as in "plot is irrelevant in the big picture (outcome of the war), but within it's own existance is very important for the characters involved". Saving the paintings makes no difference to the war effort, but is crucial (even as MacGuffin) in a different way.
Great example
Apocalypse Now (1979)
or in a lighter way
Off Limits (1988)
I'm kind of surprised you haven't had more response on this one. Here's a few I would vote for:
"The Hook," a Korean war drama about three GIs loading supplies on a small UN coastal transport having to take a North Korean aviator into custody as a POW. There is a board on this one. Some folks found it a tad preachy, but it's a good flick and worth your while if you can catch it. Kirk Douglas, Nick Adams, Robert Walker and Nehemiah Persoff. Oh, and Enrique Magalona as "The *beep* Sorry, that sounds terrible, but there is a moral lesson about hate and prejudice in this story.
Elsewhere on the Korean War theme, I'd recommend "Men in War" with Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Vic Morrow and Nehemiah Persoff again. Small unit action in retreat, fairly intense and down to earth. You see elements of where Vic Morrow digs up his Sergeant Saunders persona in this one. . .
On a slightly different level: The original M*A*S*H by Robert Altman. Speaks for itself. The TV series was merely a reasonable facsimile. This is the real deal. And while we're dealing with farce, let's not forget "Catch 22."
That ought to do for starters. . .
"I'm not from here, I just live here. . ."
-James Mc Murtry
I follow up my responses sometimes to see if anything has been stirred up. I appreciate that the monitors of these boards try to keep out things that might be offensive to some, four letter words and the like, and I'm grateful my entire posting hasn't been deleted. I'm not against "politically correct" terminology on the surface level, but I will object to this:
The character played by Enrique Magalona in the film "The Hook" is indeed called "the *beep* although it's true in the movie we finally find out his given name is Kim. IMDb's own cast listing spells out this sad but immutable fact within the context of the film's moving and heartfelt commentary on racial prejudice, or the dehumanization of the enemy that seems to be necessary for some men to do their duty in wartime. I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm not saying that the name is bandied around as something to celebrate in the script. It just is. So I object to the *beep* inserted in its place in my original posting on this thread, especially since IMDb lists the character as such in its file on the film.
I don't like racial epithets, but we kid ourselves if we think we can get over it all by making them disappear. "Huckleberry Finn" is a moving condemnation of slavery, and is remarkable for being written by a man of the South in the context of his own personal relationship to history. That's not to say Mark Twain was the most progressive of individuals for his time, but he did write a pretty phenomenal American tale in which, sorry to say, the most noble character in the story was commonly referred to as "the *beep* Jim." Maybe that will be censored on this board, and maybe it should be. But I think we need to be honest about these things, and recognize the dark spaces that still exist in all of us, and exist in this society to this day. That's dangerous ground, maybe, but we still have some growing up to do.
And that, my friends, is what "The Hook" is all about.
I'd still be interested to see if anyone else has some similar movies in mind, but this particular conversation may need a new thread.
"I'm not from here, I just live here. . ."
-James Mc Murtry
Ooooh! I rest my case. It's not even human monitors, it's a bloody machine! Somebody give me a hand here!
I will concede the IMDb cast listing refers to the character as "Kim, aka 'the *beep*'." There, you yinyangs, I beat you to it. . .
"I'm not from here, I just live here. . ."
-James Mc Murtry
I think Guns of Navarone and The Dirty Dozen might qualify, as neither of their missions are of utmost importance.
We can't have Arab desperadoes running around kidnapping American citizens!
[deleted]
The Bridge on the River Kwai is the most obvious example, and I can't believe it's been neglected this long...the building of the bridge becomes a source of pride for the British POWs, who dedicate their entire effort to its construction.
Hell in the Pacific as well, as two marooned officers far removed from the war front first struggle to survive the other, and then form an alliance in which escape is the combined motive.
"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino