War Movie Theatre

Definitely Not Vietnam Month opens with one of the greatest films ever to be made that definitely wasn't about the Vietnam War. Robert Altman's 1970 debut M*A*S*H was the tale of the 4077th Army hospital in the Korean - repeat Korean - War. It defied cinematic conventions, with no story arcs, overlapping dialogue, and a cynical attitude to life right from the opening song. The studio didn't expect much, but it was a critical and commercial hit, spawning a long-running sitcom and putting rocket boosters under the careers of not just Altman but also stars Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.Duncan and Rob weren't sure how it had aged, but guest Joe Twyman, who spent three years as a "Fobbit" in Baghdad, argues that it's the most authentic portrayal of life on a military base that he's ever seen.Next week, Definitely Not Vietnam Month continues with an obscure 1977 film called Star Wars.

Near the top of any list of war films, Full Metal Jacket was Stanley Kubrick's bleak take on Vietnam. It gave us cinema's greatest drill sergeant, a script full of unforgettable lines, and an Asian country as it could only look if it had been filmed in an East London gasworks. Joining us is Sarah Ditum, who's been fascinated by the film since growing up near a military base where all the dads loved the movie. Her book Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties is about misogyny in culture. Will this film's female characters offer a chance to discuss this subject? Her conclusions may surprise you.Next week, Definitely Not Vietnam Month kicks off with MASH.

A rogue Russian submarine, heading for the US coast: does the captain plan to defect or start a nuclear war? Based on Tom Clancy's bestselling technothriller, this was a Cold War movie released just as the Cold War ended. Gripping from the first scene, it was a masterclass in film-making, helped by a stellar supporting cast, including Sam Neill and Tim Curry, both taken from us this year. Next week: Full Metal Jacket.

Errol Flynn! Olivia de Havilland! Horses! The only thing that's hard to understand about this swashbuckling 1930s epic is the decision to set a film about the most famous moment of the Crimean War in India. And to portray one of history's great military blunders as a strategic masterstroke. Just what was going on in Hollywood? Still, despite Rob struggling to process what he was watching, it's a wild ride. And Duncan learns how the poem of the charge of the movie might, conceivably, have changed the course of World War 2. Next week: The Hunt For Red October.

What films do we wish were war films? What has most surprised us over the course of 100 war movies? Do British people watch different war films from Americans? Which battles really need a film?Yes, for one week only, we're answering your questions. Next week, normal service resumes with The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936).

In a war movie so classic that it informed much of what came after it, David Niven is given the job of turning raw recruits into fighting men. Released in 1944, The Way Ahead is like a Rosetta stone for understanding much of what came afterwards in British film and TV, from Dad's Army to, arguably, Are You Being Served? It was written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, and directed by Carol Reed, a dream team that turns this army propaganda film into something special. Joining Rob to discuss it are Mark Wallace of the Total Politics Group and culture journalist George Cochrane.Next week, it's our mailbag episode.