Top Second World War films

It’s a war that never ends – cinematically speaking, that is. The Second World War may have ceased hostilities on 2 September 1945, with the formal surrender of Japan in a ceremony on the USS Missouri, but the film world has never stopped fighting. Nearly 70 years on, the demand for Second World War movies appears unstoppable, the supply inexhaustible. Countless movies are made based on Second World War.  Here are some of the top Second World War films.

The Bridge on the River Kwai
David Lean, 1957
The lavish production that launched David Lean into the big league is grand, grown-up and full of both eye-popping set-pieces and moral complexity. Alec Guinness is the POW who helps his Japanese captor build a bridge for the Burma-Siam railway. Neither knows that British commandos are planning to blow the fruits of their labours sky high, thereby lending the entire project an epic, Sisyphean futility. Endlessly rewatchable.

Where Eagles Dare
Brian G Hutton, 1968
This glossy adaptation of Alistair MacLean’s screenplay has Richard Burton’s British major joining forces with Clint Eastwood’s US lieutenant and taking on pretty much the entire Wehrmacht, cast-iron proof that Allied soldiers were not only better than their Axis counterparts, they were also – crucially – better looking. The film is irresistible Boy’s Own nonsense, a hush-hush alpine death mission with echoes of a dirty weekend in Val d’Isère. Together Eastwood and Burton they somehow wreak more havoc armed only with a snow plough and an overnight bag of dynamite than Rommel managed in the whole of North Africa.

Schindler’s List
Steven Spielberg, 1993
It’s impossible not to have this second Spielberg film near the top of the list. At once a great achievement and a desperately upsetting picture to watch, his adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s historical novel Schindler’s Ark is one of the pivotal movies about the Second World War, in that it cuts so directly to the heart of the Nazis’ poisonous ideology. It is debatable whether it needs the epilogue of the real-life survivors putting memorial stones on their saviour’s grave, but only because the three hours-plus that precede it are so staggeringly potent in their depiction of the Nazis’ atrocities and the suffering they caused. Morally and historically, the film feels like essential viewing as both a formidable exercise in “never again”, and a reminder of the good that a lone act of defiance can bring about.

Saving Private Ryan
Steven Spielberg, 1998
Private Ryan, as it’s often known, is not perfect: it plays its strongest card first, the middle section is uneven, and there are unwelcome sallies into sentimentality. But, 11 years on, the climactic stand in the town of Ramelle still packs a punch as fearsome as it is underrated. And no film-maker has ever plunged the audience into the nowhere-to-hide horror of battle as Spielberg does in the film’s opening 25 minutes. It’s partly the meticulous sonic and visual composition of his depiction of the D-Day landings on Omaha beach, partly the grimly desaturated film stock. But particularly smart is Spielberg’s refusal to show us the same gruesome episode twice, which means we never have the luxury of developing any psychological resistance. Every few seconds, a fresh corner of hell awaits you – and yet, you can’t tear your eyes away. It’s an astonishing, genuinely terrifying spectacle, and a magnificent tribute to the men who did it for real.

The Thin Red Line
Terrence Malick, 1998
Terrence Malick, that elusive maverick of modern American cinema, has completed only four full-length features in 36 years. Hardly over-productive, and yet, just as his films seldom come, they come at the perfect moment. The Thin Red Line – adapted from James Jones’s autobiographical account of the ferocious Guadalcanal assault of 1943 – was no exception. It came out just months after Saving Private Ryan, and, while (like Spielberg’s film) it in no way shrinks from depicting the terrors and frustrations of war, it at times makes a virtue of reining in the gore, and has luxuriantly beautiful and even near-spiritual moments.

 

Top Second World War films

Its a war that never ends cinematically speaking, that is. The Second World War may have ceased hostilities on 2 September 1945, with the formal surrender of Japan in a ceremony on the USS Missouri, but the film world has never stopped fighting. Nearly 70 years on, the demand for Second World War movies appears unstoppable, the supply inexhaustible. Countless movies are made based on Second World War. Here are some of the top Second World War films. The Bridge on the River Kwai David Lean, 1957 The lavish production that launched David Lean into the big league is grand, grown-up and full of both eye-popping set-pieces and moral complexity. Alec Guinness is the POW who helps his Japanese captor build a bridge for the Burma-Siam railway. Neither knows that British commandos are planning to blow the fruits of their labours sky high, thereby lending the entire project an epic, Sisyphean futility. Endlessly rewatchable. Where Eagles Dare Brian G Hutton, 1968 This glossy adaptation of Alistair MacLeans screenplay has Richard Burtons British major joining forces with Clint Eastwoods US lieutenant and taking on pretty much the entire Wehrmacht, cast-iron proof that Allied soldiers were not only better than their Axis counterparts, they were also crucially better looking. The film is irresistible Boys Own nonsense, a hush-hush alpine death mission with echoes of a dirty weekend in Val dIsre. Together Eastwood and Burton they somehow wreak more havoc armed only with a snow plough and an overnight bag of dynamite than Rommel managed in the whole of North Africa. Schindlers List Steven Spielberg, 1993 Its impossible not to have this second Spielberg film near the top of the list. At once a great achievement and a desperately upsetting picture to watch, his adaptation of Thomas Keneallys historical novel Schindlers Ark is one of the pivotal movies about the Second World War, in that it cuts so directly to the heart of the Nazis poisonous ideology. It is debatable whether it needs the epilogue of the real-life survivors putting memorial stones on their saviours grave, but only because the three hours-plus that precede it are so staggeringly potent in their depiction of the Nazis atrocities and the suffering they caused. Morally and historically, the film feels like essential viewing as both a formidable exercise in never again, and a reminder of the good that a lone act of defiance can bring about. Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg, 1998 Private Ryan, as its often known, is not perfect: it plays its strongest card first, the middle section is uneven, and there are unwelcome sallies into sentimentality. But, 11 years on, the climactic stand in the town of Ramelle still packs a punch as fearsome as it is underrated. And no film-maker has ever plunged the audience into the nowhere-to-hide horror of battle as Spielberg does in the films opening 25 minutes. Its partly the meticulous sonic and visual composition of his depiction of the D-Day landings on Omaha beach, partly the grimly desaturated film stock. But particularly smart is Spielbergs refusal to show us the same gruesome episode twice, which means we never have the luxury of developing any psychological resistance. Every few seconds, a fresh corner of hell awaits you and yet, you cant tear your eyes away. Its an astonishing, genuinely terrifying spectacle, and a magnificent tribute to the men who did it for real. The Thin Red Line Terrence Malick, 1998 Terrence Malick, that elusive maverick of modern American cinema, has completed only four full-length features in 36 years. Hardly over-productive, and yet, just as his films seldom come, they come at the perfect moment. The Thin Red Line adapted from James Joness autobiographical account of the ferocious Guadalcanal assault of 1943 was no exception. It came out just months after Saving Private Ryan, and, while (like Spielbergs film) it in no way shrinks from depicting the terrors and frustrations of war, it at times makes a virtue of reining in the gore, and has luxuriantly beautiful and even near-spiritual moments.