World War II in film (and a bit of television)
This list covers the history of WWII, via films from key events. There were a lot of movies made about this period, both at the time and later; so, I'm sticking to important ones and personal favorites. There's a little tv thrown in here, as well.
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- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsWalter HustonVictor Bulwer-LyttonKai-Shek ChiangThe official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.The first of Frank Capra's legendary documentary/propaganda films, explaining the rationale behind fighting in the war and the events of the war. The first depicts the early acts of aggression by the Axis, including the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyStarsRutger HauerJohn GielgudMaria SchellA dramatization of the life of Albert Speer (Rutger Hauer), Adolf Hitler's (Sir Derek Jacobi's) young architect and one-time confidant, and his meteoric rise into the Nazi hierarchy. This movie is based on Speer's autobiography of the same name.TV miniseries that chronicled the rise of the Nazis, as witnessed by Albert Speer (Rutger Hauer). Very well done, with Derek Jacobi as Hitler. It's perhaps too sympathetic to Speer; but, then again, it was based on his memoir.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsEduard BenesNeville ChamberlainClementine ChurchillThe official World War II US government account of Nazi international aggression leading up to the British and French declarations of war.The second in Frank Capra's Why We Fight series, it features the initial gains of the Nazis, in Austria, the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) and the Danzig corridor of Poland, without shots fired, ultimately leading to the invasion of Poland.
- StarsJoseph BottomsTovah FeldshuhRosemary HarrisThe saga of a Jewish family's struggle to survive the horror of Nazi Germany's systematic marginalization and extermination of their community.TV mini-series that follows the family Weiss through the war. The father (Fritz Weaver) is a prominent doctor and the mother (Rosemary Harris) teaches piano. The family finds itself uprooted after Kistalnacht and deported to Poland. Son Karl (James Woods)is arrested and sent to a concentration camp, separating him from his Christian wife (Meryl Streep). The daughter Anna is raped by Nazi thugs and suffers a mental breakdown, eventually gassed with other mentally disabled patients. Son Rudi escapes and eventually falls in with Jewish partisans in Eastern Europe. The series fllows events such as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Sobibor escape, the false camps used to allay suspicions of the Red Cross, and the horrors of Auschwitz. The series was criticized for its commercialization of the Holocaust, though the actual content is highly praised. it features excellent performances, including Michael Moriarty as a failed German lawyer who joins the SS and becomes an aide to Heydrich and chilling transforms into the perfect Nazi.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Based on the novel by Thomas Kenealy, this film tells the tale of Oskar Schindler, who helped Jews escape from the Nazis, while appearing to be a German patriot to the Nazis. Spielberg finally got that Oscar he had hungered for, with this film.
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsMillie PerkinsShelley WintersJoseph SchildkrautDuring World War II, a teenage Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.Classic film, based on the journal of a young Jewish girl, whose family is hiding from the Nazis in an attic. The book is one of the first Holocaust accounts to reach a wide audience and the film was one of the first to dramatize Frank's experiences.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsMichel BouquetReinhard HeydrichHeinrich HimmlerThe history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.Alain Resnais' harrowing documentary about the Holocaust, using captured German film footage. The footage will turn even the hardest stomach and sicken you with the depths at which mankind can sink. It is an important piece of work in documenting the horrors of the Holocaust.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsGeneral BergeretKarl BrandtWinston ChurchillThe World War II US Government account of the European theatre of the war from after the English and French entry to the fall of France.The third of the Why We Fight series, which focuses on the German invasions of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands; and, ultimately, the fall of France, cutting Europe off from the rest of the world.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsRutger HauerJeroen KrabbéSusan PenhaligonDuring World War II, Dutch students join the resistance movement against the German occupation of the Netherlands.Paul Verhoeven's tale of a group of university students and their lives before, during, and at the end of the war. Excellent cast and probably Verhoeven's best film. It gives a glimpse at those who collaborated to survive, those who fought in the resistance, and those who enlisted with the German's to fight on the Russian Front. Verhoeven would later return to the subject, with Black Book, his best film in years.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.Paul Verhoeven's unofficial sequel to Soldier of Orange. Carice van Hooten stars as a Jewish woman who is hiding from the Germans, in Holland. After losing her hiding place to a crashing Allied plane, she is forced to find new help. She becomes involved with a resistance group who try to keep tabs on the Germans for the Allies, while running a soup kitchen for the Dutch people, as the Germans have taken much of their agricultural produce. The woman goes undercover to get close to a German officer, in charge of security. Her association would have repercussions for her after the war. The film was based on several accounts by women involved in the Ducth resistance.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnthony VeillerStarsDouglas BaderArno BrekerWinston ChurchillThe official World War II US government account of Great Britain's stand against the Nazi war machine after the Dunkirk evacuation.The fourth in the Why We Fight series, showcasing the valiant efforts of the RAF to defeat the German Blitz.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsMichael CaineTrevor HowardHarry AndrewsIn 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible Axis invasion of the U.K.An all-star cast portray the men and women who made up the "few." The film starts with the retreat from France and the desperate race to shore up air defenses to face the German onslaught. Tragedy and triumph are equally portrayed, though the film is a bit of a disappointment, dramatically.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthJohn WhitneyStarsAnthony AndrewsMaurice RoëvesGeorge InnesThe series chronicles the exploits of the fictional Royal Engineer Tunnelling Company 97, which has been made a bomb disposal unit to deal with the thousands of unexploded bombs ("UXBs") in London during the Battle of Britain.British tv series, based on the exploits of the bomb disposal units. The series focuses on a young officer, played by Anthony Andrews, as he arrives at the unit, with no background in the area, and his slapdash training and baptism by fire. The series well documented wartime British life, from rationing to the dangers of the bombings, both during and after; as well as the rather rushed nature of many courtships.
