War movies?
D M Kelly
Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language is
appropriate for him. Saving Private Ryan is probably too intense -- but I
wish I could show him that film. How do you handle things like that? I've
never seen Band of Brothers, but have heard good things about it. Any other
suggestions or recs?
Thanks,
Deb
Caitlin, 15
Julian, 10
Josephine, 20 months
Autumn, 5 months
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language is
appropriate for him. Saving Private Ryan is probably too intense -- but I
wish I could show him that film. How do you handle things like that? I've
never seen Band of Brothers, but have heard good things about it. Any other
suggestions or recs?
Thanks,
Deb
Caitlin, 15
Julian, 10
Josephine, 20 months
Autumn, 5 months
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
Bridge on the River Kwai, maybe? (It's been a long time since I've
seen it but I remember it being interesting to me when I was a kid)
If he likes Naval stuff, there was a movie in the 70's about the end
of WWII in the Pacific called Midway.
seen it but I remember it being interesting to me when I was a kid)
If he likes Naval stuff, there was a movie in the 70's about the end
of WWII in the Pacific called Midway.
D M Kelly
Just a quick update: we are sitting here all cuddled up watching Saints and
Soldiers (2003), which we are enjoying, and he's asking me a million
questions. Gotta run! In the first 15 minutes he's totally engaged.
thanks!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Soldiers (2003), which we are enjoying, and he's asking me a million
questions. Gotta run! In the first 15 minutes he's totally engaged.
thanks!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Heather
There are quite a few good WWII movies out there. One of our favorites was "Boy in the Striped Pajamas." PG-13
Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
My 8 year old enjoyed "The Pianist" from 2002 as well. It is rated R though. Famed Polish concert pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody, in an Oscar-winning role) struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this Roman Polanski-directed drama based on Szpilman's memoirs. In spite of his well-known musical talents, Szpilman spends several years holed up in Warsaw, barely alive and subsisting on scraps, until grace comes in the form of a second chance -- at music, at freedom and at life.
It may or may not be too much violence for a 10 year old. My 8 year old liked it though, but he likes horror movies. My younger son does not like horror much, except he did like Zombieland. You just have to listen to your kids. Each kid is different.
I know you are asking for WWII, but if he likes learning about the Great Depression era, my boys liked "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" with Abigail Breslin. I liked it a lot as well.
We have the "Band of Brothers" series. I haven't seen it, but my husband watched it with Holden. Holden told me he liked it. I can't say how violent it was since I haven't seen it. My husband is not home right now for me to ask him.
~Heather
Mom to Holden (almost 9) and Camden (6)
Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
My 8 year old enjoyed "The Pianist" from 2002 as well. It is rated R though. Famed Polish concert pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody, in an Oscar-winning role) struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this Roman Polanski-directed drama based on Szpilman's memoirs. In spite of his well-known musical talents, Szpilman spends several years holed up in Warsaw, barely alive and subsisting on scraps, until grace comes in the form of a second chance -- at music, at freedom and at life.
It may or may not be too much violence for a 10 year old. My 8 year old liked it though, but he likes horror movies. My younger son does not like horror much, except he did like Zombieland. You just have to listen to your kids. Each kid is different.
I know you are asking for WWII, but if he likes learning about the Great Depression era, my boys liked "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" with Abigail Breslin. I liked it a lot as well.
We have the "Band of Brothers" series. I haven't seen it, but my husband watched it with Holden. Holden told me he liked it. I can't say how violent it was since I haven't seen it. My husband is not home right now for me to ask him.
~Heather
Mom to Holden (almost 9) and Camden (6)
--- In [email protected], D M Kelly <dlmckee@...> wrote:
>
> Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
> interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language is
> appropriate for him.
Robin Bentley
I saw "Tora! Tora! Tora!" about Pearl Harbor (from the Japanese
perspective) when I was a teen and thought it was cool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora!_Tora!_Tora!
Robin B.
perspective) when I was a teen and thought it was cool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora!_Tora!_Tora!
Robin B.
On Oct 25, 2010, at 7:25 AM, D M Kelly wrote:
> Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
> interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/
> language is
> appropriate for him. Saving Private Ryan is probably too intense --
> but I
> wish I could show him that film. How do you handle things like
> that? I've
> never seen Band of Brothers, but have heard good things about it.
> Any other
> suggestions or recs?
