Discussion of everything and anything World War II
I am writing this on the 5th of June 2024, the eve of the 80th Anniversary of what has become known as D-Day. It was officially called Operation Overlord and should have been on the 5th of June, but poor weather conditions delayed it for a day (how very British). Ultimately, the D-Day Invasion did … Read more
For once, I am not going to analyse my original analysis or evaluation. I am going to leave this as nature intended it twenty-one years ago. The inspiration for the thesis, Saving Private Ryan has been reviewed. So the end is here, the end of the thesis, that is the final part, no more crossing … Read more
This was the only film for this study which was viewed in the way it was intended, on the big screen. I saw Saving Private Ryan within days of its release in 1998. It was amazing and exhausting in equal measures, particularly the first twenty minutes or so. In conjunction with a lecture on the … Read more
Steven Spielberg had wanted to make the film version of Thomas Kennealy’s book Schindler’s Ark for several years before he finally produced his multi-Oscar-winning masterpiece. In this blog, it is going to be Schindler’s List the film that is the focus of attention. The Girl in the Red Coat Spielberg chose to film in black … Read more
This is the second part of the William Friedkin section and focuses on the more heavyweight considerations of censorship relating to violence and the treatment of the Holocaust in feature films. Ironically, it also deals with whether films could be viable educational tools for learning history. At the time of writing the thesis, I had … Read more
I have heard the Normandy Battlefield tour guide and creator of WW2TV, Paul Woodridge, discuss the Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers ‘effect’. This is where people on his tours only want to see where the actions in a film or series took place. His dilemma is that he wants to show people beyond what has … Read more
This is a list of my top four favourite books about the Second World War. It is a list in progress but contains some of the titles which first got me into these books. There is a weighting towards Operation Market Garden and D-Day, explained away by my interest in airborne forces but also because … Read more
Hi, I’m Tony or BigT! I have been reading, watching films and documentaries, listening to podcasts, and studying and teaching about the Second World War for as long as I can remember. Here’s a bit of background on who I am and what my story is. The Second World War has fascinated me since watching … Read more