A Facebook Diversion

I would not describe myself as a massive social media user as such (gasps of disbelief at this point....). For sure I write this blog and comment on others occasionally. I use Facebook on a random basis – mainly big events or holidays with the occasional dash of topical whimsy, usually involving either the cats or something edible. I suppose that some may consider this a lot but I don’t feel that it is. However, I have just completed something which has given me a lot of pleasure but also a certain degree of vexation. I am of course referring to the 10 film challenge.

The idea is a simple one, select a film a day for 10 days that you would watch repeatedly, describe briefly why you would and then nominate someone else to do the same. I have now completed my 10 but the vexing thing for me was limiting my selection to just this amount! 

The whole challenge has given me much food for thought – not only picking 10 films but also why they have for me such repeat watchability.  

When I started the challenge I wanted to make sure that any films that already been featured by other people were not included so in a sense it was almost a kind of race. Even so, I still had plenty to choose from. 

The one thing struck me though whilst I was going through the list – and picking just 10 films was incredibly difficult, I could have easily made it a lot more! – is how much the visual spectacle has influenced my wargames. 

My list boiled down to the following and I should mention that these are not in any order and neither to represent my top ten – they are merely those that have an infinite degree of repeatability for me. I should also mention again that I left out films that had already been mentioned by others taking the challenge. 

The Seven Samurai

El Cid

The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Battle of Britain

Lawrence of Arabia

Blade Runner

Where Eagles Dare

Spartacus

Scaramouche

Heartbreak Ridge

Most wargamers I know are adept at picking historical holes in the films we watch – I am no exception to this – and yet we still watch them. As a classic example I have lost count of the number of times I have seen, for example, Zulu, yet I would watch it again. I know there are many inaccuracies in the film but that does not stop it from being a superb and stirring piece of entertainment.

I like to think that the films I watch work for me in many ways the same a wargame does – it is a medium to impart a sense of what the action could have been like. In short it works for me if it imparts the correct degree of flavour and the more it does so the better the sense of enjoyment.