I can't understate how happy I am to see stories like this come out in the mainstream again. Ben Macintyre's Rogue Heroes has been turned into a show and now Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of...
I can't understate how happy I am to see stories like this come out in the mainstream again. Ben Macintyre's Rogue Heroes has been turned into a show and now Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is getting a movie. I just wish that the latter didn't seem so fictionalized. Both of these parts of history are truly fascinating in their own right and have their own share of humor! There are a ton of watchable documentaries on the founding of the SAS, OSS, and their activities throughout the Second World War and into the Cold War that are actually worth watching.
On a related note, I think Macintyre's Prisoners of the Castle is also prime material for a historically accurate film. Or even a TV show if it was handled right. It's about Colditz castle which had been turned into POW camp (where David Stirling, a founder of the SAS, had been imprisoned among other notable people and high-ranking officers).
(Possible spoilers below, lol.)
.
The prison was managed by a German officer who, despite his affiliation and directives from Nazi command, had a great deal of respect for the traditional conventions of war and of treating prisoners with respect, even forming a gentleman's agreement with the prison's officers that prisoners attempting to escape wouldn't be shot or court martialed if they were caught on prison grounds. He put up with a lot of abuse and harassment from the POWs, allowed them to perform plays and celebrate Christmas, and mostly looked the other way when the prisoners bartered their Red Cross parcels (of cigarettes and chocolate) for contraband.
By the time the allies were close enough that capture of the castle was a possibility, SS troops had been dispatched to "protect" the POWs and assume control of the castle and nearby town. The German officer locked the SS out and retained control of the castle. He then agreed that his staff would trade places with the prisoners, turning over control to the British, and agreed to fight together if the SS troops assaulted the castle because no one was under any illusion of what their real purpose was. If that's not worthy of a good war movie, I don't know what is.
Oh damn, I entirely missed that. I shouldn't've just ignored the British vs Americans instead of just assuming it's Sabaton taking some creative liberties or something.
Oh damn, I entirely missed that.
I shouldn't've just ignored the British vs Americans instead of just assuming it's Sabaton taking some creative liberties or something.
Correcting myself: So a week ago, after some Googling, I was pretty sure that it was Giles Milton's book that this film was being adapted from. However today Damien Lewis' The Ministry of...
Correcting myself: So a week ago, after some Googling, I was pretty sure that it was Giles Milton's book that this film was being adapted from.
However today Damien Lewis' The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is on sale on Kindle and has an updated cover saying "soon to be a major movie." So maybe that's the source of the adaptation. Obligatory GoodReads link.
I guess I'll have to read both and see which is better.
I just saw the trailer for this on TikTok this morning. Does it look like it'll be good, not particularly. Will it be a fun time, undoubtedly. I love seeing Cavill live his life out on movie sets,...
I just saw the trailer for this on TikTok this morning. Does it look like it'll be good, not particularly. Will it be a fun time, undoubtedly. I love seeing Cavill live his life out on movie sets, doing what so many of us as kids thought would be incredible and fun. Go Henry go!
I love Man From UNCLE so I’m excited Cavill is teaming up with Ritchie again.
I can't understate how happy I am to see stories like this come out in the mainstream again. Ben Macintyre's Rogue Heroes has been turned into a show and now Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is getting a movie. I just wish that the latter didn't seem so fictionalized. Both of these parts of history are truly fascinating in their own right and have their own share of humor! There are a ton of watchable documentaries on the founding of the SAS, OSS, and their activities throughout the Second World War and into the Cold War that are actually worth watching.
On a related note, I think Macintyre's Prisoners of the Castle is also prime material for a historically accurate film. Or even a TV show if it was handled right. It's about Colditz castle which had been turned into POW camp (where David Stirling, a founder of the SAS, had been imprisoned among other notable people and high-ranking officers).
(Possible spoilers below, lol.)
.
The prison was managed by a German officer who, despite his affiliation and directives from Nazi command, had a great deal of respect for the traditional conventions of war and of treating prisoners with respect, even forming a gentleman's agreement with the prison's officers that prisoners attempting to escape wouldn't be shot or court martialed if they were caught on prison grounds. He put up with a lot of abuse and harassment from the POWs, allowed them to perform plays and celebrate Christmas, and mostly looked the other way when the prisoners bartered their Red Cross parcels (of cigarettes and chocolate) for contraband.
By the time the allies were close enough that capture of the castle was a possibility, SS troops had been dispatched to "protect" the POWs and assume control of the castle and nearby town. The German officer locked the SS out and retained control of the castle. He then agreed that his staff would trade places with the prisoners, turning over control to the British, and agreed to fight together if the SS troops assaulted the castle because no one was under any illusion of what their real purpose was. If that's not worthy of a good war movie, I don't know what is.
As for your second paragraph, it might also be known to some people from the Sabaton song The Last Battle.
That was, interestingly, a different castle, with some similar circumstances.
Oh damn, I entirely missed that.
I shouldn't've just ignored the British vs Americans instead of just assuming it's Sabaton taking some creative liberties or something.
Correcting myself: So a week ago, after some Googling, I was pretty sure that it was Giles Milton's book that this film was being adapted from.
However today Damien Lewis' The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is on sale on Kindle and has an updated cover saying "soon to be a major movie." So maybe that's the source of the adaptation. Obligatory GoodReads link.
I guess I'll have to read both and see which is better.
Huh, looks fun, also trailer similar in vibes with Argylle movie trailer. Definitely will watch.
I just saw the trailer for this on TikTok this morning. Does it look like it'll be good, not particularly. Will it be a fun time, undoubtedly. I love seeing Cavill live his life out on movie sets, doing what so many of us as kids thought would be incredible and fun. Go Henry go!
Looks like a fun movie.