- CreatorGerard GlaisterStarsBernard HeptonAngela RichardsClifford RoseDuring World War II, a Belgian resistance movement called Lifeline, based in Brussels, organises the return of Allied airmen who have been shot down by the Luftwaffe to the United Kingdom.British tv series about the French Maquis. It would later inspire the comedy spoof 'Allo, 'Allo.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseJean-Pierre CasselAn account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.Jean-Pierre Melville's account of the French Maquis, based on his own experiences in the Resistance. It's a warts and all depiction, with Melville's typical engaging film style.
- CreatorDavid ClimieStarsPhilippa HowellTerese StevensJohn StrattonBritish tv series about the Land Girls, the young women who worked on farms, to make up for the absent men, who were away fighting. It highlights the contributions of women on the homefront, a key element in the coming women's movement.
- CreatorJimmy PerryStarsArthur LoweJohn Le MesurierClive DunnA ragtag group of Home Guard volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion during World War II.Legendary British tv comedy series about the Home Guard units raised to potentially defend the country from a possible German invasion. The units were often made up of older men, hence the name. The series is played for laughs, with a harried leader of inept troops; but, it did much to highlight the work of these units.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJames MasonCedric HardwickeJessica TandyThe story of the final years of the respected World War II German general, Erwin Rommel.This film focuses on Rommel's career, from taking command in North Africa, to his suicide, after arrest for his part in the plot against Hitler. The film does much to show the human side of the legendary commander, though it probably portrays him a little too idealistically.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsKenneth MoreDana WynterCarl MöhnerThe World War II story of the Royal Navy's effort to defeat Nazi Germany's most powerful warship.The German's built a group of super-battleships, including the Tirpitz and the Bismark. They were then sent to raid British shipping, with devastating results. This film follows the attacks of the Bismark and the massive effort to destroy it, based on the novel by CS Forrester. Very tense film.
- DirectorRobert MarkowitzStarsLaurence FishburneAllen PayneMalcolm-Jamal WarnerThe true story of how a group of African-American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest United States fighter groups in World War II.HBO-produced film about the birth, training, and accomplishments of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. This one has history squarely in mind, unlike the later George Lucas-produced Red Tails. Laurence Fishburne leads a young cast in this excellent biopic.
- StarsLeonard GravesWinston ChurchillDwight D. EisenhowerTwenty-six episode series about naval combat during World War Two. Famous for its music score, eloquent narration and combat footage.Legendary tv series which chronicled the naval engagements of WWII. As such, the Pacific theater carries the lion's share of the series.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsDaniel CraigLiev SchreiberJamie BellJewish brothers in German-occupied Eastern Europe escape into a Belorussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.Dramatization of a group of Jewish Partisans in Belarus, who fought to protect a group of refugees from the Nazis. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber are excellent in the film, as the Bielski brothers, who led the group. The film has been subjected to much criticism as to its authenticity and its depiction of the Bielskis, plus the various non-Jewish civilians. Director Ed Zwick did create battles that never happened to liven up the action. It's still a good film, and no worse, historically, than many other films about WWII.
- DirectorRichard FleischerKinji FukasakuToshio MasudaStarsMartin BalsamSô YamamuraJason RobardsThe story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.Highly underated film about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, showcasing the Japanese planning and execution of the raid, as well as the initial US military malaise and response to the attack. Much better than the later film attempts.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsBurt LancasterMontgomery CliftDeborah KerrAt a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.Based on the novel, the film follows a soldier stationed in Hawaii, who faces brutal treatment for refusing to box for his unit and a love affair between a married woman and her husband's second-in-command, and the attack on Pearl Harbor.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsJohn WayneJohn CarrollAnna LeeCapt. Jim Gordon's command of the famed American volunteer fighter group in China is complicated by the recruitment of an old friend who is a reckless hotshot.John Wayne stars in this wartime salute to the American Volunteer Group, aka the Flying Tigers. The film is played for Hollywood heroism and propaganda, rather than historical detail, but it's one of Wayne's notable war films. The Flying Tigers would inspire the comic book Blackhawks, which were the subject of a Columbia serial. The unit also included Gregory Boyington, who would later lead the Black Sheep Squadron in the South Pacific and become the USMC's top ace.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsBrian DonlevyRobert PrestonMacdonald CareyDecember, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.Wartime film about the defense of Wake Island from the Japanese attacks, immediately after Pearl harbor. The film is pure patriotism and suggests the defenders fought to the last man, instead of their actual surrender. It was wartime.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsAnne BaxterThomas MitchellSelena RoyleThe lives of a close-knit group of brothers growing up in Iowa during the days of the Great Depression.Biopic of the five Sullivan brothers, from Waterloo, IA. The film follows them from childhood to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when they attempt to enlist in the Navy and serve on the same ship. They were eventually granted this request, to their ultimate doom. The film fictionalizes many things, such as ignoring the fact that one brother was or had already served in the Navy.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsGregory PeckDan O'HerlihyEd FlandersBiopic of General Douglas MacArthur covering his war exploits during WW2 and the Korean War.Gregory Peck stars as the legendary general, covering his career from military governor of the Phillipines, through his eventual return to the islands and the eventual surrender of Japan. Peck does a masterful job of portraying the man, beloved and hated. He shows the political squabbles to get men and material, as well as Macarthur's own propensity for self-glorification. It isn't quite as accomplished as Patton, but does a pretty good job.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsJohn WayneAnthony QuinnBeulah BondiIn 1942, after the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese, U.S. Army Col. Joseph Madden stays behind to organize the local resistance against the Japanese invaders.John Wayne stars in this account of the Filippino resistance to the Japanese, along with US soldiers who escaped the surrender of US forces. As with most John Wayne films, it's more about heroics than history.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsWilliam HoldenAlec GuinnessJack HawkinsBritish POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.The film, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle (who also wrote Planet of the Apes), follows a group of British prisoners, following the surrender of Singapore. They are tasked to provide labor for the building of a bridge. Alec Guinness won the Oscar for his portrayal of the colonel who forces the Japanese to respect the Geneva conventions, but becomes obsessed with building the bridge properly, to give pride and discipline to his men. He is blind to his failure until the very end. Outstanding film!.
- CreatorJill HyemLavinia WarnerStarsJane AsherMichael J. JacksonKate BufferyThe Second World War experiences of brave women recruited as undercover agents behind enemy lines.British tv series about women agents of the Special Operations Executive. The women infiltrated German-occupied territory and sent back radio messages, with intelligence data. The bravery of these agents cannot be overstated.
- DirectorJean-Paul SaloméStarsSophie MarceauJulie DepardieuMoritz BleibtreuLondon, 1944: SOE's section for French ops parachute 4 women into France, plus a woman there, to free an English geologist and kill SS colonel Heindrich.French film about women who were recruited by the SOE and others to become agents in occupied territories. It's not available in the US, but I have read excellent reviews in UK film magazines.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsLloyd BridgesAndrew KeirSue LloydDuring World War II, a commando leader named Major Jamie Wilson leads a group of soldiers on a suicide mission to destroy a Nazi naval stronghold on the French coast.Lesser-known film about the British commando raid on the harbor at Saint-Nazare. Lloyd Bridges is a Canadian officer who drills his men until they drop, to prevent the losses he experienced in previous raids. The film gets the main elements of the raid correct (a ship is packed with explosives and rammed into a drydock to destroy it, using delayed fuses) but diverts heavily from fact. The film is a bit uneven, but has many good moments.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsAlan LaddLeo GennSusan StephenIn 1940, an American claiming to be Canadian volunteers for the British Army's paratroop school.Alan Ladd stars in this film, about an American in the British Paratroop Regiment, who takes part in a raid to seize German radar secrets, based on Operation Biting. The film was directed by Terence Young, who would go on to give life to James Bond.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsRichard BurtonJames MasonRobert NewtonRichard Burton plays a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops on the perimeter of Tobruk with the German Army doing their best to dislodge them.Companion to the Desert Fox, which features Richard Burton as a young officer in charge of Australian troops, in North Africa. They experience a horrible defeat, which shatters morale. Burton tries to rebuild his men, via a series of commando raids against German supply points, culminating in a major raid on a German airfield. James Mason reprises his role as Rommel in a cameo.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsSpencer TracyVan JohnsonRobert WalkerIn the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.Spencer Tracy stars as Col. James Doolittle, while Van Johnson portrays the captain of one of the key bombers. The daring raid featured the launch of B-25 bombers from the USS Hornet, who then attacked points in mainland Japan, eventually ditching their planes in China and Russia. The film follows the training for the carrier launch, the attack, and the evasion of the Japanese, with aid from Chinese villagers.
- CreatorTom GriesStarsChristopher GeorgeGary RaymondEric BraedenThe World War II North African missions of an Allied commando patrol squad of the Long Range Desert Group.TV series, which follows a group of raiders as they harass the German's in North Africa. Christopher George stars as the American leader, while Hans Gudegast (better known as Eric Braeden, of The Young and the Restless) stars as the German officer who hunts them. The series was loosely based upon the exploits of the Long Range Desert Group, the SAS, and Popski's Private Army, who carried out reconnaissance and harassment raids on Axis supply lines and airfields.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsCharlton HestonHenry FondaJames CoburnA dramatization of the battle that was widely heralded as a turning point of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.One of the last of the epic WWII films, featuring a notable cast. The film immediately follows the Battle of the Coral Sea, where a naval task force stymied Japanese adavances into the Indian Ocean. The USS Yorktown, badly damaged in the battle, limps home, to be repaired and immediately turned around. The film features the efforts of the codebreakers who discovered the plan to attack Midway, as well as the initial Japanese planning. It then follows the race to locate the Japanese fleet and engage it before it can launch its attack on Midway. There is a subplot about a young pilot who is engaged to be married to a Nissei woman, who has been interred. The subplot tends to pull you out of the events, though they get points for highlighting the Japanese internment. The film is rather long and tends to test your patience, before getting to the meat of the battle. The main roles are ably filled by Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Hal Holbrook, and Glen Ford, with cameo roles from future stars Tom Selleck and Erik Estrada, as well as many fine character actors. The tv version featured additional scenes revolving around Heston and his lover, played by Susan Sullivan.
- StarsRobert DuvallLee RemickDana AndrewsDuring World War II, General Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower serves as supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Western Europe. On a personal level, he has an extramarital affair with his driver Kay Summersby.Robert Duvall stars as Gen Dwight Eisenhower in this tv mini-series. The production follows Ike as he provides a report critical of Allied efforts and soon finds himself with the job of supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe. It then follows him through the landings in North Africa, the Italian campaign and the landings at Normandy, up to the German surrender. A major focus is upon his relationship with Kay Sommersby, his British driver and rumored lover. Excellent series that needs to be made available on DVD.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsMarlon BrandoMontgomery CliftDean MartinThe lives of three young men, a German and two Americans, during WWII.This film juxtaposes the tale of three men, over the course of the war. the first is a German, played by Marlon Brando, who becomes an officer in the Wehrmacht, but finds that his sense of honor is at odds with is duties and loses his idealism. Montgomery Cliff is an American Jew who fights anti-Semitism in the army, as well as fighting the Germans. Dean Martin is a friend who comes to Cliff's aid. Excellent film that looks at the psychological side of the war, rather than heroics.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsPaul NewmanDwight SchultzBonnie BedeliaThis film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret WWII project, and the first atomic bombs designed, built, and tested in Los Alamos.Fine film about the Manhattan Project, the development of the Atomic Bomb. The A-Team's Dwight Schultz played Robert Oppenheimer.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsJürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus WennemannA German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.Wolfgang Peterson's film (also a tv mini-series) about the crew of a U-Boat and their operations at sea. We get tense, claustrophobic scenes of life on a submarine at war, including potential death, watching as arrogance and youthful hubris are filed away against the grindstone of combat experience. The submarine model was later reused for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsPreston FosterLloyd NolanWilliam BendixThe story of a large U.S. Marines invasion task force bound for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942.Wartime film about the intense fighting on Guadacanal. Features Anthony Quinn in an early role.
- DirectorChristian NybyStarsChad EverettMarilyn DevinDean JaggerIn WW2, highly decorated Marine Sgt. Jack Connell comes home to the USA from the Pacific War and trains recruits for the army until his fighting spirit prods him to request a return to active duty on the front lines.Chad Everett stars as a young Marine who wins the Congressional Medal of Honor in the fighting at Guadacanal. He spends his time on war bond drives, until being given a training command and eventual combat command. He struggles with a fear of dying in combat, now that he has a wife to come home to. Features Gene Hackman in an early and well essayed supporting role. Everett's character was based on Marine Gunnery Sgt John Basilone, who would also be depicted in HBO's The Pacific
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Terence Malick's remake of the cinematic account of the battle for Guadacanal (based on the novel of the same name). Sean Penn stars.
- DirectorEdward LudwigStarsJohn WayneSusan HaywardDennis O'KeefeDuring WW2, the U.S. Navy implements a new idea of forming construction battalions that also are fighting units, in case of Japanese attack.John Wayne stars in this salute to the US Navy Construction Battalions, the SeaBees. These men were tasked with building airstrips and bases on newly captured islands, sometimes while the fighting was still going on. The film portrays them heroically, as only the Duke can.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsGregory PeckHugh MarloweGary MerrillA tough-as-nails general (Gregory Peck as General Savage) takes over a B-17 bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape.Gregory Peck stars as a General who takes command of a B-17 group that is plagued with low morale and heavy losses. He builds up the leadership and confidence of his pilots and crews until even he buckles under the weight of command. The film was used as part of my leadership training in the US Navy, as it beautifully showcases the qualities of good leadership and the perils of command.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsJohn MillsEric PortmanChristopher RhodesAllied prisoners - British, Dutch, French and Polish - pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from the "escape-proof" German P.O.W. camp housed in a Medieval castle known as "Colditz".British film focusing on the attempts to escape from the "inescapable" German prison. The methods use were ingenious.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsKirk DouglasRichard HarrisUlla JacobssonNorwegian resistance tries to stop German efforts to produce an atomic bomb component during World War II.Film account of Norwegian resistance efforts to sabotage the German nuclear program, by destroying a heavy water production facility, along with Allied bombing missions. The film uses four key events: the insertion of SOE agents, the failed attempt to insert commandos to link with the agents and destroy the plant and a later more successful raid, and the sinking of a ferry with a shipment bound for Germany. Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris star in this tense and exciting film.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsLee MarvinMark HamillRobert CarradineA hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.Samuel Fuller directs this movie, based on his own experiences in WWII. Lee Marvin is the WWI veteran who is leading a platoon of young soldiers , starting with the Operation Torch landings in North Africa, through the liberation of a concentration camp and the armistace. Marvin is contrasted with a fanatical German sergeant, an ardant Nazi, whose paths cross from time to time, leading to the climax. The film is highly underrated and features some excellent performances.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGeorge C. ScottKarl MaldenStephen YoungThe World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.Legendary film about a legendary leader. George C Scott won an Oscar for his portrayal of "Old Blood and Guts." Scott captures the playacting, the profanity, the mania, the daring, the bravado, the genius, and the spiritual side of America's most controversial general. Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script, which is filled with memorable lines. It follows Patton from North Africa, through Sicily, to France and into Germany. Karl Malden is equally impressive as Gen. Omar Bradley.
- DirectorJoseph VilsmaierStarsDominique HorwitzThomas KretschmannJochen NickelThe story follows a group of German soldiers, from their Italian R&R in the summer of 1942 to the frozen steppes of Soviet Russia and ending with the battle for Stalingrad.Epic Russian film about the siege of Stalingrad.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsAnthony VeillerIon AntonescuNikolay CherkasovDocumentary revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and Germany in the Second World War.The fifth in the Why We Fight series, which focuses on the Russian battle to turn the German invasion, focusing on the battles of Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad; shown in two parts.
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsJude LawEd HarrisJoseph FiennesA Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.Based on the book, the film follows the exploits of a Russian sniper, during the siege of Stalingrad. Jude Law is the marksman who finds himself hunted by the Germans. Joseph Finnes is the propaganda officer who turns him into a hero, while Rachel Weisz is the love interest. Bob Hoskins has a smaller role as Nikita Kruschev and Ed Harris portrays the German sniper tasked to find and kill Law.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.Dramatization of the massive POW escape. 76 men made it out, but 73 were recaptured. 50 were executed by the Gestapo, while 23 were sent back to prison. 3 made it to freedom. The film follows the attempts to dig a series of tunnels to get a large group out, to bog down German resources in hunting them. The cast is legendary, with Steve McQueen as The Cooler King, James Garner as The Scrounger, Donald Pleasance as The Forger, Charles Bronson as The Tunnel King, James Coburn as The Manufacturer, and Richard Attenborough as Big X, the brains of the operation.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsAlan ArkinJoanna PaculaRutger HauerGerman death camp in Sobibor, Poland, killed two hundred fifty thousand Jews. It had the most successful prisoner escape in World War II on October 14, 1943.TV movie, based on the mass escape from Sobibor concentration camp. Alan Arkin is the leader of the Jews, while Rutger Hauer is a Russian soldier. Together, they concoct a plan to seize weapons and fight their way out of the camp. Thanks in large part to the participsation of Russian soldiers, the plan worked and a large number of prisoners were able to escape, demonstrating that there were still people willing to fight for their survival, even in the death camps. Approximately 50 made it to freedom and survived.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsClaire ChennaultKai-Shek ChiangMadame ChiangThe Official World War II US Government account of Chinese defense against Japanese aggression.The sixth installment of the Why We Fight series looks at the fighting in China, with emphasis on the Rape of Nanking, the building of the Burma Road, and the Battle of Changsha.
- DirectorFrank CapraAnatole LitvakStarsDean AchesonGeneral BergeretAdolf A. BerlePart VII of the "Why We Fight" series of wartime documentaries. This entry attempts to describe the factors leading up to America's entry into the Second World War.The final installment of the Why We Fight series looks at how Axis aggression turned public opinion away from isolationism, ultimately leading to the US' entry into the war, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
- DirectorMichael AndersonStarsRichard ToddMichael RedgraveUrsula JeansDrama based on the attempt by the RAF to destroy six dams in Germany during World War II.Rousing film about the British air raid on German manufacturing, via an attempt to destroy a dam and flood an industrial area. It follows the developments of the skipping bombs, the training of the flight crews, and the actual mission. Richard Todd (a veteran of the Paras and the Pegasus Bridge attack) portrays the leader of the mission and Michael Redgrave is Barnes-Wallis, the genius behind the bombs. You do have to forgive the naming of a black Labrador with a racial epithet, in uncut versions. It was historically accurate.
- DirectorLeslie H. MartinsonStarsCliff RobertsonRobert CulpTy HardinPresident John F. Kennedy kept a unique inauguration gift on his desk: a plastic-encased coconut. The tale of that coconut is the heroic story of PT 109.Cliff Robertson stars as young naval officer John F Kennedy, skipper of the PT-109. Following a mission, the exhausted crew are rammed by a Japanese destroyer and fight to survive. Much political hay has been made about the circumstances of the accident and Kennedy's career prior to the incident; but, Kennedy exercised strong leadership in rescuing his crew and getting them to safety on a nearby island. His efforts eventually allowed for the crews location and rescue, at the cost of serious injury to Kennedy's back, an ailment that would plague him for the rest of his life. Robertson plays the legend, more than the man, but plays it well.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsGregory PeckRoger MooreDavid NivenDuring World War II, British Intelligence brings a crew of ex-soldiers out of retirement, using their age as cover, to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission in neutral Goa.Somewhat jazzed up account of the Calcutta Light Horse, a retired British regiment in India, that undertakes a covert raid on a German merchant ship that is transmitting shipping intelligence to U-Boats, in the Indian Ocean, from the Portugese island colony of Goa. Roger Moore, Gregory Peck, Patrick Macnee, and Trevor Howard star in the film. This was the third film from produced Euan Lloyd, featuring Roger Moore (along with the Wild Geese and ffolkes).
- DirectorJesse HibbsStarsAudie MurphyMarshall ThompsonCharles DrakeThe true WWII story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in U.S. history. Based on the autobiography of Audie Murphy who stars as himself in the film.Audie Murphy stars as himself, in this account of his wartime experiences. Murphy was the most highly decorated American soldier of the war, but he also was a hero in peacetime, speaking out about the trauma he suffered as a result of combat, publically highlighting post-traumatic stress in an era when it was rarely discussed.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsWilliam HoldenCliff RobertsonVince EdwardsA US Army lieutenant colonel is tasked with forming an elite commando-style unit from crack Canadian troops and the dregs of the US Army.This film is loosely based on the exploits of the Fist Special Service Force, a joint Canadian-US unit. They were initially formed with an eye on operating in Norway, though that mission was cancelled. However, they were used in the Aleutian Island campaign and in Italy. The film covers the inception of the unit, its training, and their part in the fight to capture Mt. La Defensa. However, it portrays the Americans as the refuse of stockades, rather than the volunteers they were. It is pure Hollywood, with a little historical accuracy. Even so, it's a great film, with William Holden and Cliff Robertson.
- DirectorRobert PiroshStarsVan JohnsonLane NakanoGeorge MikiThe story of Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War II.Van Johnson stars in this film, which showcases the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, aka the Nissei Division. The unit was made up of Nissei, 1st Generation Japanese-Americans, many of whose families were held in relocation camps. Johnson doesn't like being assigned to the unit; but, he quickly gains respect for the men and their determination to fight for the country that sees them as the enemy. Along the way, he finds that he has become an outcast from former comrades but he and his men earn the eternal respect of the soldiers who fight alongside them. The unit carried out an impossible mission to rescue a unit that is surrounded by the Germans, succeeding beyond anyone's imagination. This was one of the most decorated units of the war.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykDuilio ColettiStarsRobert MitchumPeter FalkRobert RyanAnzio: one of WWII's bloodiest battles as the Allies smash through the German lines which have enclosed the Anzio beachhead--four months and 30,000 casualties before the Allies finally march to Rome.The film depicts the Allied landings at Anzio and the intense fighting that surrounded it. Anzio was nearly a disaster and casualties were extremely high, showcasing the deadly nature of the Italian campaign.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJames CagneyAnnabellaRichard ConteWhen spy chief Bob Sharkey finds out one of his agents-in-training is actually a Nazi double agent, his strategic decision not to arrest him results in tragedy.James Cagney stars as an OSS agent, who has to discover the identity of a traitor, while helping the French Maquis. One of the rare films to depict OSS operations, including the Jedburgh teams, which operated within occupied territory, coordinating resistance activities. These teams would be the foundation of the US Army Special Forces.
- StarsRobert ConradSimon OaklandDana ElcarThe dramatized World War II adventures of U.S. Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his U.S. Marine Attack Squadron 214, (The Black Sheep Squadron).Robert Conrad stars in this fictionalized account of Maj. Greg Boyington and VMF-214, in the South Pacific. It's played for drama and plays heavily with the truth, but it was a great series.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsErrol FlynnJames BrownWilliam PrinceA platoon of special ops are tasked to parachute into the remote Burmese jungle and destroy a strategic Japanese radar station, but getting out isn't as easy.Errol Flynn stars in this film, based loosely on the exploits of Merrill's Marauders, in Burma. A combat team is sent deep into the Burmese jungle to destroy a Japanese radar installation, then must escape and evade the Japanese, while they try to reach their own lines. Starvation and lack of ammo take their toll on the unit, until a rousing conclusion.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsJeff ChandlerTy HardinPeter BrownDuring WW2, a 3000-strong American unit, known as Merrill's Marauders, battles the Japanese forces in Burma.Later film that also dramatized the missions of Merrill's Marauders, in Burma, with Jeff Chandler starring and Sam Fuller directing.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsFrank SinatraGina LollobrigidaPeter LawfordDuring WW2, the American OSS mounts covert operations with the native Kachin against the Japanese army in the jungles of Burma.Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen star in this film, based loosely on OSS Detachment 101. The unit, along with native Kachin tribesmen, harass the Japanese constantly, while operating deep within the jungle. They are eventually tasked to launch an attack on a Japanese airfield, then encounter evidence that Chinese troops slaughtered American soldiers. Sinatra is pretty good here, and McQueen steals the film as Ringer, the young fighter. Charles Bronson, George Takei, Dean Jones, and Brian Donlevy also appear.
- StarsJames Badge DaleJoseph MazzelloJon SedaThe Pacific Theatre of World War II, as seen through the eyes of several young Marines.HBO returned to WWII, with this account of the island hopping campaign in the Pacific, based on memoirs from several people, including Robert Leckie's A Helmet for a Pillow, Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed, and the exploits of Medal of Honor winner John Basilone.
- DirectorKen AnnakinAndrew MartonGerd OswaldStarsJohn WayneRobert RyanRichard BurtonThe events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.Epic film about D-Day, with just about every male actor of note in Hollywood (with a few exceptions). Based on the book by Cornelius Ryan, it follows the landings, from the assault on the Pegasus Bridge and the pathfinder airdrops, to the landings at Normandy. The US, Britain, and the Free French are well represented, but the Canadians are notably absent. Notable roles include Richard Todd as Major John Howard, leader of the Pegasus Bridge assault (Todd took part in that operation), Tommy Sand as a lost paratrooper, Red Buttons as a paratrooper who is hung up on the side of a church and must feign death to survive, Robert Mitchum as Brig. Gen. Norman Cota, a key commander at Omaha Beach; and Wolfgang Preiss as a German commander.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.The film starts out well, with probably the most realistic depiction of the initial landings at Normandy, and what real combat was like. However, it quickly falls into cliché afterwards, when the unit undertakes the search for Ryan and in the climax. Most of the acclaim for the film came in regards the first act and in that part it's brilliant.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsTom CruiseBill NighyCarice van HoutenA dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.Not the best, but the better known film about Claus Von Staffenburg, a German officer who carried out an assassination attempt on Hitler, at Wolf's Lair. Hitler survived the attack, but it shook the morale of the German high command.
- DirectorRené ClémentStarsJean-Paul BelmondoCharles BoyerLeslie CaronAugust 1944. The Allies are approaching Paris and resistance groups within the city start to plan an uprising against the Germans. However, Hitler wants the city destroyed if it looks like the Allies will take it.An international cast carries this film, about the liberation of Paris. The Germans were under orders to burn the city to the ground, rather than let it fall to the Allied advance. Gert Frobe is the German commander who disobeys orders. Kirk Douglas has a cameo as Patton. Many noted French actors appeared in this.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsSean ConneryRyan O'NealMichael CaineOperation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.One of the last all-star war films, depicting the debacle of Operation Market Garden, Montgomery's plans to seize bridgeheads into Germany (based on Cornelius Ryan's book). The plan was bold, airdropping paratroops far in advance of ground troops to seize the bridges before they could be demolished and then hold until the ground forces arrived. The plan hit several major snags, with the destruction of a bridge in the American sector, and the isolation of the British paras at Arnhem. The British landing zones were overrun and airdrops of supplies fell into German hands. Transport wasn't plentiful enough and reinforcements had to come in waves. The Allies continued with the plan, despite reconnaissance photos and Dutch Underground reports of a German Panzer division near Arnhem. The plan ultimately failed, as the Arnhem troops were cut off, with few escaping death or capture. It would be months before the Allies would ener Germany.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsHenry FondaRobert ShawRobert RyanA dramatization of Nazi Germany's final Western Front counterattack of World War II.Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, and James MacArthur star in this account of the German counter attack in the Ardennes. Shaw is essentially playing Joachim Peiper, leader of the German units. The film depicts the use of German troops in American uniforms and the initial chaos, as well as the massacre of prisoners at Malmady.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsVan JohnsonJohn HodiakRicardo MontalbanTrue tale about a squad of the 101st Airborne Division coping with being trapped by the Germans in the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944.Outstanding film about the 101st and the siege of Bastogne. Van Johnson, James Whitmore, and Ricardo Montalban are part of an excellent cast.
- StarsScott GrimesDamian LewisRon LivingstonThe story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.HBO min-series, based on the Stephen Ambrose book that follows the 101st from D-Day through the fighting in Germany, with key focus on the siege of Bastogne. Very well done, with a young cast.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsJohn WayneJohn AgarAdele MaraHaunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker's rigid form of discipline.John Wayne stars in this heroically-charged account of the landings at Iwo Jima. It plays more of the legend than history, as is usual with the Duke.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsRyan PhillippeBarry PepperJoseph CrossThe life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.Clint Eastwood directs this more factual account of the landings at Iwo Jima, and the intense fighting. However, it would be upstaged by its companion piece.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsKen WatanabeKazunari NinomiyaTsuyoshi IharaThe story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.Iwo Jima, from the Japanese point of view, as told through a series of letters. Very well done, showcasing the futility of the Japanese defense, but the determination to hold off the Allied push towards Japan. We see fanatics and ordinary soldiers, great leaders and poor ones. Very enlightening alternate point of view.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsGeorge SegalRobert VaughnBen GazzaraAs the Allied armies close in, the Germans decide to blow up the last Rhine bridge, trapping their own men on the wrong side. But will it happen?Mid-range film about the capture of the Remagen Bridge, which allowed the Allies to gain a foothold into Germany. The cast lacks star power, though it features many fine character performers, like George Segal and Ben Gazzara. It isn't Patton, but it's a decent little film.
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.Outstanding depiction of Hitler's last days, as Berlin is besieged by the Russians. Bruno Ganz plays all sides of Hitler, showcasing his charisma and madness, as he refuses to see that the end has come. Extremely well done.
- DirectorDavid Lowell RichStarsBilly CrystalKim DarbyPatrick DuffyThe decision to drop the atom bomb, the secrecy surrounding the mission, and the men who flew it.TV movie about the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. Patrick Duffy plays Paul Tibbets, while Billy Crystal is the man who will detonate the bomb. Very well done, with an attempt to be even-handed.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracyBurt LancasterRichard WidmarkIn 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazis judged for war crimes.A look into the Nuremburg trials, with a focus on the trial of German judges, who were complicit in carrying out many of the more horrendous Nazi policies. Spencer Tracy is the American judge who must preside, while Richard Widmark is the prosecuting attorney. Maximillian Schell is the German defense lawyer who is tasked with the difficult job. Burt Lancaster is a key judge, who refuses to speak, until making a private statement to Tracy. Judy Garland has a small, but vital roll and William Shatner has a small part that demonstrates how good an actor he could be, before falling into his Captain Kirk patterns.
- StarsLaurence OlivierAverell HarrimanAnthony EdenA groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.Groundbreaking tv series from Thames Television, which spent four years documenting the history of the war. It featured interviews from many major surviving participants, from generals to correspondents (Bill Mauldin) and even celebrity soldiers, like Jimmy Stewart. It's success would lead to many imitators and the creation of things like The History Channel.
- StarsRobert MitchumAli MacGrawJan-Michael VincentThe trials of the Henry and Jastrow families in the early years of World War II.Mini-series adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel, chronicling the path to war, through the eyes of its characters.
- StarsRobert MitchumJane SeymourHart BochnerThe trials of the Henry and the Jastrow families amidst the events after the U.S.'s entry into World War II.Sequel mini-series, again based on Herman Wouk's bestseller.
- DirectorJohn FordMervyn LeRoyJoshua LoganStarsHenry FondaJames CagneyWilliam PowellIn the waning days of World War II, the cargo officer of a Navy supply ship chafes at its role far from the action in the Pacific's backwater areas, his frustration rising when its captain denies the crew liberty over petty irritations.Film version of the Broadway play, documenting life aboard an auxiliary ship, away from the combat zone. Henry Fonda reprised his starring role as the beloved lieutenant, who fights a battle against a petty and vindictive captain. The film shines a light on those who served away from combat, and that not everyone who wears a uniform is a hero. It also illustrates the effect of the loss of one's comrades.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsHumphrey BogartJosé FerrerVan JohnsonWhen a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardises the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command.Thrilling adaptation of the Herman Wouk novel, about the mental deterioration of a destroyer skipper, which forces a mutiny by the officers. Humphrey Bogart is the skipper, while Van Johnson is the reluctant officer who finally takes command. Fred MacMurray has a turn as the cowardly instigator of the plot, while Jose Ferrer is the lawyer tasked to defend the man, which leads to a blow to his honor. The film depicts the high pressure nature of command and the toll it can take.
- DirectorJohn KortyStarsYuki ShimodaNobu McCarthyDori TakeshitaAfter the attack on Pearl Harbor, seven-year-old Jeanne Wakatsuki, her family and 11,000 other Americans of Japanese descent and their immigrant parents are imprisoned in the internment camp Manzanar in California.Adaptation of the memoir of internment during WWII. The book and film highlighted the experiences of Japanese Americans as the were placed in what were essentially prison camps, within the US. Many Nissei would prove their patriotism by joining the army and fighting for the country that jailed their families, including the late senator Dan Inoue.
- StarsKeith DavidKatharine PhillipsTom HanksA seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.Ken Burns documentary series for PBS, showcasing the war in both the military and on the homefront.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsHoward E. Rollins Jr.Adolph CaesarArt EvansAn African-American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.Adaptation of the play, A Soldier's Play, about the murder of a black sergeant, in racially segregated Louisiana. Like the play, the film shows that there were plenty of suspects for the killing, from his own troops, to his superior officers, to the local KKK. The film showcases racial tensions during the war, revealing that the fight against evil happened at home, as well as abroad.
- CreatorAnthony HorowitzStarsMichael KitchenHoneysuckle WeeksAnthony HowellAs WWII rages, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front; investigating crime on the south coast of England. Later series, see the retired detective working as an MI5 agent in the aftermath of the war.British mystery series about a police detective who plies his trade during the war. The series highlights many aspects of the war, from the losses of husbands and sons, the fascists within the UK, black marketeering, rationing, the changing roles of women, post-traumatic stress, debilitating wounds, and many other subjects. It also succeeds as a great mystery series.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenDon TaylorOtto PremingerAfter two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.Film adaptation of the play, about life in a POW camp, including a German spy within the ranks. William Holden won an Oscar for his portrayal of the hustler who everyone hates, yet is able to figure out who the traitor is.
- DirectorMark RydellStarsBette MidlerJames CaanGeorge SegalTalented USO entertainer Dixie Leonard and comedian Eddie Sparks deal with their relationship over the course of 5 decades from World War II to the Vietnam War era to their twilight era in the 90's.James Caan and Bette Midler stars as USO entertainers who travel the war zones to entertain the troops. It is believed that the characters were based on Bob Hope and Martha Raye, though Raye lost a lawsuit that attempted to prove that. Caan was badly miscast as a comedian. It does a fine job, though, of highlighting the work of civilian (and even some military) performers in bringing some light into the horrible situations of the war.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsJudi DenchBob HoskinsChristopher GuestLaura Henderson (Dame Judi Dench) buys an old London theater and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, amongst other things, its all-nude revues.British film about a notorious stage show in wartime London, which featured nude models in tableau, exploiting a loophole in the laws. The film is highly fictionalized, but does a fine job of depicting the era.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsChristian BaleJohn MalkovichMiranda RichardsonA young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.Film adaptation of the book, by JG Ballard, based on his experiences as a child. It details civilian life under Japanese occupation.
- CreatorLavinia WarnerStarsAnn BellStephanie ColeClaire ObermanAfter the Japanese invasion of Singapore in February 1942, a group of British, Dutch and Australian women are held in a Japanese internment camp on a Japanese-occupied island between Singapore and Australia.TV series about the lives of women in a Japanese prison camp, after the fall of Singapore. The series featured excellent actors and a harrowing depiction of the suffering of these women, in an episode little documented in most histories of the war.