Listen in to Victor Davis Hanson and cohost Jack Fowler talk about Shane, The Searchers, Lonesome Dove, The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, The Bridge on the River Kwai and more movies, Robert Graves’s I Claudius, Mary Renault’s series on Alexander the Great and other novels, and Classics in education.
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I enjoyed the segment. What does Dr. Hanson think of Clint Eastwood’s “Heartbreak Ridge?” It has some combat in it (Grenada), but its focus is on military relationships: Eastwood’s relationship with the members of his problem platoon; his relationship with his green platoon leader; with the battalion CO, an archetypical political soldier; with his old wartime comrade, the battalion CSM; and with his ex-wife. Your discussion about “Once an Eagle” and the conflict between combat soldiers and political soldiers brought it to mind. It’s my favorite war movie, in part because it reminds me of my career soldier dad’s stories about some of his military relationships.
VDH, have you ever seen the film “Border Incident”, it is 1949 film noir directed by Anthony Mann who was also a great western film director.
Made in 1949 it shows that even back then we already had an illegal immigration problem.
A must watch>
It is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
John Palma, not John Gellar
VDH had excellent tastes in movies. I’d add The Outlaw Josey Wales and Sam Peckinpa’s Cross of Iron as well.
I am interested in the professor’s opinion of the movie Apocalypto produced by Mel Gibson. It seems to fit the society the professor describes in The End of Everything. Also, curious of his take on The Apostle starring and directed by Robert Duvall. I think it is underrated as to the acting and story line.
I agree with your thoughts on the Apostle. I thought it provided a picture of a flawed but God loving man. I have always enjoyed Robert Duvall’s work.
Synchronicity, I was just listening to an interview with Michael Yon today and he was the combat correspondent imbedded with LTC Kurilla and told that story, Kurilla is a very impressive man. here is that article https://michaelyon.com/dispatches/gates-of-fire/