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PODCAST

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and Cinema History

Robert Hutton & Duncan Weldon - War Movies Fans

Love classic war movies? So do we. From Troy to World War II to Vietnam to Aliens, we analyse which war films work and what they say about us.Banned from watching old war movies by their families, writers Robert Hutton and Duncan Weldon meet in their secret basement to discuss why the navy don"t simply sail round the other side of Navarone, and why everyone is too old in Saving Private Ryan. Each week, a different film, sometimes brought along by a guest. From Powell and Pressburger"s Colonel Blimp

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

1:15:12

Michael Collins

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/03/19

Fighting Irish Month continues with Liam Neeson as Michael Collins, the inventor of urban guerilla warfare and the man who negotiated independence. It's an epic from director Neil Jordan, but does it play favourites with the history? And how many categories will Julia Roberts win?Next week: Barry Lyndon.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a

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1:29:04

The Wind That Shakes The Barley - with Padraig Reidy

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/03/12

The worst wars are civil wars. Ken Loach's tale of two brothers in Cork in the 1920s deals not just with the Irish War of Independence but also with the civil war that followed it. We're joined by Cork man Padraig Reidy to discuss whether what this movie really needed was one more lengthy chat about class conflict.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website: https://warmovietheatre.comHelp us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions?

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57:41

The Siege of Jadotville

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/03/05

It's Fighting Irish Month! First up, a forgotten true tale of 150 soldiers sent to keep the peace in Congo. Low on ammunition, running out of water, can they hold off their attackers? How did the makers navigate the potential Dam Buster's Dog moments? Can anyone explain Conor Cruise O'Brien? And what fascinating facts has Duncan brought along about Bren guns and French mercenaries?Next week: The Wind That Shakes The Barley.See our prospective movie list! Buy merch! Visit our website:

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1:17:23

Reach For The Sky - with Peter Apps

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/02/26

Douglas Bader was a man who lost both his legs but became a World War 2 flying ace, a disability campaigner who could be insufferably rude, a prisoner in Colditz who was nearly killed by his American liberators. We're joined by Peter Apps, who was paralysed in an accident while working as a Reuters war correspondent but has since rejoined the Army, to talk about the amazing film of Bader's life. Did Kenneth More make him seem to nice? Why were the film's makers so personally invested in the

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1:08:47

Edge of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat) with Charles Arthur

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/02/19

Is it "Groundhog Day meets Aliens" or "World War 2 of the future"? Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt strap on their exoskeletons and go to war against alien invaders, over and over again.We're joined by the writer Charles Arthur to watch a film that, amazingly, Duncan knew nothing about. Marvel as he tries to work out why Cruise is dying 10 minutes in. Thrill as we try to work out the bodycount,Gasp as Rob explains director Doug Liman's seat-of-his pants approach to film-making.See our prospective movie

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1:08:47

The Heroes of Telemark

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/02/12

Skis against the atom! We're watching one of the all-time classic war movies. Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris jump from planes, scale ice cliffs and sink a ferry in the quest to stop the Nazis getting the bomb. Directed by Anthony Mann, it's based on an amazing true story of Norwegian heroism. Has knitwear ever looked better? Are Norwegians really this horny? And can Rob successfully explain "heavy water" to Duncan?Next week: Edge of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat)See our prospective movie list! Buy

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1:12:59

Nuremberg - with Henry Dyer

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/02/05

Russell Crowe makes another pitch for an Oscar as he plays Herman Goering, on trial for his life. But is he let down by a film that is determined to both show and tell? Does he have the silliest last line in history? Is this, fundamentally, a crime against cinema? We're joined by Henry Dyer of the Guardian, who has become so obsessed with why this film doesn't work that he's read the screenplay. And Rob and Duncan can't stop thinking of different stories the makers could have told instead.Next week,

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1:16:57

The Last of the Mohicans

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/01/29

Our journey through classic war movies reaches back to colonial America, as we watch Michael Mann's amazing The Last Of The Mohicans. It's an epic tale of obsession and men who won't compromise -- and that's just the making of the film. Daniel Day-Lewis insisted on living like a native American. Mann tried to turn the sun off. But the result, well. Rob and Duncan discuss why this film stands up, why it was overlooked at the Oscars, and why it really might have been the operation that changed the

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1:22:52

Dad's Army (1971) - with Matt Chorley

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/01/22

Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring! Our journey through classic war cinema brings us to the 1971 big screen spin-off of one of the most successful BBC sitcoms ever. BBC Radio 5's Matt Chorley, a man who knows a thing or two about jokes, joins Rob to explore what a comedy about a bunch of geriatric misfits tells us about Britain in 1940, the 1960s and 70s, and even today. Why did Arthur Lowe have a clause in his contract about his trousers? What did the Home Guard really do? And which member of the cast

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1:08:56

The Cockleshell Heroes

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/01/15

Kayaks! Commandos! Courage! José Ferrer and Trevor Howard pull out their paddles as they set off to blow up blockade-running boats, in this loosely-based-on-a-true-story tale of wartime derring-do. It's also a story of a culture clash between two quite different men, and of someone branded a coward seeking redemption.On top of that, it's the film that links much post-war British cinema, from James Bond to The Go Between. Find out what Daniel Craig owes to a 1950s tax break.Next week: Dad's Army. The

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1:22:19

Under Siege - with Joe Twyman

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/01/08

"I'm just a lowly cook." To mark Arrow Video's release of Under Siege in 4K UHD, we're watching the indisputable high point of Steven Seagal's career for the first time since we were teenagers. Will the bit we remember still be in there? Is his acting still terrible? Has there ever been stronger competition for the Dam Buster's Dog Prize For Most Problematic Moment? Joining us is Joe Twyman of DeltaPoll, to explain why you really have to be a 14-year-old boy in 1993 to appreciate this film.Next

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1:17:06

A Few Good Men - with Hadley Freeman

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2026/01/01

You want answers? You think you're entitled? You can't handle the truth! This week we're marking the death of Rob Reiner by watching the closest thing he made to a war movie: A Few Good Men. Was Tom Cruise ever snappier? Was Jack Nicholson ever shoutier? How many of those medals did any of the characters deserve? Joining Rob is Hadley Freeman, Sunday Times journalist, author, and interviewers of everyone who made a film in the 80s.Next week, we're enlisting the aid of a Playboy model to retake our

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1:16:14

Bedknobs and Broomsticks - with James Kettle

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/12/25

What could be more Christmassy, or more war-y, than Angela Lansbury punching Nazis? This week, we're off down Portobello Road and away under the briny sea as we watch the Disney classic war movie-witchcraft crossover Bedknobs and Broomsticks. We're joined by comedy writer James Kettle, whose hits include The Life I Lead, a play about Bedknobs actor James Tomlinson.Next week, in memory of Rob Reiner, we're watching A Few Good Men.Help us out by doing our listener survey:

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1:12:34

The Boys From Brazil - with Jack Blackburn

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/12/18

Laurence Olivier! Gregory Peck! Baby Hitler! Excited by the news that scientists have finally - finally! - managed to sequence the Fuhrer's DNA, Rob and Duncan are joined by Times history correspondent Jack Blackburn, a young man with a disturbing resemblance to... no, that can't be right. They're watching The Boys From Brazil, the Nazi buffet-crashing, father-murdering Nazi-cloning thriller comedy classic. With a smorgasbord of Nasty Nazis and tremendous deaths, the awards section is wide open in

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1:15:10

Malta Story - with Matthew Doyle

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/12/11

This week, Rob and Duncan are stranded in the Mediterranean, holding out against constant bombing, and starving under siege conditions, watching Malta Story. They're joined by former Downing Street Director of Communications Matthew Doyle, who since we recorded has joined the House of Lords - the second peer to come on the show. Jack Hawkins is as good as ever, but how is Alec Guinness as a romantic reconnaissance pilot? Is it fair to the people of Malta for the film to spend quite so much time

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51:27

The Desert Rats

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/12/04

For the second week running, we're with Australian troops, this time in the 1941 defence of Tobruk. Desert Rats took its name from a different unit, and quite a few liberties with the history, but it also delivered a some terrific scenes of commandos sneaking through the enemy lines on do-or-die missions, and caught Richard Burton as he was on the brink of stardom. And then of course there's James Mason, James Masoning. Next week: Malta Story.Help us out by doing our listener survey:

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1:05:10

Gallipoli - with Chris Kempshall

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/11/27

Peter Weir's 1981 Gallipoli set both him and Mel Gibson on a path to Hollywood glory, and also helped establish the popular narrative for a campaign that is crucial to Australia's national identity. Which is hardly a surprise, as it's one of the greatest films about the Great War. Even though -- or because -- it actually doesn't feature that much war. Rob and Duncan are joined by Chris Kempshall, historian of the First World War and Star Wars (though not both at once), and consultant on the

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1:04:26

Biggles: Adventures In Time - with Mark Wallace

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/11/20

A beloved British hero, an evil German, a super-weapon, and... a time-travelling 1980s New York executive? How did everyone get it so wrong when it came to putting WW1 flying ace Biggles on the big screen? It was supposed to be a rival to Raiders of the Lost Ark, then it was going to be the new Back to the Future. In the end it was a war crime. And that's before we get to the music. Rob and Duncan are joined by Biggles fanboy Mark Wallace to discuss what might have been, why Biggles stories are far

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54:13

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/11/13

Is this the war movie that explains all war movies? Rob and Duncan watch the first version of All Quiet On The Western Front, made barely a decade after the First World War ended. Somehow, it turns out to be a chance to talk about Starship Troopers again.[Apologies for a fat-finger error that led Rob to delete the first five minutes of this episode when we first uploaded it. All fixed now, we hope, and Duncan is working on a suitable punishment.]Next week, we continue Great War Month with

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55:25

1917 Live at the Imperial War Museum - with John Crace

War Movie Theatre | for Fans of Classic War Films and... ·

2025/11/06

Live from the Imperial War Museum's Podcast Festival, we kick off Great War Month by watching Sam Mendes's men-with-a-mission trench-running bonanza, 1917, with John Crace of the Guardian. Is this the operation that changed the course of the Great War? Should they have searched that farmhouse? Might there, in fact, be a better way to get the message through? All this and more. Help us out by doing our listener survey: http://bit.ly/warmovietheatre-surveySuggestions? Comments? Drop us a line at

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