Movies Released Prior to 1963 that you have enjoyed watching...

Post old movies you have enjoyed watching.

This movie was shocking to me and was released in 1956

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048977/

 

How The West Was Won (1962)

 

Lots of great westerns from that time period. Two favorites are "the Searchers" and "Rio Bravo"

 

Just got done watching this:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054127/

I remember seeing it for the first time on television and falling in love with, "Angel". I wasn't born for another 2 years, but I was very young when I saw it the first time. I'd forgotten those feelings until I just watched again. It's been a long time since I saw it and it's great to see it for the first time, again.

 

Loved the epic Lawrence of Arabia.

 

all right you aficionados of old Westerns - who/what is John Wayne saluting here:

 

Family and forgiveness. Notice he doesn't go inside the house but walks away.

 

Psycho. A shocking thriller in its day.

 

Wayne's homage to Harey Carey the senior.

 

Bingo!

Five LIKES for you.

 

Harry Carey, Sr:









I can never quite make up my mind as to who was Hollywood's greatest cowboy: William S Hart or Harry Carey, Sr

Ironically, both great cowboys were originally from NYC.

 

Tumbleweeds, William S Hart

 

my favorite Western of all time:







Douglas Fairbanks, Sr

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055719/

 

Looks like a good movie. I don't recall seeing it before, but added it to my Netflix que.

Here's another of my favorites (meaning I like watching again on occasion): The Day the Earth Stood Still
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456/
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!

 

It is rather dull and boring by modern comparisons.

But historically it is probably more correct than the ultra modern Spartan movies have been.

The thing that these modern movies do not convey is that the Spartans DID NOT WANT to go to war north of the isthmus. Athens was their sworn enemy.

In the 1962 movie there is a scene in the Spartan gerousia (congress) where they get into an argument over Athens about it:

"That's the gap that protects Athens!"

"No, that's the gap that protects Greece!"

No Spartan would have ever said this however. There was no such thing as "Greece" in those days. Just a bunch of really independent Greek city states.

 

While the Grecian city-states had fought among themselves, as other city-states often did, the Persians presented a dangerous outside threat. If the British had used the American Civil War to invade the US, I have little doubt the Blue and the Grey would have banded together to fight a common enemy.

What isn't as well known about the Battle of Thermopylae is that the Spartans were alone in hold the pass. There were initially 7000 Greeks versus the Persian Army of 100,000-150,000 with King Leonidas in command of the Greeks. When they were outflanked by the Persians, Leonidas sent most of Greeks away leaving him with his 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, and 400 Thebans to make one of history's greatest last stands.

 

King Leonidas was fighting a rear action to give Athens a chance to mobilize their fleet and evacuate. He must have loved Athens, or else he loved fighting, or else he would fight to the death before retreating before the Persians for the sake of his honor. Or else he knew the Spartans would put him on trial and execute him for retreating in the face of the enemy so he was a dead man either way.

U.S. Marines are taught to fight like these Spartans did as well, so that the U.S. Army has time to mobilize. The USMC does not retreat, doesn't give up, and don't take prisoners.

The Navy and the USAF is always partly mobilized, the former protecting the high seas and the latter the skies and space.

But the U.S. Army needs time.

The Athenians needed time too and King Leonidas gave them that time and all of their troops back. Anyone who stayed at Thermo-pylae (hot springs, in Greek) was going to be slaughtered.

 

So are you agreeing or disagreeing with my post?

I can only post what history says and consider all else just speculation. In some ways I consider the actions of people, even those in battle, to be akin to what George Mallory said in 1923 when asked by a reporter "Why did you want to climb Mount Everest?": "Because it's there".

I was in the Marine Corps for 10 years, but retired out of the Naval Reserve. I would have stayed active the entire time, but circumstances prevailed. I had my reasons why I joined and why I wanted to stay in. If you were in the military, then you had your reasons too. Why King Leonidas did what he did, and why those 300 Spartans along with 1100 others fought and died fighting the Persians is known only to them. I can only guess.

Many of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest movies were before 1963: "Rear Window", "North by Northwest" and, among his best, "Vertigo".

 

"... what history says ..." is actually what various authors write.

There is no history monitor.

Herodotus is the primary original author on the Persian Wars, although Siculus has also commented on them.

I have read both.

My views come from their writings.

 

I listed the possibilities of "why".

As a King Leonidas considered all of them, I am sure.

He was a dead man either way, so he chose to stay and kill Persians.

I would have done the same thing.

So would the USMC and the individual Marines in it.

 

While being closer to the time helps, unless they were there and interviewed Leonidas, their's is only opinion.

 

Herodotus interviewed other witnesses and nonwitnesses.

There were 2 Spartan survivors -- some say deserters -- of the battle.

They both committed suicide later because the other Spartans shunned them and would not speak to them.

 

Unless he interviewed Leonidas, then my point stands; we can't know what a person was thinking unless they told someone.

BTW, Herodotus was 5 years old when the Battle of Thermopylae took place. Obviously any interviews took place years later.