PM)Battle Kat Wrote: Kelly's Heroes was on telly yesterday. Watched it again although I have it on DVD.

What a great movie it is.

That's all.

I agree, a firm favourite of mine.

"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves." Big Grin

**Big Ivan** · 12-18-2011, 01:07 AM,

Yes, one of my favorite war flicks of all time.

I seem to remember reading a long time a go that the Tigers used in that movie were actually T-34/85's redone to look like Tigers! They were then subsiquently used again in Saving Private Ryan.

Don't know if its really true but they looked like real Tigers and thats a good thing!

"Kelly, a Tiger has only one weak point, its ass! You've got to hit point blank and you got to hit it from behind! Now they will hear our Detroit motors long before we get into that town..."

Larry Reese · (This post was last modified: 12-18-2011, 01:50 AM by Larry Reese.)

The Tigers were remodeled T-34/85s that were modified for a Yugoslavian movie "The Battle of Nereveta" (or something like that) if memory serves. The film makers were able to secure their use from the Yugoslavian production company. These were not, to my knowledge, used in Private Ryan, which got it's tanks from a different source (though the KH tanks did appear in other movies).

Here's an interesting view of the scene where Oddball (obviously my favorite), Kelly, and Big Joe negotiate with the kraut tank commander. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Oh, and this is common knowledge, Gutowski, the sniper, is using a Mosin Nagant, not a US sniper rifle.

LR

Outlaw Josey Wales · 12-18-2011, 01:53 AM,

The Tigers in SPR were more authentic looking than the ones in Kelly's Heroes, which looked like the turrets were too far forward, the only glitch I can remember. I love all the movies and shows like Band of Brothers where everything is either actual or authentic looking, not like Battle of the Bulge where the German tanks were actually American painted grey and the U.S. were actually M24 Chaffee Light Tanks. A Bridge too Far is another authentic looking and classic movie.

**Big Ivan** · 12-18-2011, 04:40 AM,

Larry,

Another great title, The Battle of Nereveta!

So the tanks wern't the same ones! Interesting. I did read that they were a conversion and when I saw Kelly's Heroes for the first time decades ago, I knew something was up because the front drive sprocket was wrong and like OJW said the turret was to far forward!

I also thought I saw something on the net that there are very very few Tigers in running condition today. One I've seen on youTube is at Bovington. Don't know where the others are at but it is probably safe to assume they are worth a lot of $$ if they are intact and in running condition.

I think it is wonderful that there are military buffs out there that want to restore the weapons of the past for future generations to see. I heard one needs to be a millionaire because restoring a tank or any AFV is not cheap.

Ivan the Big:smoke:

**Compass Rose** · 12-18-2011, 04:59 AM,

This was one of my favorite war movies growing up. I think I can recite most of the lines from memory! Big Grin

Kool Kat · 12-18-2011, 05:13 AM,

(12-18-2011, 01:53 AM)Outlaw Josey Wales Wrote: I love all the movies and shows like Band of Brothers where everything is either actual or authentic looking, not like Battle of the Bulge where the German tanks were actually American painted grey and the U.S. were actually M24 Chaffee Light Tanks.

General Hasso von Manteuffel, the former German commander of the Fifth Panzer Army, upon seeing "The Battle of the Bulge," starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Robert Shaw, in Munich, had this to say about the Hollywood make-believe film:

"The content of this film is completely fictional and has hardly anything to do with the events of those days... It also presents a distortion of the facts and actual conditions under which the battle took place... The film is an insult not only to the American soldier who fought in the Ardennes, but also a scandal for all soldiers including those on the other side."

Also, the entire affair was filmed in Spain!

Pretty sad all around in my book. :(

**Big Ivan** · 12-18-2011, 06:12 AM,

Amen Mike!

That was his quote as I read it too!

Fancy that, even the Germans thought the Battle of the Bulge movie was terrible!

To bad, with todays film technology, a remake of the Battle of the Bulge would be a little bit of work and a labor of love. With all the history buffs out there I'm sure they could tap the right sources and make some excellent computer graphics of WWII battle scenes with real scenes of restored vehicles thrown in here and there. But alas, movies have to make money. Except for our generation who grew up in the shadow of that war, I just don't see it happening or being a block buster. Too risky to make unless your Speilberg.

Too bad also that time catches up with all of us as the WWII vets are in their 80's and 90's now and not as many of them are still around.

Ivan the Big:smoke: