The Essential War Collection DVD – Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe

Box set containing eight classic war movies. ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987) details the dehumanising effect of military combat, as experienced by a bunch of Vietnam conscripts under the training of the sadistic Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). The second half of the film follows one of the recruits, Joker (Matthew Modine), onto the battlefield as he is thrown into the war at the height of the Tet offensive. In ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (1968), during World War II, seven Allied agents are selected to rescue an American general from the impenetrable German fortress Schloss Adler. In charge of the team is British Major Smith (Richard Burton), with American Lieutenant Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) as second in command. Parachuting into the enemy territory in German uniforms, the squad discover one of their number dead on arrival, and Smith suspects that he may have a traitor amongst his unit. In ‘The Dirty Dozen’ (1967), in 1944, twelve Death Row convicts are selected by Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) for a suicide mission. With the aid of his assistant, Sergeant Bowren (Richard Jaeckel), Reisman gradually moulds his gang of murderers, rapists, thieves and psychotics into a tough fighting unit. He leads them into occupied France in an attempt to infiltrate a chateau where the Nazi top brass are holding a summit. ‘We Were Soldiers’ (2002) stars Mel Gibson as Colonel Hal Moore. The year is 1965 and Moore’s men arrive in the highlands of South Vietnam ready to carry out a search-and-destroy mission. But thanks to a fault in military intelligence, they disembark near a large North Vietnamese army base and soon find themselves surrounded. What follows is a three-day battle resulting in massive casualties for both sides. In ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ (1970), during World War Two in occupied France, a group of soldiers led by Kelly (Clint Eastwood) capture a German general. He reveals the location of a bank housing 14,000 bars of Nazi gold, which Kelly and his men set out to steal. The only problem is that the bank lies thirty miles behind enemy lines. In ‘Memphis Belle’ (1990), the crew of the USAF bomber ‘Memphis Belle’, stationed in Britain during World War II, are preparing for their record-breaking 25th daylight mission. The mission will be as dangerous as ever, but if they survive they will return to the States as heroes. ‘Battle of the Bulge’ (1965) is a historical film account (starring Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw), of Germany’s last major European offensive of WWII at the Ardennes in Belgium, in December 1944. Germany, under the command of Hessler, plans an attack with the secret panzer division, but they are desperately short of fuel and their immediate objective is to capture a big allied fuel deposit, without the allies knowing. Finally, ‘Escape to Victory’ (1981) is set during World War II and focuses on a group of Nazi officers who come up with a propaganda event in which an all-star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Football match. The prisoners agree, planning on using the game as a means of escape from the camp.

Set Comprises: Battle of the Bulge (1965): For this epic recreation of one of World War II’s most crucial confrontations director Ken Annakin (The Longest Day) captures the explosive action of massive forces squaring off as well as the brave individual ingenuity of weary GIs trying to survive a cruel European winter. The cast is a juggernaut of stars: Henry Fonda Robert Shaw Robert Ryan Charles Bronson Telly Savalas and more. Full Metal Jacket (1987): Full Metal Jacket begins by following the trials and tribulations of a platoon of fresh Marine Corps recruits focusing on the relationship between Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and Privates Pyle and Joker. We see Pyle grow into an instrument of death as Hartman has foreseen of all of his recruits. Through Pyle’s torment and Joker’s unwillingness to stand up against it the climax of part one is achieved with all three main characters deciding their fates by their action or inaction. The second chapter of Full Metal Jacket delves into Joker’s psyche and the repeated referral to the fact that he joined the Corps to become a killer. When his mostly behind the scenes job as a combat correspondent is interfered with by the Tet offensive he is thrust into real combat and ultimately must choose if he really is a killer. Memphis Belle (1990): Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz head the dynamic cast of Memphis Belle an adventure inspired by true World War II heroics. During spring 1943 they took to the war-torn skies for the most dangerous mission in defence of freedom. If the ten-man crew of the bomber Memphis Belle returned they would receive a hero’s welcome and renew flagging public morale. But the odds were stacked heavily against them in the true courageous story of the brave fly-boys who each fought mortal fear while fighting the enemy together. Where Eagles Dare (1968): Commandos posing as German soldiers parachute into a small mountainside town to rescue a supposed allied general from a Nazi hideaway fortress that can only be reached by cable car. Escape to Victory (1981) This is no ordinary soccer match: this is war! The battlefield: a stadium in occupied Paris. The armies: German all-stars vs. ragtag Allied POWs. The objective: demonstrate another proof of Aryan superiority. Guess who wins? Better yet guess who cleverly uses the match as a means of escape? Sylvester Stallone Michael Caine and Max von Sydow star in this rouser directed by the legendary John Huston. The climatic match is a heart-in-the-throat hat-in-the-air exhibition of brute force and balletic grace featuring soccer legends Pele Bobby Moore Osvaldo Ardiles Co Prins Mike Summerbee and more. Score a splendid entertainment goal for ‘Victory’! Kelly’s Heroes (1970): In this less-than-serious look at World War II Lieutenant Kelly (Clint Eastwood) learns about a German gold shipment destined for France. With his ragtag fellow soldiers he is determined to slip behind enemy lines and retrieve it. The Dirty Dozen (1967): Atten-hut! Twelve jailbirds will earn their freedom… if they survive a suicide mission against the Nazi brass. Tough-as-nails Lee Marvin leads a nothing-to-lose convict squad in this all-time action trendsetter.