World War II Movies

ROVIN' AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE

Movies About World War II

Recently, as a friend and I talked about movies, the topic turned to movies about World War II, and I jotted down a list of such films that we remembered most vividly. That list became the starting point for a column, "Monuments and Movies for the Greatest Generation." One of my favorite tasks is that, once these columns are posted for your reading pleasure, I get in touch with all the sites to which I've linked and let them know about the article. I also try to publicize the articles by posting information in various bulletin boards on the Internet.

When I wrote this article in 1999, I posted a notice about my interest in World War II movies on the About Classic Film site. At that time, its guide was Brad Lang, and its forums were supported by a variety of knowledgeable and helpful film buffs, whose generous and informative responses were the basis for my article.

It is now five years later, and once again, I can remind you that the Internet is a living thing, made up of or made by living people. Brad Lang, one of the nicest (and, I'm pleased to report, still living) folks I ever encountered online has settled in at a new site, Classic Movies, where his spirit of community, his erudition, and his willingness to help are also very much alive. He has once again attracted and maintains a community of people dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of great films. Although I no longer review films, permit me a two-word review this site: go there!

The first and longest response was a considerable list from Pete "Tralfaz" Fitzgerald, who followed my original format of dividing films by decade:

1940's

DESPERATE JOURNEY, by Raoul Walsh, 1942

ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING, by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1942

WAKE ISLAND, by John Farrow, 1942

BATAAN, by Tay Garnett, 1943

CORVETTE K-225, by Richard Rosson, 1943

CRASH DIVE, by Archie Mayo, 1943

LIFEBOAT, by Alfred Hitchcock, 1943

THE FIGHTING SEABEES, by Edward Ludwig, 1944

BACK TO BATAAN, by Edward Dmytryk, 1945

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, by William Wyler, 1946

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1946

1950's

AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILLIPINES, by Fritz Lang, 1950

THREE CAME HOME, by Jean Negulesco, 1950

THE GLORY BRIGADE, by Robert D. Webb, 1953

STALAG 17, by Billy Wilder, 1953

THE COCKLESHELL HEROES, by Jose Ferrer, 1955

MISTER ROBERTS, by John Ford &Mervyn LeRoy, 1955

D-DAY THE SIXTH OF JUNE, by Henry Koster, 1956

THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS, by Ronald Neame, 1956

ATTACK!, by Robert Aldrich, 1956

PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE, by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1956

HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON, by John Huston, 1957

THE ENEMY BELOW, by Dick Powell, 1957

THE NAKED & THE DEAD, by Raoul Walsh, 1958

1960's

THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, by Lee J. Thompson, 1961

MERRILL'S MARAUDERS, by Sam Fuller, 1962

THE GREAT ESCAPE, by John Sturges, 1963

BATTLE OF THE BULGE, by Ken Annakin, 1965

THE TRAIN, by John Frankenheimer, 1965

VON RYAN'S EXPRESS, by Mark Robson, 1965

BEACH RED, by Cornel Wilde, 1967

THE DIRTY DOZEN, by Robert Aldrich, 1967

HELL IN THE PACIFIC, by John Boorman, 1968

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, by Guy Hamilton, 1969

CASTLE KEEP, by Sydney Pollack, 1969

WHERE EAGLES DARE, by Brian G. Hutton, 1969

1970's

KELLY'S HEROES, by Brian G. Hutton, 1970

TOO LATE THE HERO, by Robert Aldrich, 1970

TORA! TORA! TORA!, by Richard Fleischer & Kinji Fukasaku, 1970

THE MCKENZIE BREAK, by Lamont Johnson, 1970

PLAY DIRTY, by Andre De Toth, 1971

MURPHY'S WAR, by Peter Yates, 1971

MIDWAY, by Jack Smight, 1976

1980's

DAS BOOT, by Wolfgang Petersen, 1981

HOPE & GLORY, by John Boorman, 1987

So, does that cover it all? Believe me, with these folks, we are just beginning. Other correspondents shared these World War II musicals:

PRIVATE BUCKAROO (1942) ("a universal war musical")

STAGE DOOR CANTEEN (1943)
STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1943)
THIS IS THE ARMY (1943)
THOUSANDS CHEER (1943)
STORMY WEATHER (1943)
CAIRO (1942)
IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955)
SOUTH PACIFIC (1958)

Several correspondents referred to movies that reflect the not so politically correct life in the military during the Second World War, for example, "THE NEGRO SOLDIER by Capra? Haven't seen it, but would be interested in it. There's supposed to be a collection of WWII War Department propaganda flicks out there, aimed at increasing Black participation in WWII, including this one, THE NEGRO STEWARD and THE NEGRO SAILOR."

Barbara Ross, a teacher from Chicago, wrote about trying to find films for use in her classes: "Navajo Code Talkers during WW II, All Japanese-American fighting units during WW II, African-American fighting units (other than the Tuskegee Airman)." Jack S. suggested BATTLE CRY as a film about Native Americans.

Sterling Prophet of Newark, Ohio, added, "Your list should include GO FOR BROKE, which is about the much decorated unit of Japanese-Americans who served the U.S. in Europe while their families were being held in internment camps back home." Similarly, there is "HELL TO ETERNITY (1960), with Jeffrey Hunter. He plays Guy Gabaldon, who saves many Japanese civilian lives in WW2 by knowing their language. He was an American raised by the Japanese people. This is a true story."

"Otisbdriftwo" extended the range of the discussion: "I am not sure if you want just Hollywood war films, but there are some excellent foreign ones. Two of the best were from Koni Ichikawa: THE BURMESE HARP (1956) and FIRES ON THE PLAIN (1962). Another exceptional World War II film was from Russian director Grigori Chukhrai, THE BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (1959). Mikhail Kalatozov's THE CRANES ARE FLYING (1960) is another superb World War II film from Russia with a very moving romance in the backdrop."

These are films that were referred to, for one reason or another, to round out the discussion: FOREVER AND A DAY (1943), FRANCIS JOINS THE WACS (1954), THE CLOCK (1945), THE FIGHTING SULLIVANS (1944), A WALK IN THE SUN (1945), and SO PROUDLY WE HAIL (1943)

Finally, a break from the lists. Here is a touching e-mail message which takes us beyond movies: "I'm trying to locate a World War II Movie titled Seven were Saved. My father-in-law was one of the extras on this movie. He stated he was filmed in his B-17 as a gunner, along with several others, and thought the filming took place in 1943, while he was in the Army Air Corp. I would like to find this video and present him a copy as he is a true hero, having served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. (over 32 years)."

Brad Lang of Classic Movies writes that "Perhaps no event in history has inspired more films than World War II," in his introduction to a three-page annotated list of World War II movies. If you need or want more information, let me tell you about a book to which Brad Lang referred me--the 600+ pages of VideoHound’s War Movies: Classic Conflict on Film by Mike Mayo.

As I’ve mentioned recently in discussing a very different film, I am not comfortable with easy labels for films, to say "I like/don’t like war movies" or "I’m tired of/can’t get enough of World War II movies." Very few films have ever been "just" war movies. At least, it isn’t fair to the integrity and effort of those creative minds who produce a film to dismiss it (or accept it) because of its topic. So, perhaps this exercise has at best a historical significance.

For me, this article is another celebration of the potential of the Internet. How else could one "meet" such diverse, knowledgeable, downright interesting people as those that I’ve been in touch with? To all of them, my thanks.

I finished this article (originally) a couple of days behind schedule, on the 6^th of December of 1999, the eve of the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I am revising it on the 23rd of August 2004; sixty years ago today, the Battle of Stalingrad was getting started.

No one alive today can escape in some way the legacy of World War II. As you rove and rave, keep your feet dry and your heart full of noble thoughts of those ordinary people who were called upon to do noble things… and did. To aspire to a little nobility myself, I must confess that I did not pull that fact about the Battle of Stalingrad out of my well-stocked head. Click below to find out more: