Movies for Veterans' Day . . .
I've put these together in three groups:
I've deliberately omitted many of the "Oorah!" films of which there is no shortage, especially with John Wayne repeatedly winning WWII single-handedly (e.g. Sands of Iwo Jima). Countless of these films (with and without Wayne) were churned out during and just after WWII into the 1950's. Plenty of those are easily found using Google.
Instead, I've included numerous excellent films aside from those in the main group listed first alongside the more meaningful ones many have probably seen before. I'm hoping you will explore some of them versus seeing things you already have. Notably missing is The Green Berets. IMHO it was completely over the top with clichéd hokum regarding the war and the role of Special Forces in a film made specifically to star Wayne winning yet another war single-handedly. Some of the other films have their share of it but that one in particular was too much. Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and We Were Soldiers are much, much better films. Also included films that dealt with the indelible effect of war on its participants. A couple of them focus on events that should never have occurred, but did. A notable film missing is "Coming Home" which starred the traitor, Hanoi Jane, who had the temerity and audacity to make a war movie. I should not need to say any more than that. Some on this list are better than others, but I don't believe any of them are "bad" movies. If you want to watch "The Big Red One", find the "reconstructed" one released in 2004 that restored it to its original 162 minute length. The 1980 theatrical release was butchered to 113 minutes for movie theaters. They make money on audience turnover and hate long films that limit the number of showings per day.
If you have never seen "All Quiet on the Western Front" I strongly recommend it. Debated about including "A Farewell to Arms" but left it on the list for those who might have read the novel. It will seem a nearly incomprehensible mess to those who have not read the novel or do not know the novel's plot (which was presumptive when it was made). It's an epic novel that cannot be captured in a standard length feature film. Another excellent movie often overlooked is Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" (about a French incident during WWI). Another very good film is "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" as it highlights the radical change within Britain in between WWI and WWII with warfare's generally accepted rules of engagement. The two Australian films, Gallipoli and The Lighthorsemen give a uniquely Australian perspective of WWI with ANZAC forces in the Turkish theater. "9th Company" and "They Fought for their Country" give a uniquely Soviet and Russian perspective (they're both in Russian with English subtitles), while "K-19: The Widowmaker" portrays the nearly catastrophic Soviet effort to field its first nuclear powered submarine (events with the boat are somewhat conflated).
I listed the country of origin as most of the movies not from English speaking countries are not in English and do not have an English dubbed version, they have subtitles. "Das Boot" is one of the exceptions. While most of the movies have a US or WWII Allied persepctive I've included others that give a different one. As always find out something about a movie before paying anything to watch it so that you're not surprised. These three lists span a very wide range of material.
John
There's a scroll bar at the bottom of the table to see all the columns . . .
I've put these together in three groups:
- Films directly related to the miltary, their personnel and specific military operations.
- Epic movies covering entire wars, major campaigns or biographies.
- Films related to war, but more related to effects and consequences of war.
I've deliberately omitted many of the "Oorah!" films of which there is no shortage, especially with John Wayne repeatedly winning WWII single-handedly (e.g. Sands of Iwo Jima). Countless of these films (with and without Wayne) were churned out during and just after WWII into the 1950's. Plenty of those are easily found using Google.
Instead, I've included numerous excellent films aside from those in the main group listed first alongside the more meaningful ones many have probably seen before. I'm hoping you will explore some of them versus seeing things you already have. Notably missing is The Green Berets. IMHO it was completely over the top with clichéd hokum regarding the war and the role of Special Forces in a film made specifically to star Wayne winning yet another war single-handedly. Some of the other films have their share of it but that one in particular was too much. Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and We Were Soldiers are much, much better films. Also included films that dealt with the indelible effect of war on its participants. A couple of them focus on events that should never have occurred, but did. A notable film missing is "Coming Home" which starred the traitor, Hanoi Jane, who had the temerity and audacity to make a war movie. I should not need to say any more than that. Some on this list are better than others, but I don't believe any of them are "bad" movies. If you want to watch "The Big Red One", find the "reconstructed" one released in 2004 that restored it to its original 162 minute length. The 1980 theatrical release was butchered to 113 minutes for movie theaters. They make money on audience turnover and hate long films that limit the number of showings per day.