Jenny Cyphers
I really enjoyed Grave of the Fireflies. It's really sad, but also from the
perspective of regular Japanese citizens. It was a perspective not found in
other WWII movies. It's animated as well. We all cried after seeing it.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
perspective of regular Japanese citizens. It was a perspective not found in
other WWII movies. It's animated as well. We all cried after seeing it.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=- I probably would have veered away from all
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history
(haha).
-=-And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care
about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.-=-
That is beautiful and makes me want to work on web pages, but I'm
awake unnaturally (I forgot to turn on the fan or AC, and the puppy
was whining to go out) and I need to go back to bed. I'm hoping this
notes will remind me to get back to it soon.
Classic s'mores, though, which have four squares of a Hershey bar, can
be connected to American GI's in WWII, because plain Hershey bars and
pairs of nylon stockings were said to have been common trade goods in
post-war Europe. That's not necessarily something to discuss in any
detail to younger children, but there were marriages and other effects
that came of relationships between soldiers and locals during the
occupation.
Marty was talking about having heard in his class on reading and
critical thought that there were incidents in VietNam of draftees
killing their officers and running away, *in* VietNam. And we've seen
years later the sad fate of some of the mixed-race children of that
war, and of other conflict zones.
I'm not recommending those topics for discussion with kids unless (as
with my friend Helene) the very reason that they have a (for example)
half-French father and relatives in France (or Germany, or elsewhere)
is related to those issues.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history
(haha).
-=-And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care
about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.-=-
That is beautiful and makes me want to work on web pages, but I'm
awake unnaturally (I forgot to turn on the fan or AC, and the puppy
was whining to go out) and I need to go back to bed. I'm hoping this
notes will remind me to get back to it soon.
Classic s'mores, though, which have four squares of a Hershey bar, can
be connected to American GI's in WWII, because plain Hershey bars and
pairs of nylon stockings were said to have been common trade goods in
post-war Europe. That's not necessarily something to discuss in any
detail to younger children, but there were marriages and other effects
that came of relationships between soldiers and locals during the
occupation.
Marty was talking about having heard in his class on reading and
critical thought that there were incidents in VietNam of draftees
killing their officers and running away, *in* VietNam. And we've seen
years later the sad fate of some of the mixed-race children of that
war, and of other conflict zones.
I'm not recommending those topics for discussion with kids unless (as
with my friend Helene) the very reason that they have a (for example)
half-French father and relatives in France (or Germany, or elsewhere)
is related to those issues.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I'd like to recommend this part for Sandra's page on "Getting It".-=-
Thanks. I'm on it, tomorrow or Thursday. I'm in India and should
REALLY be in bed in India. :-)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Thanks. I'm on it, tomorrow or Thursday. I'm in India and should
REALLY be in bed in India. :-)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Deanne Brown
Our family really enjoyed Pearl Harbor. Yes it is a love story as well but
it shows many aspects of that era. It would be great to pair it with Tora!
Tora! Tora! which includes actual war footage.
Memphis Belle is good one about a WWII bomber and their raids on Europe.
Empire of the Sun is one of my favorites. It is directed by Steven
Spielberg about an English boy caught in China during the Japanese
occupation during WWII.
Also, there are many sites on-line you can check out to find out the
accuracy of the movies.
Enjoy!!!
Deanne
Mom to Riley (17), Casey (15) and Maggie (10)
www.Theyesmom.com
--- In [email protected]
<mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com> , D M Kelly <dlmckee@...> wrote:
it shows many aspects of that era. It would be great to pair it with Tora!
Tora! Tora! which includes actual war footage.
Memphis Belle is good one about a WWII bomber and their raids on Europe.
Empire of the Sun is one of my favorites. It is directed by Steven
Spielberg about an English boy caught in China during the Japanese
occupation during WWII.
Also, there are many sites on-line you can check out to find out the
accuracy of the movies.
Enjoy!!!
Deanne
Mom to Riley (17), Casey (15) and Maggie (10)
www.Theyesmom.com
--- In [email protected]
<mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com> , D M Kelly <dlmckee@...> wrote:
>is
> Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
> interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language
> appropriate for him.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ed Wendell
Our 16 year old son suggests "the Battle of Britain" and "The Great Raid", "Valkerie" "Sands Of Iwo JIma", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Flags of our Fathers", "The Guns of Naveronne", "The Longest Day", The Great Escape", "Where Eagles Dare", "Patton", The Eagle Has Landed", "A Bridge To Far"' , The Big Red One", "Das Boat", "Stalingrad", "Thin Red Line", "Enemy at the Gates".
