WW2 Historian James Holland Breaks Down World War 2 Movies
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Published 2021-11-04
The Sherwood Rangers were one of the great tank regiments. They had learned their trade the hard way, in the burning deserts of North Africa. From D-Day onwards, they were in the thick of the action til the war's end. They and their Sherman tanks covered thousands of miles and endured some of the fiercest fighting in Western Europe. Their engagements stretch from the Normandy beaches to the bridges at Eindhoven. They were the first British unit into Germany, grinding across the Siegfried Line and on into the Nazi heartland.
Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland's expert analysis, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two.
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All Comments (21)
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I love how he addresses how "Dunkirk" would actually be more realistic with more CGI
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that is so crazy that the fighter planes only had 14.7 seconds of ammunition. every depiction of WW2 dogfights and aerial combat shows these long, drawn out battles with all sorts of maneuvers and lots of bullets flying everywhere. so mind-blowing to hear that wasn't the case.
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I love that this guy not only judges the films based on literal historical accuracy, but also on the spirit of what the films were conveying. When he talks about Jojo Rabbit, he clearly understands that the movie is taking massive creative liberties in order to add humor and spectacle, and he doesn't demerit it for that because the tone and the chaos was accurate. Pure class.
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Bruno Ganz should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Downfall", at the least. It's an all-time performance.
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Ever since I saw Bruno Ganz playing as Hitler, I started seeing others who played as Hitler in a silly way. Like, no disrespect to those actors, they're amazing people, but the way Bruno played Hitler is so terrifyingly accurate. From the way he's speaking, his shaking hands, even the eye movement and body language. R.I.P Bruno Ganz.
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I love how in Downfall, during the rant, you can actually see the generals almost trembling in fear. They were really channeling their characters. If Hitler were yelling at me I’d be shitting my pants.
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What I like about this is that Mr Holland is obviously a film fan. He clearly is able to appreciate movie making and storytelling even when not strictly accurate.
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That was exactly the problem I had with “Dunkirk”, and no one I talked to seemed to understand. The real event had hundreds of thousands of guys waiting to be evacuated. The movie had hardly anyone. My memory of the film was of a few guys creeping around, and a few people in boats and planes. If you can’t assemble an actual cast of thousands when needed, then you’d better use CGI to make up for it. I just did not understand Nolan’s directorial decisions in this one.
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I'm happy to hear that "Downfall" was so spot-on. Because it's one of my favorite war movies (that ironically, has almost no depictions of battle in it, only people talking about battle, which is normally very boring in a war film). I honestly can't stop watching it though, because, psychologically, it hits on so many of the "human" elements of the actual collapse of a dictatorship, under gunfire. And the acting, in most scenes, is bloody brilliant!
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If you're unaware, James Holland has a brilliant podcast alongside Al Murray called "We have ways of making you talk". All WW2 Based.
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I am SO glad you included "Jo Jo Rabbit." I was actually going to request that you do! I found myself surprisingly moved by this picture, which incredibly managed to capture both the realism and the humor of the war in equal measure, and with such stellar acting performances. The guy who played Hitler was fall down hilarious, and I found the role of the mother played by Scarlett Johansson particularly moving.
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I love the way Holland talks about JoJo Rabbit. I've always taken the movie as being how JoJo experienced things. For example, I don't think that Captain K was wearing his fantastical uniform, but that is how JoJo perceived him. If that is the case, then it makes total sense that the specifics would be unrealistic, but the feeling of collapse would be accurate.
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Not only does he clearly know his history, but seems to know a lot about movies as well, even pointing out specific filming techniques and restraints. I agree with all his movie ratings as well.
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"Downfall" is based on the book "Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich" by the German historian Joachim Feist and the memoirs of Hitler's private secretary Traudl Junge "Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary". Actor Bruno Ganz (Hitler) gives his version a great balance of madness and some kind of normality without showing Hitler as a ridicolous comedy character.
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James Hollands’ analyses are an absolute pleasure to hear because he knows just how to assess a movie in its respective form, evaluating historical accuracy and yet also cinematographic importance. A very smart approach to films, very nuanced, very intelligent.
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I love how he's so engaged/excited, that he starts looking at/ talking to the camera crew instead of staring at the camera. True history nerd :) <3
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I’m glad he appreciated JoJo Rabbit. Yes, it was a darkly humorous take on a much more serious book. But bear in mind it was done to depict the end of the Third Reich through the eyes of a child. The insanity of everything going on around him would have appeared quite fantastical.
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I had the same problem with Dunkirk. The whole place looked empty. In most scenes we see one boat, a handfull of troops and almost empty skies. It's ridiculous...
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James Holland is my new favourite WW2 historian. He is just brilliant and his works are so delightful to read and well-written.
