Podcast
War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and Cinema History
Hosted by Robert Hutton & Duncan Weldon - War Movies Fans · EN
Love classic war movies? So do we. From Troy to World War II to Vietnam to Aliens, we analyse which war films work and what they say about us.
Banned from watching old war movies by their families, writers Robert Hutton and Duncan Weldon meet in their secret basement to discuss why the navy don't simply sail round the other side of Navarone, and why everyone is too old in Saving Private Ryan. Each week, a different film, sometimes brought along by a guest. From Powell and Pressburger's Colonel Blimp to Starship Troopers to Where Eagles Dare to A Bridge Too Far, we've got you covered.
What will win the Broadsword Radio Prize For The Most Implausible Moment?
Who will take the Cooler King Award For Most Gratuitous American?
And what gets the coveted Dam Busters Dog Prize For Most Problematic Moment?
The podcast formerly known as A Pod Too Far.
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17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Independence Day - with Jonn Elledge
5d ago01:09:21Tap to summarizeIt's an alien invasion, and they're not messing about. Happy Birthday America Month continues with a film so American that they could barely be bothered to show the rest of the world being blown up. BUT WE DON'T MIND. Joining us to watch the White House being destroyed is super-nerd Jonn Elledge, whose new book 31 Inventions That Built Our World explains quite a lot about the New York that the aliens destroyed. Learn about the alternative bit of casting that would have taken this film to a much less wholesome place, and marvel as we discuss whether the US would actually elect a war veteran as president. Next week: Top Gun Maverick.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Gettysburg
2w ago01:20:55Tap to summarize"I have no division." Happy Birthday America Month continues with a film about the greatest battle fought on US soil, as Martin Sheen's Robert E Lee tries to draw the Union army into a fight that will leave the way open to Washington. Has Duncan persuaded Rob that it's worth the four hours it takes to tell the story? Would Russell Crowe have been better than Jeff Daniels? And, um, are one side in this the baddies?Next week: Independence Day.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Patriot
3w ago01:08:32Tap to summarizeHAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Yes, all July, we're marking 250 years of gratuitous Americans by watching the most gratuitously American war movies we can find, and no war movie is as gratuitously American as The Patriot, in which Mel Gibson oozes love of country from every pore. How is this film so long? How come Mel is running the one Southern plantation with no slaves? And do flags really matter that much? Join us for the answers to this and much more.Next week: GettysburgSee our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Four Feathers (1939)
4w ago00:58:23Tap to summarizeThis week, an early Technicolor classic war movie. One of six - six! - adaptations of AEW Mason's 1902 novel of cowardice and courage, it stars Ralph Richardson in a competition with John Clements to have the stiffest upper lip ever.Covered in the episode: how much was this film influenced by TE Lawrence, and how much did it influence Lawrence of Arabia? How often did defensive squares break in the 19th century? And, somehow, more poetry. Next week: The PatriotSee our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Way to the Stars - with Tom Jones
Jun 1801:12:21Tap to summarizeThe 1945 film that exemplified stiff upper lips like nothing else, The Way To The Stars was written by Terrence Rattigan, based on his own experiences of the air war, and tells the story of the ground lives of a bomber station. Starring John Mills and Michael Redgrave but most of all Rosamund John, it's a tale that would have resonated with audiences at home who had lost friends and lovers to the war. It was recut and released as Johnny In The Clouds in the US. Most of all though, as far as Rob and Tom are concerned, it's a film that was shot in Bedale, jewel of North Yorkshire's market towns.Next week: The Four Feathers (1939)See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Escape to Victory - AGAIN - with Alan Allport
Jun 1101:18:14Tap to summarizeIt's the World Cup, which means it's time for Rob and Duncan to Escape To Victory! Again! It's the only prisoner of war film to feature three different World Cup winners, and the only war movie to be decide by a bicycle kick. Michael Caine is too old and Sylvester Stallone knows too little about football, but thanks to a bunch of extras from Ipswich Town, the movie has become a classic. Particularly because it sees the Nazis organise a football match that is somehow less dodgy than anything FIFA touches. This week, they're joined by World War 2 historian Alan Allport, who spends his days trying to explain European history to Americans through football. Will he disappear at half time, or score a last-minute equaliser?Next week: The Way To The StarsSee our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Top Gun - with Marina Hyde
Jun 401:30:40Tap to summarizeTheir egos writing cheques that their bodies can't cash, Rob and Duncan are joined by Top Gun superfan Marina Hyde to mark the 40th anniversary of the greatest film about naval aviators ever made. It's the movie that confirmed the status of Tom Cruise as a star, and also as a man who has no chemistry with his female co-leads. Is that because his real sparks were with Val Kilmer? Are Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan the secret sauce? Plus Marina takes us through the five hottest men in the film. You may be surprised by who isn't in there.Next week: to mark the World Cup, we're going to Escape To Victory (again).See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jarhead - with Owain Mulligan
May 2801:12:56Tap to summarizeOne of the classic films of military misery, Jarhead is a tale of just how awful life can be if the US Marine Corps sends you to the desert. The true-ish story of one man's Gulf War I, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, it offered a ho-holds-barred portrayal of the way that making people into killers can leave them struggling to find their way back. We're joined by Owain Mulligan, whose memoir The Accidental Soldier is a funny, moving account of his own time in Iraq with the British Army after Gulf War II. Next week: Top Gun, with special guest Marina Hyde.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sahara (1943)
May 2100:50:02Tap to summarizeShort of ammo, short of water, and short of options, Humphrey Bogart is holding off the Nazis in this 1943 tale of wartime daring that was so popular it's been remade at least twice. Could anyone but Bogart have carried off the role? And is it really a parable about the future cooperation between nations? Next week: Jarhead, with Owain MulliganSee our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sink The Bismarck!
May 1400:53:17Tap to summarizeIs there a more classic World War 2 naval story? The Royal Navy's hunt for the mighty Bismarck retold as a detective story, as Kenneth More, deep in the Admiralty, directs the chase. Did it help that the producer's father-in-law could lend the production some battleships? Were they unfair to the Nastiest Nazi? And can a man who blubs win the Stiffest Upper Lip?Next week, by popular demand (sort of): Sahara (1943).See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at warmovietheatre@gmail.com.Visit us at facebook.com/WarMovieTheatre or on Bluesky and Twitter or at our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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