Hope some of these will suffice.
Ed and Zac Wendell
Hope some of these will suffice.
Ed and Zac Wendell
----- Original Message -----
From: Deanne Brown 0
00To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 7:07 PM
Subject: RE: [AlwaysLearning] Re: War movies?
Our family really enjoyed Pearl Harbor. Yes it is a love story as well but
it shows many aspects of that era. It would be great to pair it with Tora!
Tora! Tora! which includes actual war footage.
Memphis Belle is good one about a WWII bomber and their raids on Europe.
Empire of the Sun is one of my favorites. It is directed by Steven
Spielberg about an English boy caught in China during the Japanese
occupation during WWII.
Also, there are many sites on-line you can check out to find out the
accuracy of the movies.
Enjoy!!!
Deanne
Mom to Riley (17), Casey (15) and Maggie (10)
www.Theyesmom.com
--- In [email protected]
<mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com> , D M Kelly <dlmckee@...> wrote:
>
> Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
> interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language
is
> appropriate for him.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
dola dasgupta-banerji
Bridge on the River Kwai was also the movie that came to my mind when I read
this thread!!! I love the tune.
Guns of Navarone is also good. They are all old films. NatGeo has some great
documentaries on WWII too.
Dola
this thread!!! I love the tune.
Guns of Navarone is also good. They are all old films. NatGeo has some great
documentaries on WWII too.
Dola
On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
>
> Bridge on the River Kwai, maybe? (It's been a long time since I've
> seen it but I remember it being interesting to me when I was a kid)
>
> If he likes Naval stuff, there was a movie in the 70's about the end
> of WWII in the Pacific called Midway.
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
dola dasgupta-banerji
Great list. Seen most of them. All good films on war!! The Great Escape and
Where Eagles Dare and Battle of Britain have bombers and all those things.
Dola
Where Eagles Dare and Battle of Britain have bombers and all those things.
Dola
On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Ed Wendell <ewendell@...> wrote:
>
>
> Our 16 year old son suggests "the Battle of Britain" and "The Great Raid",
> "Valkerie" "Sands Of Iwo JIma", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Flags of our
> Fathers", "The Guns of Naveronne", "The Longest Day", The Great Escape",
> "Where Eagles Dare", "Patton", The Eagle Has Landed", "A Bridge To Far"' ,
> The Big Red One", "Das Boat", "Stalingrad", "Thin Red Line", "Enemy at the
> Gates".
>
> Hope some of these will suffice.
>
> Ed and Zac Wendell
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Deanne Brown 0
> 00To: [email protected] <AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 7:07 PM
> Subject: RE: [AlwaysLearning] Re: War movies?
>
> Our family really enjoyed Pearl Harbor. Yes it is a love story as well but
> it shows many aspects of that era. It would be great to pair it with Tora!
> Tora! Tora! which includes actual war footage.
>
> Memphis Belle is good one about a WWII bomber and their raids on Europe.
>
> Empire of the Sun is one of my favorites. It is directed by Steven
> Spielberg about an English boy caught in China during the Japanese
> occupation during WWII.
>
> Also, there are many sites on-line you can check out to find out the
> accuracy of the movies.
>
> Enjoy!!!
>
> Deanne
>
> Mom to Riley (17), Casey (15) and Maggie (10)
>
> www.Theyesmom.com
>
> --- In [email protected] <AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com<AlwaysLearning%2540yahoogroups.com>>
> , D M Kelly <dlmckee@...> wrote:
> >
> > Trying to find a good war movie, preferably WWII or later, that might
> > interest a 10-year-old kid -- can't decide on how much violence/language
> is
> > appropriate for him.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
D M Kelly
All these great connections! Thanks for all the ideas!
Just had to share:
We are watching Saints and Soldiers at the moment because it was available
immediately on Netflix. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but he's having
a blast trying to identify all the guns (he's gotten into this gun
fascination). I am really impressed with his gun knowledge. The story is
based on an actual massacre near the Belgian border during WWII, and he's
been asking all kinds of questions about the Germans and the draft (because
we watch MASH all the time), and so we've talked about how WWII was a more
*popular* war to join and we had to look up whether there was a draft during
WWII (there was), whereas Korea was not a very popular war -- we chatted
about some possible reasons for that. And then he started asking me about
Vietnam -- which I know very little about. We've got lots of things to look
up -- my head is swirling trying to keep track of it all. He has connected
this movie to the book Number the Stars, which we read together last year,
and I think next we're going to watch Boy in the Striped Pajamas. His dad
was watching a documentary the other day on the bombing of Hiroshima -- and
so we got into a conversation about the connections between Japan and China
and Germany, and why the Korean conflict happened so soon after WWII... It
just goes on and on.
Today, while the movie was playing, he asked me where we could *rent a game
board.*
I said, "Rent a game board?" Think. Think.
"You mean a board game?" I said.
"Yeah!" he said.
"What board game?" I said.
"I don't care...just one about war and stuff!" he said. So I found the
Axis and Allies board games online, and I'm thinking of getting one of them.
By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called
World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.
I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been fun, and a
huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my eyes at
his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his suggestion that
we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war movies he
may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away from all
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history (haha).
And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.
Just wanted to share.
Deb
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Just had to share:
We are watching Saints and Soldiers at the moment because it was available
immediately on Netflix. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but he's having
a blast trying to identify all the guns (he's gotten into this gun
fascination). I am really impressed with his gun knowledge. The story is
based on an actual massacre near the Belgian border during WWII, and he's
been asking all kinds of questions about the Germans and the draft (because
we watch MASH all the time), and so we've talked about how WWII was a more
*popular* war to join and we had to look up whether there was a draft during
WWII (there was), whereas Korea was not a very popular war -- we chatted
about some possible reasons for that. And then he started asking me about
Vietnam -- which I know very little about. We've got lots of things to look
up -- my head is swirling trying to keep track of it all. He has connected
this movie to the book Number the Stars, which we read together last year,
and I think next we're going to watch Boy in the Striped Pajamas. His dad
was watching a documentary the other day on the bombing of Hiroshima -- and
so we got into a conversation about the connections between Japan and China
and Germany, and why the Korean conflict happened so soon after WWII... It
just goes on and on.
Today, while the movie was playing, he asked me where we could *rent a game
board.*
I said, "Rent a game board?" Think. Think.
"You mean a board game?" I said.
"Yeah!" he said.
"What board game?" I said.
"I don't care...just one about war and stuff!" he said. So I found the
Axis and Allies board games online, and I'm thinking of getting one of them.
By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called
World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.
I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been fun, and a
huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my eyes at
his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his suggestion that
we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war movies he
may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away from all
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history (haha).
And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.
Just wanted to share.
Deb
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
NCMama
=-=By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.=-=
Oh, that reminded me! When I was a child, there was a series on PBS called World at War, about WWII. I wasn't interested in all about war, but the series was so well presented and narrated, that I watched the whole thing, and looked forward to it coming on.
Just looked, and Amazon has the DVD series.
http://www.amazon.com/World-War-30th-Anniversary/dp/B0002F6AH0/ref=ed_oe_dvd
I didn't realize it was narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier! I would have been 8 and 9 when this was on. I might need to get a set for myself!
Caren
Oh, that reminded me! When I was a child, there was a series on PBS called World at War, about WWII. I wasn't interested in all about war, but the series was so well presented and narrated, that I watched the whole thing, and looked forward to it coming on.
Just looked, and Amazon has the DVD series.
http://www.amazon.com/World-War-30th-Anniversary/dp/B0002F6AH0/ref=ed_oe_dvd
I didn't realize it was narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier! I would have been 8 and 9 when this was on. I might need to get a set for myself!
Caren
Robin Bentley
Deb, your whole post was so cool. I love hearing stories of happiness
and joy and learning together.
I'd like to recommend this part for Sandra's page on "Getting It".
and joy and learning together.
I'd like to recommend this part for Sandra's page on "Getting It".
>Robin B.
> I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been
> fun, and a
> huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
> subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
> probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my
> eyes at
> his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his
> suggestion that
> we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war
> movies he
> may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away
> from all
> this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history
> (haha).
>
> And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care
> about war
> stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't
> look
> back.
>
Robin Bentley
I was looking for Canadian WWII movies (since I'm Canadian), so I went
to the National Film Board site and found these:
http://www3.nfb.ca/ww2/wwii-an-overview-in-moving-pictures/?view=698395#aPlayback
Some short films, some longer about many aspects of war, in
documentary form.
I also found these jointly-made Canadian films (the first one is
anime!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Squad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_(film)
They were here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_films
Robin B.
to the National Film Board site and found these:
http://www3.nfb.ca/ww2/wwii-an-overview-in-moving-pictures/?view=698395#aPlayback
Some short films, some longer about many aspects of war, in
documentary form.
I also found these jointly-made Canadian films (the first one is
anime!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Squad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_(film)
They were here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_films
Robin B.
Kelly Lovejoy
All cool!
I wanted to mention how wonderful the Hitler Channel...I mean the HISTORY Channel...is for all things WWII. It's a favorite time period for me, and I can't get enough. I have no interest in the war in the Pacific---only Europe. It can be seasonal, but there's usually *something* about WWII during every non-seasonal week, and sometimes it's 100% WWII. Very cool.
I wasn't feeling too good last winter, and we had The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in from Netflix. Ben and Cameron watched it and HIGHLY suggested that I not watch it. In my state, they felt I couldn't handle it. I still haven't watched it, but you *might* want to watch it first, just in case.
There are also more holocausty films, Schindler's List and Sophie's Choice, which could also be too much for a child or sensitive adult. The recent Tarantino bloodfest, Inglourious Bastards, too might be too much, although I enjoyed it. Swing Dance is an unusual answer to Hitler Youth. On a *much* lighter note, there's The Producers, new and old.
Anne Frank's diary and Eli Wiesel's books. Also Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
Visiting Auschwitz is disturbing and fascinating, if you can work a trip to Germany in. <G>
Closer to home, and cheaper: Usborne Books has a great WWII book, full of weapons and gear. Usborne Books has great books about everything!
There aren't many still alive, but if you poke around your city, you could possibly find a WWII veteran who would talk to you about his/her experiences. (I say *her* because Ben's deceased grandmother was a nurse and ran from Rommel and his tanks through the deserts of Africa! The STORIES! <g>) I think several of the Dolittle Raiders (Pacific) are still alive. They were just a couple of years ago, anyway. One lives here in Columbia, SC.
And there's always the stand-by board game, Risk (which I always lost because I wanted to own/rule Europe! <G>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
"There is no single effort more radical in its potential for saving the world than a transformation of the way we raise our children." Marianne Williamson
-----Original Message-----
From: D M Kelly <dlmckee@...>
All these great connections! Thanks for all the ideas!
Just had to share:
We are watching Saints and Soldiers at the moment because it was available
immediately on Netflix. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but he's having
a blast trying to identify all the guns (he's gotten into this gun
fascination). I am really impressed with his gun knowledge. The story is
based on an actual massacre near the Belgian border during WWII, and he's
been asking all kinds of questions about the Germans and the draft (because
we watch MASH all the time), and so we've talked about how WWII was a more
*popular* war to join and we had to look up whether there was a draft during
WWII (there was), whereas Korea was not a very popular war -- we chatted
about some possible reasons for that. And then he started asking me about
Vietnam -- which I know very little about. We've got lots of things to look
up -- my head is swirling trying to keep track of it all. He has connected
this movie to the book Number the Stars, which we read together last year,
and I think next we're going to watch Boy in the Striped Pajamas. His dad
was watching a documentary the other day on the bombing of Hiroshima -- and
so we got into a conversation about the connections between Japan and China
and Germany, and why the Korean conflict happened so soon after WWII... It
just goes on and on.
Today, while the movie was playing, he asked me where we could *rent a game
board.*
I said, "Rent a game board?" Think. Think.
"You mean a board game?" I said.
"Yeah!" he said.
"What board game?" I said.
"I don't care...just one about war and stuff!" he said. So I found the
Axis and Allies board games online, and I'm thinking of getting one of them.
By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called
World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.
I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been fun, and a
huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my eyes at
his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his suggestion that
we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war movies he
may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away from all
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history (haha).
And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.
Just wanted to share.
Deb
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I wanted to mention how wonderful the Hitler Channel...I mean the HISTORY Channel...is for all things WWII. It's a favorite time period for me, and I can't get enough. I have no interest in the war in the Pacific---only Europe. It can be seasonal, but there's usually *something* about WWII during every non-seasonal week, and sometimes it's 100% WWII. Very cool.
I wasn't feeling too good last winter, and we had The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in from Netflix. Ben and Cameron watched it and HIGHLY suggested that I not watch it. In my state, they felt I couldn't handle it. I still haven't watched it, but you *might* want to watch it first, just in case.
There are also more holocausty films, Schindler's List and Sophie's Choice, which could also be too much for a child or sensitive adult. The recent Tarantino bloodfest, Inglourious Bastards, too might be too much, although I enjoyed it. Swing Dance is an unusual answer to Hitler Youth. On a *much* lighter note, there's The Producers, new and old.
Anne Frank's diary and Eli Wiesel's books. Also Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
Visiting Auschwitz is disturbing and fascinating, if you can work a trip to Germany in. <G>
Closer to home, and cheaper: Usborne Books has a great WWII book, full of weapons and gear. Usborne Books has great books about everything!
There aren't many still alive, but if you poke around your city, you could possibly find a WWII veteran who would talk to you about his/her experiences. (I say *her* because Ben's deceased grandmother was a nurse and ran from Rommel and his tanks through the deserts of Africa! The STORIES! <g>) I think several of the Dolittle Raiders (Pacific) are still alive. They were just a couple of years ago, anyway. One lives here in Columbia, SC.
And there's always the stand-by board game, Risk (which I always lost because I wanted to own/rule Europe! <G>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
"There is no single effort more radical in its potential for saving the world than a transformation of the way we raise our children." Marianne Williamson
-----Original Message-----
From: D M Kelly <dlmckee@...>
All these great connections! Thanks for all the ideas!
Just had to share:
We are watching Saints and Soldiers at the moment because it was available
immediately on Netflix. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but he's having
a blast trying to identify all the guns (he's gotten into this gun
fascination). I am really impressed with his gun knowledge. The story is
based on an actual massacre near the Belgian border during WWII, and he's
been asking all kinds of questions about the Germans and the draft (because
we watch MASH all the time), and so we've talked about how WWII was a more
*popular* war to join and we had to look up whether there was a draft during
WWII (there was), whereas Korea was not a very popular war -- we chatted
about some possible reasons for that. And then he started asking me about
Vietnam -- which I know very little about. We've got lots of things to look
up -- my head is swirling trying to keep track of it all. He has connected
this movie to the book Number the Stars, which we read together last year,
and I think next we're going to watch Boy in the Striped Pajamas. His dad
was watching a documentary the other day on the bombing of Hiroshima -- and
so we got into a conversation about the connections between Japan and China
and Germany, and why the Korean conflict happened so soon after WWII... It
just goes on and on.
Today, while the movie was playing, he asked me where we could *rent a game
board.*
I said, "Rent a game board?" Think. Think.
"You mean a board game?" I said.
"Yeah!" he said.
"What board game?" I said.
"I don't care...just one about war and stuff!" he said. So I found the
Axis and Allies board games online, and I'm thinking of getting one of them.
By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called
World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.
I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been fun, and a
huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my eyes at
his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his suggestion that
we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war movies he
may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away from all
this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history (haha).
And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care about war
stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
back.
Just wanted to share.
Deb
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
NCMama
There was that mini-series about concentration camps - Holocaust. Wasn't Meryl Streep in that?
Oh - yep, there she is. And James Woods.
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Holocaust/70094979
I watched that when it was shown on TV, so I would have been 12 or 13.
Caren
Oh - yep, there she is. And James Woods.
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Holocaust/70094979
I watched that when it was shown on TV, so I would have been 12 or 13.
Caren
Robin Bentley
>Up until two years ago (when he died), my dad had amazing stories
> There aren't many still alive, but if you poke around your city, you
> could possibly find a WWII veteran who would talk to you about his/
> her experiences. (I say *her* because Ben's deceased grandmother was
> a nurse and ran from Rommel and his tanks through the deserts of
> Africa! The STORIES! <g>) I think several of the Dolittle Raiders
> (Pacific) are still alive. They were just a couple of years ago,
> anyway. One lives here in Columbia, SC.
about his time aboard ship in the Canadian Navy. I found it hard to
get him to write anything down or to be recorded, so now's the time to
find folks before they're gone!
>And Stratego gets down to the battlefield:
>
> And there's always the stand-by board game, Risk (which I always
> lost because I wanted to own/rule Europe! <G>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratego
Ha, my daughter plays a version in World of Warcraft <g>.
Robin B.
madelinerains
The timing of this thread is great for us. Jesse, 10, got really interested in WWII as a result of watching "Inglorious Bastards" last winter and just this week has been asking about WWII and Vietnam, got books about them from the library and wants to make a movie about one of them after he decides which interests him the most. These strewing ideas are so helpful. I had been wary of "Inglorious Bastards" and watched it with him sure he'd want to turn it off (they've run from the room over anything too realistically violent in movies). It is his favorite movie and he can talk about why for an hour.
