I recently watched this on DVD, and was very impressed - not only were the battle sequences excellent, great performances all round, this is one of the few films with footage from inside a tank. The only other films I can think of are Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and *maybe* the Battle of the Bulge (it's been a while since I saw it)
Can you think of any others?
Inside a tank movies....
Tobruk
Big Red One (delivering a baby)
The Beast (The whole crucial aspect of the plot...inside a Soviet tank in Afghanistan. An HBO movie...quite violent but good.)
Kelly's Heroes
Tank! (with James Garner)
The Tanks Are Coming
Is Paris Burning? (some tank interior scenes)
A Bridge Too Far (ditto, some scenes)
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Of all of these, "The Beast" is most realistic tank movie and should not be missed. It is not, however, light entertainment. It is brutal, bloody and unforgetable.
Good thread! Thanks.
CmdrCody
Another one may be the opening of Courage Under Fire (1996). Can you post the link to "The Beast" movie you mention? Can't seem to find it on here...
I'm particularly interested in WW2 movies featuring tanks, so thanks alot for that list.
surround: Yes, the IMDb reference is "The Beast of War." It's a 1988 movie, made by HBO, starring George Dzundza ("The Deer Hunter," "Basic Instinct") as the ruthless Russian T-62 tank commander, Jason Patric as the tank driver, and Steven Bauer as the Afghan leader, whose group begins to fight the tank i.e "The Beast."
It's available on Amazon in DVD. Should not be missed by a tank aficionado, like yourself.
On another subject, have you heard of the Tank Museum in Bovington UK? It's quite a place. I've not been there (yet) but they have a great website...
www.tankmuseum.org
Also on YouTube, a new video is available called "Tiger I." It's fabulous. The video features Tiger #131 at Bovington being backed from a garage and driven on the grounds. So cool. Some shots of the driver position in action. Did you know that the Tiger had a steering WHEEL?
Thanks for reading my comments.
CmdrCody
Another film that takes place inside a tank is "Tank Battalion" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051052/ from 1958.
This is a 1950s "Grade B" film about the Korean War and is rightfully rated as a 4.2 on IMDB. I saw it in the theater in 1959 as the 2nd film with "Pork Chop Hill" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053183/
It was shown on TCM during Memorial Day weekend 2011. The featured tank in this film was an M41 Walker Bulldog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M41_Walker_Bulldog. However, I think that the inside of the tank was studio mockup.
However, I think that the inside of the tank was studio mockup.In all these movies wouldn't it have to be a mock-up with an open side? Seems otherwise they wouldn't have room for the cameras.
Agreed. Definitely a studio mock-up of the inside of a tank.
shareWhen I was stationed at Ft Irwin in the late 1980s, there was a film/miniseries (Winds of War or War & Remembrance) that shot some desert war scenes int he training area. I visited the military collectors staging area and met the owner of an M3 that had part of the armor removed and replaced by realistically painted plywood (iirc). The section could be removed to facilitate filming the interior. I was also told that the interior was modified (part of the interior partitions removed) to make it easier to get good camera angles.
sharemet the owner of an M3 that had part of the armor removed and replaced by realistically painted plywood (iirc). The section could be removed to facilitate filming the interior. I was also told that the interior was modified (part of the interior partitions removed) to make it easier to get good camera angles.Thanks so much for the inside scoop. Part of me cringes to think about part of an historic tank being turned to plywood, but I guess it is understandable. share
COMRADE X with Gable includes a tank escape from Russia. Also CAUGHT IN THE DRAFT with BOb Hope-both light comedies.
shareI say "new' because it's just hitting the States on cable. It's called "Lebanon" and it takes place entirely inside a M-48 tank of the Israeli Army during the last border war. Inside the tank, it's dark, cramped, sweaty, grimy and claustrophobic. Only glimpses of the outside are available thru the periscope. The irony, horror and fear of war come thru loud and clear. There are no "stars' in this movie yet you get to know the characters very well.
The movie builds to scary climax with RPGs and rifle fire hitting the outside of the tank.
Should not be missed. It's on HBO this month.
CmdrCody
The Steel Lady http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046368/ also fits in this criteria.
"Surviving a plane crash in the Sahara, four oilmen find and manage to repair a German Afrika Corps tank which had been buried in the sand since WWII. Heading toward a French Foreign Legion outpost, they encounter a nomadic Arab tribe who believe the oilmen have found the treasure of Calipha, a rival Arab leader. If trying to acquire the jewels by guile doesn't work, the Arabs are prepared to kill the oilmen to get the stolen treasure."
The Geman Tank is actually a US M24 Chaffe that has some cladding on the exterior to make it look more like a German Pzkw III.
Wow, what a blast from the past!
Fight the FOCA
Kelly's Hero's has some outstanding footage filmed inside actual Sherman's, not studio mock-ups. Watch closely the sequences filmed when Oddball's(Donald Sutherland) three tanks come out of the railroad tunnel, and attack a German military installation. Excellant scenes showing the commanders using both the telescope for aiming and periscope for "better viewing", while directing the fire of the 76mm cannons on the tanks.
shareProbably the most realtistic and gritty movie to date depicting the harsh realities of war from the perspective of a tanker would have to be last years..
LEBANON
It tells the tale of an Israeli tank crew during the 1982 Invasion of Lebanon.
Almost the entire movie takes place from the crews perception of what is going on around them through the GUN & DRIVERS PERISCOPES!!.
This can be a very disturbing movie for some, but I highly recommend it. I think it won an award at Cannes.
Edit.. The tank is a Centurion. Come to think of it, this is probably the only time a Centurion has been in a major film??
Look everyone!... I killed a ZOMBIE!
A Centurion chases Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.
shareThere were Centurions in Kippur, and, of course, one in Reptilicus....
shareTarget Zero http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048698/
This 1955 movie about the Korean War features a M4A3 Sherman Tank.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman.
There are a few scenes shot in within the tank. It looks like they actually used the inside of a real tank for the interior shots.
There's a Finnish movie that shows the insides of tanks quite a bit: Tali-Ihantala
Probably not what you're looking for, but:
Tank Girl (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114614/
Thread_Killer_of_IMDb is out there. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until your post is dead.