If you have never seen "All Quiet on the Western Front" I strongly recommend it. Debated about including "A Farewell to Arms" but left it on the list for those who might have read the novel. It will seem a nearly incomprehensible mess to those who have not read the novel or do not know the novel's plot (which was presumptive when it was made). It's an epic novel that cannot be captured in a standard length feature film. Another excellent movie often overlooked is Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" (about a French incident during WWI). Another very good film is "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" as it highlights the radical change within Britain in between WWI and WWII with warfare's generally accepted rules of engagement. The two Australian films, Gallipoli and The Lighthorsemen give a uniquely Australian perspective of WWI with ANZAC forces in the Turkish theater. "9th Company" and "They Fought for their Country" give a uniquely Soviet and Russian perspective (they're both in Russian with English subtitles), while "K-19: The Widowmaker" portrays the nearly catastrophic Soviet effort to field its first nuclear powered submarine (events with the boat are somewhat conflated).
I listed the country of origin as most of the movies not from English speaking countries are not in English and do not have an English dubbed version, they have subtitles. "Das Boot" is one of the exceptions. While most of the movies have a US or WWII Allied persepctive I've included others that give a different one. As always find out something about a movie before paying anything to watch it so that you're not surprised. These three lists span a very wide range of material.
John
There's a scroll bar at the bottom of the table to see all the columns . . .
Military Theme Films | |||||
Title | Release Year | Director | Country | Genre | Sub-Genre |
Wings | 1927 | William A. Wellman | USA | Drama | War |
All Quiet on the Western Front | 1930 | Lewis Milestone | USA | Drama | War |
Hell's Angels | 1930 | Howard Hughes | USA | Drama | War |
A Farewell to Arms | 1932 | Frank Borzage | USA | Drama | War |
La Grande Illusion | 1937 | Jean Renoir | France | Drama | War |
Sergeant York | 1941 | Howard Hawks | USA | Drama | Biography |
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | 1943 | Michael Powell | UK | Drama | War |
30 Seconds Over Tokyo | 1944 | Mervyn LeRoy | USA | Drama | War |
The Best Years of Our Lives | 1946 | William Wyler | USA | Drama | War |
Battleground | 1949 | William A. Wellman | USA | Drama | War |
Twelve O'Clock High | 1949 | Henry King | USA | Drama | War |
Decision Before Dawn | 1951 | Anatole Litvak | USA | Drama | War |
Fear and Desire | 1953 | Stanley Kubrick | USA | Drama | War |
From Here to Eternity | 1953 | Fred Zinnemann | USA | Drama | War |
Stalag 17 | 1953 | Billy Wilder | USA | Drama | War |
The Caine Mutiny | 1954 | Edward Dmytryk | USA | Drama | War |
Mister Roberts | 1955 | John Ford | USA | Drama | War |
Paths of Glory | 1957 | Stanley Kubrick | USA | Drama | War |
The Bridge on the River Kwai | 1957 | David Lean | UK | Drama | War |
The Enemy Below | 1957 | Dick Powell | USA | Drama | War |
Run Silent Run Deep | 1958 | Robert Wise | USA | Drama | War |
Sink the Bismarck! | 1960 | Lewis Gilbert | UK | Drama | War |
The Guns of Navarone | 1961 | J. Lee Thompson | UK | Adventure | War |
The Great Escape | 1963 | John Sturges | USA | Drama | War |
Fail Safe | 1964 | Sidney Lumet | USA | Drama | Thriller |
In Harm's Way | 1965 | Otto Preminger | USA | Drama | War |
Major Dundee | 1965 | Sam Peckinpah | USA | Adventure | War |
The Bedford Incident | 1965 | James B. Harris | UK | Drama | War |
The Hill | 1965 | Sidney Lumet | UK | Drama | War |
The Sand Pebbles | 1966 | Robert Wise | USA | Drama | Adventure |
The Dirty Dozen | 1967 | Robert Aldrich | USA | Drama | War |