- Madeline
- Madeline
--- In [email protected], Kelly Lovejoy <kbcdlovejo@...> wrote:
>
> All cool!
...
There are also more holocausty films, Schindler's List and Sophie's Choice, which could also be too much for a child or sensitive adult. The recent Tarantino bloodfest, Inglourious Bastards, too might be too much, although I enjoyed it. Swing Dance is an unusual answer to Hitler Youth. On a *much* lighter note, there's The Producers, new and old.
>
>
> Anne Frank's diary and Eli Wiesel's books. Also Number the Stars by Lois Lowery.
>
>
> Visiting Auschwitz is disturbing and fascinating, if you can work a trip to Germany in. <G>
>
>
> Closer to home, and cheaper: Usborne Books has a great WWII book, full of weapons and gear. Usborne Books has great books about everything!
>
>
> There aren't many still alive, but if you poke around your city, you could possibly find a WWII veteran who would talk to you about his/her experiences. (I say *her* because Ben's deceased grandmother was a nurse and ran from Rommel and his tanks through the deserts of Africa! The STORIES! <g>) I think several of the Dolittle Raiders (Pacific) are still alive. They were just a couple of years ago, anyway. One lives here in Columbia, SC.
>
>
> And there's always the stand-by board game, Risk (which I always lost because I wanted to own/rule Europe! <G>
>
>
>
>
>
> ~Kelly
>
> Kelly Lovejoy
> "There is no single effort more radical in its potential for saving the world than a transformation of the way we raise our children." Marianne Williamson
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: D M Kelly <dlmckee@...>
>
>
> All these great connections! Thanks for all the ideas!
>
> Just had to share:
> We are watching Saints and Soldiers at the moment because it was available
> immediately on Netflix. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but he's having
> a blast trying to identify all the guns (he's gotten into this gun
> fascination). I am really impressed with his gun knowledge. The story is
> based on an actual massacre near the Belgian border during WWII, and he's
> been asking all kinds of questions about the Germans and the draft (because
> we watch MASH all the time), and so we've talked about how WWII was a more
> *popular* war to join and we had to look up whether there was a draft during
> WWII (there was), whereas Korea was not a very popular war -- we chatted
> about some possible reasons for that. And then he started asking me about
> Vietnam -- which I know very little about. We've got lots of things to look
> up -- my head is swirling trying to keep track of it all. He has connected
> this movie to the book Number the Stars, which we read together last year,
> and I think next we're going to watch Boy in the Striped Pajamas. His dad
> was watching a documentary the other day on the bombing of Hiroshima -- and
> so we got into a conversation about the connections between Japan and China
> and Germany, and why the Korean conflict happened so soon after WWII... It
> just goes on and on.
>
> Today, while the movie was playing, he asked me where we could *rent a game
> board.*
>
> I said, "Rent a game board?" Think. Think.
>
> "You mean a board game?" I said.
>
> "Yeah!" he said.
>
> "What board game?" I said.
>
> "I don't care...just one about war and stuff!" he said. So I found the
> Axis and Allies board games online, and I'm thinking of getting one of them.
>
> By the way, he has been playing lots of video games, including one called
> World at War that is based on WWII, and he's in love with it.
>
> I'm just following him around in all this enthusiasm. It's been fun, and a
> huge change from last year this time when I was still trying to force
> subjects on him. Last year, before finding Sandra Dodd, I would have
> probably pooh-poohed his gun fascination (too violent), rolled my eyes at
> his video game obsession (a waste of time), laughed at his suggestion that
> we *rent* a board game, and never given any thought to what war movies he
> may or may not care about, and I probably would have veered away from all
> this stuff so that we could *get back to* language arts or history (haha).
>
> And if it all ended tomorrow and he said, "I decided I don't care about war
> stuff anymore. Let's go make s'mores," we'd do it, and I wouldn't look
> back.
>
> Just wanted to share.
>
> Deb
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
dezignarob
One of my favorites is "The Dam Busters".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/ Mostly about British engineers trying to make a bouncing bomb.
I also enjoy "Von Ryan's Express" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059885/ which is worth watching just for the Vicar's impersonation of a Nazi officer, and "The Longest Day" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/ about D-Day with just about every big name actor of the day in it.
Of course you won't neglect "Casablanca" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/ for it's allegorical value.
"Three Came Home" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043041/ (aside from the title somewhat giving away the ending) is about European women in Japanese prisoner camps during WWII. Since it was made in 1950, it has a gentle way of treating certain events by allusion and euphemism (eg rape). A more modern version of similar events is the mini-series "Paradise Road" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119859/ about women prisoners forming a choir.
Robyn L. Coburn
www.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/ Mostly about British engineers trying to make a bouncing bomb.
I also enjoy "Von Ryan's Express" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059885/ which is worth watching just for the Vicar's impersonation of a Nazi officer, and "The Longest Day" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/ about D-Day with just about every big name actor of the day in it.
Of course you won't neglect "Casablanca" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/ for it's allegorical value.
"Three Came Home" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043041/ (aside from the title somewhat giving away the ending) is about European women in Japanese prisoner camps during WWII. Since it was made in 1950, it has a gentle way of treating certain events by allusion and euphemism (eg rape). A more modern version of similar events is the mini-series "Paradise Road" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119859/ about women prisoners forming a choir.
Robyn L. Coburn
www.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
Mica
I've not had a habit of remembering titles of war movies - I'll try to
remember to ask my son who is very interested in World War II. Though I
know one of his first references won't be a movie it would be the series
Band of Brothers.
For a story of the experiences of Allied women and children prisoners of War
in Singapore I'd look to the BBC series Tenko. I recall being captivated
(horrified, stunned, aghast) by it in the 80s, and thus found the later
movie Paradise Road almost superficial (in part understandable: as a movie
it couldn't stretch the length of the women's experiences, it also focussed
on the brief period in which some women formed a choir) - the flavour the
movie left seemed less dire, less shocking, less awe than the series. The
series allowed one to develop a deeper and longer-lasting appreciation for
the experiences of these women by spending time with the hardships,
indignities, ill treatment, starvation, desperate measures, ethical
dilemmas, hopelessness, griefs - to end not with glossy conclusions about
endurance or attitude or how singing helps or resilience but rather to end
still pondering. I felt the series allowed more opportunity to appreciate
the variability of behaviour amongst the prison-keepers, the dramatic impact
one psychotic with authority can have -v- the challenges soldiers have in
behaving humanely when their leaders are not.
Then there is The Dunera Boys (an Australian movie about a camp in Australia
to which the British sent ex-German immigrants (mostly Jews) they had
rounded up as potential spies).
Mica
remember to ask my son who is very interested in World War II. Though I
know one of his first references won't be a movie it would be the series
Band of Brothers.
For a story of the experiences of Allied women and children prisoners of War
in Singapore I'd look to the BBC series Tenko. I recall being captivated
(horrified, stunned, aghast) by it in the 80s, and thus found the later
movie Paradise Road almost superficial (in part understandable: as a movie
it couldn't stretch the length of the women's experiences, it also focussed
on the brief period in which some women formed a choir) - the flavour the
movie left seemed less dire, less shocking, less awe than the series. The
series allowed one to develop a deeper and longer-lasting appreciation for
the experiences of these women by spending time with the hardships,
indignities, ill treatment, starvation, desperate measures, ethical
dilemmas, hopelessness, griefs - to end not with glossy conclusions about
endurance or attitude or how singing helps or resilience but rather to end
still pondering. I felt the series allowed more opportunity to appreciate
the variability of behaviour amongst the prison-keepers, the dramatic impact
one psychotic with authority can have -v- the challenges soldiers have in
behaving humanely when their leaders are not.
Then there is The Dunera Boys (an Australian movie about a camp in Australia
to which the British sent ex-German immigrants (mostly Jews) they had
rounded up as potential spies).
Mica
On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 6:37 PM, dezignarob <dezigna@...> wrote:
>
>
> One of my favorites is "The Dam Busters".
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/ Mostly about British engineers trying
> to make a bouncing bomb.
>
> I also enjoy "Von Ryan's Express" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059885/which is worth watching just for the Vicar's impersonation of a Nazi
> officer, and "The Longest Day" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/ about
> D-Day with just about every big name actor of the day in it.
>
> Of course you won't neglect "Casablanca"
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/ for it's allegorical value.
>
> "Three Came Home" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043041/ (aside from the
> title somewhat giving away the ending) is about European women in Japanese
> prisoner camps during WWII. Since it was made in 1950, it has a gentle way
> of treating certain events by allusion and euphemism (eg rape). A more
> modern version of similar events is the mini-series "Paradise Road"
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119859/ about women prisoners forming a
> choir.
>
> Robyn L. Coburn
> www.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
> www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
> www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]