KH is one of my Top 10 favorite movies of all time. Realistic? No, but who cares. IMHO it had the most authentic "flavor" of any WWII movie until
Saving Private Ryan and
Band of Brothers. I first discovered it on late-night TV in the mid or late '70s and have been a fan ever since. I consider it one of the three most quotable movies of all time (with
Animal House and
The Outlaw Josey Wales).
What I love about it is that it has an all-star cast, but they weren't stars when it was made. At the time, even Eastwood himself wasn't yet a superstar.
Some fun KH trivia:
*Quentin Tarantino picked up part of the Lalo Schifrin soundtrack for
Inglorious Basterds. True KH fans spotted the music immediately.
*The theme song, "Burning Bridges," was performed by The Mike Curb Congregation. Mike Curb later became the Lt. Governor of California, and was the occasional butt of Johnny Carson jokes for some reason.
*You might have heard that there's an anachronistic M14 rifle in the movie. I thought so myself for a long time. But on close examination, the gun in question is a common M1 Carbine with a rare grenade-launching muzzle attachment.