Ice Station Zebra | 1968 | John Sturges | USA | Drama | Thriller |
Where Eagles Dare | 1968 | Brian G. Hutton | UK | Action | War |
Kelly's Heroes | 1970 | Brian G. Hutton | USA | Adventure | War |
M*A*S*H | 1970 | Robert Altman | USA | Comedy | War |
The Last Detail | 1973 | Hal Ashby | USA | Drama | Comedy |
They Fought for their Country | 1975 | Sergei Bondarchuk | Soviet Union | Drama | History |
The Eagle Has Landed | 1976 | John Sturges | UK | Drama | War |
Cross of Iron | 1977 | Sam Peckinpah | UK | Drama | War |
Force 10 from Navarone | 1978 | Guy Hamilton | UK | Drama | War |
The Boys in Company C | 1978 | Sidney J. Furie | USA | Drama | War |
The Deer Hunter | 1978 | Michael Cimino | USA | Drama | War |
1941 | 1979 | Steven Spielberg | USA | Comedy | War |
Apocalypse Now | 1979 | Francis Ford Coppola | USA | Drama | War |
The Great Santini | 1979 | Lewis John Carlino | USA | Drama | |
Das Boot | 1981 | Wolfgang Petersen | Germany | Drama | War |
An Officer and a Gentleman | 1982 | Taylor Hackford | USA | Drama | Romance |
A Soldier’s Story | 1984 | Norman Jewison | USA | Mystery | Crime |
Platoon | 1986 | Oliver Stone | USA | Drama | War |
Top Gun | 1986 | Tony Scott | USA | Drama | Action |
Full Metal Jacket | 1987 | Stanley Kubrick | UK | Drama | War |
Gardens of Stone | 1987 | Francis Ford Coppola | USA | Drama | War |
Good Morning, Vietnam | 1987 | Barry Levinson | USA | Drama | Biography |
Hamburger Hill | 1987 | John Irvin | USA | Drama | History |
Born on the Fourth of July | 1989 | Oliver Stone | USA | Drama | Biography |
Casualties of War | 1989 | Brian De Palma | USA | Drama | History |
The Siege of Firebase Gloria | 1989 | Brian Trenchard-Smith | USA | Drama | War |
The Hunt for Red October | 1990 | John McTiernan | USA | Drama | Thriller |
A Few Good Men | 1992 | Rob Reiner | USA | Drama | Legal |
Heaven & Earth | 1993 | Oliver Stone | France | Drama | Biography |
Stalingrad | 1993 | Joseph Vilsmaier | Germany | Drama | War |
Crimson Tide | 1995 | Tony Scott | USA | Thriller | Drama |
Courage Under Fire | 1996 | Edward Zwick | USA | Drama | War |
The English Patient | 1996 | Anthony Minghella | USA | Drama | Romance |
Saving Private Ryan | 1998 | Steven Spielberg | USA | Drama | War |
The Thin Red Line | 1998 | Terrence Malick | USA | Drama | War |
Three Kings | 1999 | David O. Russell | USA | Drama | War |
The Patriot | 2000 | Roland Emmerich | USA | Drama | War |
U-571 | 2000 | Jonathan Mostow | USA | Drama | War |
Behind Enemy Lines | 2001 | John Moore | USA | Drama | War |
Black Hawk Down | 2001 | Ridley Scott | USA | Drama | History |
Enemy at the Gates | 2001 | Jean-Jacques Annaud | USA | Drama | History |
Pearl Harbor | 2001 | Michael Bay | USA | Drama | War |
K-19: The Widowmaker | 2002 | Kathryn Bigelow | USA | Drama | History |
We Were Soldiers | 2002 | Randall Wallace | USA | Drama | History |
9th Company | 2005 | Fedor Bondarchuk | Russia | Drama | History |
Jarhead | 2005 | Sam Mendes | USA | Drama | War |
The Great Raid | 2005 | John Dahl | USA | Drama | History |
Flags of Our Fathers | 2006 | Clint Eastwood | USA | Drama | War |
Letters from Iwo Jima | 2006 | Clint Eastwood | USA | Drama | War |
Rescue Dawn | 2006 | Werner Herzog | USA | Drama | Biography |
Redacted | 2007 | Brian De Palma | USA | Drama | War |
Stop-Loss | 2008 | Kimberly Peirce | USA | Drama | War |
The Hurt Locker | 2008 | Kathryn Bigelow | USA | Drama | War |
Valkyrie | 2008 | Bryan Singer | USA | Drama | History |
Inglourious Basterds | 2009 | Quentin Tarantino | USA | Drama | War |
Taking Chance | 2009 | Ross Katz | USA | Drama | War |
The Men Who Stare at Goats | 2009 | Grant Heslov | USA | Comedy | War |
Green Zone | 2010 | Paul Greengrass | USA | Drama | War |
Zero Dark Thirty | 2012 | Kathryn Bigelow | USA | Drama | History |
Lone Survivor | 2013 | Peter Berg | USA | Drama | Biography |
American Sniper | 2014 | Clint Eastwood | USA | Drama | Biography |
