Ice station zebra (4 Viewers)

blaster said:
Saw this oldie. It’s not memorable.
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Wow Victor, we have different opinions. To me it's a very memorable film and I must of watched it half a dozen times over the years.
Patrick McGoohan was certainly typecast, following on from his iconic TV rolls in Dangerman (Secret Agent) and The Prisoner, pretty much rehashing his rolls, though I'm sure others will disagree.
 
Hello Steve and jomatyr

I did try to like it. Esp it being one of those classic oldies. I practically grew up in a movie theatre house. My auntie was part owner mgr of it and I watched thousands of oldies for free. I remember watching ISZ but couldn’t remember the plot except for a sub, arctic snow and rock Hudson. Hahaha

So let me share with y my 2nd viewing of it.
This is Cold War stuff so I was expecting US vs USSR skullduggery.
Rock Hudson is the sub Capt tasked with ferrying spyPatrick McGoohan to ISZ. But it’s all hush hush. Along the way they helicopter in a bunch of marines led by Jim Brown and Ernest Borgnine ex Russian spy. Along the way someone tries to sabotage the sub. But who dun it? Patrick McG master spy says it is Jim Brown as he will vouch for Ernest Borg anytime.
ISZ turns out to be completely gutted and sabotaged by some convoluted spy vs spy kill off typical of Mad magazine.
Ernest Borg turns out to be really a non reformed Russian spy and poor Jim Brown is mistakenly killed off by P McG. Later P McG kills Ernest Borg.
Then the Russian paratroopers drop in. Both sides shoot off a load of automated smgs at each other and there are NO casualties!!! One young marine then tries to do a heroic act of assaulting the Russian cdr and is wounded. All this while, Rock Hudson stands tall to one side and has a few lines.

Whatever nostalgia I may have had for this movie is gone forever.

Rgds Vic.
 
Nice summary Victor and sounds like you had a fun time at the cinema in your youth.
Perhaps the magic of the old films at least for ISZ, is lost to you, though I'm sure others will still retain their charm for you.
Many of us have attachments to particular old films, often because of the remembrance of the person we saw it with, who may no longer be with us.
 
Horus said:
Nice summary Victor and sounds like you had a fun time at the cinema in your youth.
Perhaps the magic of the old films at least for ISZ, is lost to you, though I'm sure others will still retain their charm for you.
Many of us have attachments to particular old films, often because of the remembrance of the person we saw it with, who may no longer be with us.
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I thought this film was ok on its own, but having read most of Alistair Maclean's books, I was very disappointed in the 'movie spin off plot' compared to the quality of his plots.
 
Horus said:
Nice summary Victor and sounds like you had a fun time at the cinema in your youth.
Perhaps the magic of the old films at least for ISZ, is lost to you, though I'm sure others will still retain their charm for you.
Many of us have attachments to particular old films, often because of the remembrance of the person we saw it with, who may no longer be with us.
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Hi Steve,

I understand that you have associative memories with this movie. Rgds victor
 
The one thing I remember about this movie (and drives me nuts) is in the shot of the Russian fighters approaching they are MIG21s. But when they fly over they are F4 Phantoms. Apparently, the Russians invented F4 disguise kits.
BTW, Borgnine is not killed, only wounded. His fate is not provided, although I doubt it would turn out good.
 
panda1gen said:
I thought this film was ok on its own, but having read most of Alistair Maclean's books, I was very disappointed in the 'movie spin off plot' compared to the quality of his plots.
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Yes, that's the drawback to watching a film adaptation of a popular book and I'm sure we could all name a few !
 
I am not sure that I would watch the movie today, but it does bring to mind fond childhood memories.
Best wishes,
Benjamin
 
I watched the Guns of Navarone with my son last night (his first viewing, and he loved it). Now that was a great Allister MacLean movie! Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, David Niven (the only casting choice that didn't match the book, Dusty Miller was supposed to by a tough mining explosive expert from Nevada, but it still worked). I was so disappointed by Force 10 from Navarone (despite the fact that the screen play was revamped by George MacDonald Frasier, my favorite author). Harrison Ford and Carl Weathers just couldn't save that terrible movie, which barely acknowledged the book.
 
Louis Badolato said:
I watched the Guns of Navarone with my son last night (his first viewing, and he loved it). Now that was a great Allister MacLean movie! Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, David Niven (the only casting choice that didn't match the book, Dusty Miller was supposed to by a tough mining explosive expert from Nevada, but it still worked). I was so disappointed by Force 10 from Navarone (despite the fact that the screen play was revamped by George MacDonald Frasier, my favorite author). Harrison Ford and Carl Weathers just couldn't save that terrible movie, which barely acknowledged the book.
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What a well argued argument Louis, too right. Anthony Hopkins in 'When 8 Bells Toll' was a very good Alistair MacLean film though IMO.

Being an old g~t, I still remember the shear excitement as a kid going with my family to see these films at the cinema, especially the Battle of Britain, Guns of Navarone, Battle of the Bulge, Patton and Kelly's Heroes just to name a few.

As a kid I wasn't as critical of all the vehicles being ex USA or a rubbish plot, but now?

Full kudos to films like 'Fury', using more realistic and authentic kit.
 
panda1gen said:
What a well argued argument Louis, too right. Anthony Hopkins in 'When 8 Bells Toll' was a very good Alistair MacLean film though IMO.

Being an old g~t, I still remember the shear excitement as a kid going with my family to see these films at the cinema, especially the Battle of Britain, Guns of Navarone, Battle of the Bulge, Patton and Kelly's Heroes just to name a few.

As a kid I wasn't as critical of all the vehicles being ex USA or a rubbish plot, but now?

Full kudos to films like 'Fury', using more realistic and authentic kit.
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Kevin,

Great points, but I have to respectfully disagree with regard to Kelly's Heroes. I thought that, for the time, they did a great job reproducing the German vehicles, re-sheet-metaling Czech T34's into nice reproductions of tigers, re-sheet-metaling M3 Halftracks into Hanomags (which were spot on except for the tracks and bogie wheels), and getting real Opel Blitz trucks and Kubelwagons. The U.S. vehicles were all authentic, with the exception of using what looked like a T6 Harvard trainer to replicate a P47 Thunderbolt. But I agree, for the most part, hollywood used old American tanks painted gray with crosses on the turrets in making WWII movies until around the time of Saving Private Ryan.
 
Louis,

On reflection you make good points re Kelly's Heroes, especially the mock Tiger. (y)

Battle of Britain was superb in its use of ageing ex German Spanish Heinkels etc. :cool:

Battle of the Bulge was probably the one that stuck with me most about all American kit. I still went to see it more than once.
 
panda1gen said:
Louis,

On reflection you make good points re Kelly's Heroes, especially the mock Tiger. (y)

Battle of Britain was superb in its use of ageing ex German Spanish Heinkels etc. :cool:

Battle of the Bulge was probably the one that stuck with me most about all American kit. I still went to see it more than once.
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Kevin,

I agree, the Battle of Britain was terrific and the Battle of the Bulge was the worst!
 
panda1gen said:
What a well argued argument Louis, too right. Anthony Hopkins in 'When 8 Bells Toll' was a very good Alistair MacLean film though IMO.

Being an old g~t, I still remember the shear excitement as a kid going with my family to see these films at the cinema, especially the Battle of Britain, Guns of Navarone, Battle of the Bulge, Patton and Kelly's Heroes just to name a few.

As a kid I wasn't as critical of all the vehicles being ex USA or a rubbish plot, but now?

Full kudos to films like 'Fury', using more realistic and authentic kit.
Click to expand...
Being an old Aussie I also have fond memories of the now classic movies from the 1970's, Waterloo and the Battle of Britain being stand outs to me. I recently watched the Battle of Britain on Netflix and the 'bloody flying goggles' scene was almost as horrific and impressive on my large tv screen as it was way back in my local movie theater. Of course patriotism and military mythology featured in both films, but most viewers would not notice the historical inaccuracies.

Kelly's Heroes had some great combat action but IMO spoiled by some absurd aspects, such as the hippy US tankers etc. I guess I'm in the minority in that regard and one of my favourite 'car chase' movies of that era 'The Gumball Rally', was a box office failure while the absurd 'The Canonball Run' was a huge success, there's no accounting for taste as they say ;)
 
OzDigger said:
Being an old Aussie I also have fond memories of the now classic movies from the 1970's, Waterloo and the Battle of Britain being stand outs to me. I recently watched the Battle of Britain on Netflix and the 'bloody flying goggles' scene was almost as horrific and impressive on my large tv screen as it was way back in my local movie theater. Of course patriotism and military mythology featured in both films, but most viewers would not notice the historical inaccuracies.

Kelly's Heroes had some great combat action but IMO spoiled by some absurd aspects, such as the hippy US tankers etc. I guess I'm in the minority in that regard and one of my favourite 'car chase' movies of that era 'The Gumball Rally', was a box office failure while the absurd 'The Canonball Run' was a huge success, there's no accounting for taste as they say ;)
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Matt,

I also liked films about an earlier era, e.g. Waterloo and the Charge of the Light Brigade.

I doubt any film meant to entertain can be wholly accurate and anyway there would be too many things happening all over to 'record' everything. I think films like these did capture an essence though.

All the best, Kevin.
 
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