Classic War Stories

A collection of five classic war films. In 'The Longest Day' (1962), an all-star international cast retells the events of the Allied Landings in Normandy in 1944. Events are seen from various points of view, including the Germans', in an epic and spectacular style.

John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda head the cast. In 'Twelve O'Clock High' (1949), Colonel Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) commands the respect of his US bomber crew stationed in wartime Britain. But when Davenport is replaced by the callous General Savage (Gregory Peck), the latter's attempts to whip the crew into shape result in a deluge of requests for transfers.

'A Farewell to Arms' (1957) is a big budget remake of the 1932 original based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Rock Hudson stars as the American ambulance driver who falls in love with his nurse (Jennifer Jones) after being wounded in World War One, and deserts his post in order to be with her. In WWII drama 'The Desert Rats' (1953), British captain 'Tammy' MacRoberts (Richard Burton) takes charge of a squad of Australian troops to train them for desert fighting.

However, his stiff upper lip doesn't help to win over his Australian charges. James Mason reprises his role as Field Marshal Rommel from the film 'The Desert Fox' (1951). Finally, 'Sink the Bismarck!' (1960) is director Lewis Gilbert's dramatic retelling of the Allied mission in the spring of 1941 to find and destroy Germany's largest battleship, the Bismarck.

The story is told from the angle of the ships involved and the war room in London where Captain John Shepherd (Kenneth More) plots the manouevres using models of the vessels. The final scenes are a mixture of newsreel of the battle and updated special effects.