Fury | 2014 | David Ayer | USA | Drama | War |
Eye in the Sky | 2015 | Gavin Hood | UK | Drama | War |
13 Hours | 2016 | Michael Bay | USA | Drama | War |
Anthropoid | 2016 | Sean Ellis | UK | Drama | History |
Hacksaw Ridge | 2016 | Mel Gibson | USA | Drama | Biography |
Epic War Films | |||||
Title | Release Year | Director | Country | Genre | Sub-Genre |
The Longest Day | 1962 | Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Gerd Oswald, Daryl F. Zanuck | USA | Drama | History |
Battle of the Bulge | 1965 | Ken Annakin | USA | Drama | History |
Battle of Britain | 1969 | Guy Hamilton | UK | Drama | War |
Patton | 1970 | Franklin J. Schaffner | USA | Drama | Biography |
Tora! Tora! Tora! | 1970 | Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku | USA | Drama | History |
Midway | 1976 | Jack Smight | USA | Drama | History |
A Bridge Too Far | 1977 | Richard Attenborough | USA | Drama | History |
Gallipoli | 1981 | Peter Weir | Australia | Drama | War |
The Lighthorsemen | 1987 | Simon Wincer | Australia | Drama | War |
Gettysburg | 1993 | Ronald F. Maxwell | USA | Drama | History |
Gods and Generals | 2003 | Ronald F. Maxwell | USA | Drama | History |
The Big Red One: The Reconstruction | 2004 | Samuel Fuller | USA | Drama | History |
War or Military Related | |||||
Title | Release Year | Director | Country | Genre | Sub-Genre |
Voyage of the Damned | 1976 | Stuart Rosenberg | UK | Drama | History |
Mrs. Miniver | 1942 | William Wyler | USA | Drama | War |
Lifeboat | 1944 | Alfred Hitchcock | USA | Drama | War |
Le Silence de la Mer | 1949 | Jean-Pierre Melville | France | Drama | War |
A Man Escaped | 1956 | Robert Bresson | France | Drama | War |
Lawrence of Arabia | 1962 | David Lean | UK | Drama | War |
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | 1964 | Stanley Kubrick | USA | Comedy | War |
Seven Days in May | 1964 | John Frankenheimer | USA | Drama | Thriller |
Ship of Fools | 1965 | Stanley Kramer | USA | Drama | War |
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming | 1966 | Norman Jewison | USA | Comedy | War |
Army of Shadows | 1969 | Jean-Pierre Melville | France | Drama | War |
The Secret of Santa Vittoria | 1969 | Stanley Kramer | USA | Drama | War |
The Last Metro | 1980 | Francois Truffaut | France | Drama | War |
Au Revoir Les Enfants | 1987 | Louis Malle | France | Drama | War |
Empire of the Sun | 1987 | Steven Spielberg | USA | Drama | War |
The Last Emperor | 1987 | Bernardo Bertolucci | UK | Drama | History |
Dances with Wolves | 1990 | Kevin Costner | USA | Western | Drama |
Europa Europa | 1990 | Agnieszka Holland | Germany | Drama | War |
The Last of the Mohicans | 1992 | Michael Mann | USA | Drama | War |
Swing Kids | 1993 | Thomas Carter | USA | Drama | War |
Twin Sisters | 2002 | Ben Sombogaart | Netherlands | Drama | War |
Downfall | 2004 | Oliver Hirschbiegel | Germany | Drama | History |
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days | 2005 | Marc Rothemund | Germany | Drama | Biography |
Black Book | 2006 | Paul Verhoeven | Netherlands | Drama | War |
Katyn | 2007 | Andrzej Wajda | Poland | Drama | History |
Rendition | 2007 | Gavin Hood | USA | Thriller | Drama |
The Kingdom | 2007 | Peter Berg | USA | Drama | War |
The Baader Meinhoff Complex | 2008 | Uli Edel | Germany | Drama | History |
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | 2008 | Mark Herman | UK | Drama | War |
In Darkness | 2011 | Agnieszka Holland | Poland | Drama | War |
In the Land of Blood and Honey | 2011 | Angelina Jolie | USA | Drama | War |
War Horse | 2011 | Steven Spielberg | USA | Drama | War |
Diplomatie | 2014 | Volker Schlöndorff | Germany | Drama | History |
Labyrinth of Lies | 2014 | Giulio Ricciarelli | Germany | Drama | History |
The Imitation Game | 2014 | Morten Tyldum | UK | Drama | Biography |
Son of Saul | 2015 | László Nemes | Hungary | Drama | War |