What are the Best War Films of All Time?
·
June 28, 2011 at 10:40pm
I was at a conference recently--related to teaching and national security. As part of the program we watched The Hurt Locker. This prompted a discussion among some of the participants about war movies in general and ones that might be useful in the classroom (college or graduate level). We had a surprisingly difficult time coming up with--in the end--a not very extensive list. Suggestions?
- Comment (126)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (8)
Comments:
Jul '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
A late entry: We Were Soldiers.
May '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
I agree that Twelve O'Clock High, Patton, Glory and Dr. Strangelove are all great, while the others are mostly just good. I do think Saving Private Ryan deserves the great label, as well, though. I'll admit that it's greatness is all jammed into the first 20 minutes, while the rest is merely very good, but that 20 minutes is so powerful I think it carries the whole thing. Schindler's List is also great, in my view.
The first half of Full Metal Jacket is outstanding, but the second half sucks a lot of the wind out. And Red Dawn is great fun, but not great great.
The first two episodes of Band of Brothers and the two in Bastogne are great. The rest are merely good.
Finally, one that hasn't been mentioned is The Man Who Never Was, which I'll admit is not great, but is very good if you love intelligence/misinformation stories.
Jan '11
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Depends on the definition. There are some movies that are just great stories with war as a backdrop. Some movies are realistically accurate, but aren't much for story or acting.
Even though every major artist in the movie is a ridiculous liberal, I still think Saving Private Ryan is a magnificent movie. The moral power of that simple phrase, "Earn this" is overwhelming ... not just for the character, but for the audience. The Tom Hanks character, Captain Miller, is speaking to us, as well as to Matt Damon. I still get teary when the surviving Ryan character returns to France and begs his wife, "Tell me I'm a good man" in front of Millers' grave.
There are a lot of movies that hate war, others that glorify it ... but that phrase "Earn this" applies to all of them.
Jul '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Tommy De Seno
Kenneth
Tommy De Seno: 35 posts in and no mention of Red Dawn? No Full Metal Jacket?
I may have to declare war on all of you. · Jun 28 at 1:52pm
Oh, Tommy, you're such a kidder. · Jun 28 at 1:54pm
Oh and I didn't mention The Patriot because it would be blasphemous to mention it in the same thread with lesser movies. · Jun 28 at 2:00pm
I liked The Patriot better when it was called Braveheart.
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Zulu. Not only a great film, and a great study of leadership, but highly accurate. They fudged a few details, but basically it is the true story of how 150 British soldiers successfully defended their supply station against 4,000 Zulus.
And also:
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Palaeologus
Tommy De Seno
Kenneth
Tommy De Seno: 35 posts in and no mention of Red Dawn? No Full Metal Jacket?
I may have to declare war on all of you. · Jun 28 at 1:52pm
Oh, Tommy, you're such a kidder. · Jun 28 at 1:54pm
Oh and I didn't mention The Patriot because it would be blasphemous to mention it in the same thread with lesser movies. · Jun 28 at 2:00pm
I liked The Patriot better when it was called Braveheart. · Jun 28 at 2:08pm
The similarity was not lost on me.
Nov '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
And now for something completely different...
49th Parallel
A British propoganda film aimed at getting the U.S. to enter WWII. How can you not love a movie that has Inuits and Hutterites battling a Nazi U-boat crew in Canada? How can you not love a movie with cameos by Sir Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey, and Glynis Johns? It's best to watch it at 3 a.m. on an old b&w set.
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Mr. Pippen's initial post referred to the "best" war movies, particularly for use in the classroom.
Mr. Pippen's initial post made no reference to "great" war movies.
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
The Incredible Mr. Limpet!
Do NOT mock my childhood memories!
I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever see in my lifetime - a cartoon fish in the ocean talking to the Navy guys.
You know what? It still is.
Mar '11
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Victory at Sea - the theater version on the big screen with theater sound. They took the best parts of the 26 episodes and put them together to make a very powerful film.
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Tommy De Seno: 35 posts in and no mention of Red Dawn? No Full Metal Jacket?
I may have to declare war on all of you. · Jun 28 at 1:52pm
Red Dawn and Full Metal Jacket are both fine movies, but I do not believe they meet Mr. Pippen's requirement for suitability within a classroom environment. Full Metal Jacket fails due to questionable historical accuracy, and Red Dawn fails due to gross implausibility of the basic premise.
You might as well nominate Operation Petticoat for inclusion on the list! ;-)
Edited on June 28, 2011 at 11:18pmDec '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Tommy De Seno: 35 posts in and no mention of Red Dawn? No Full Metal Jacket?
I may have to declare war on all of you. · Jun 28 at 1:52pm
Blame Canada?
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
That sound like an interesting conference. Was it federally funded?
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Saving Private Ryan must ONLY be seen INSIDE a movie theatre with a REALLY good surround sound system.
It is the sound design that allows that movie to cross from "good" to "great", and the effect is completely lost on DVD, no matter how good your home theatre set-up.
I remember involuntarily moving my head to dodge bullets, because the surround sound tricked my brain into thinking that bullets were actually whizzing past my head.
Edited on June 28, 2011 at 11:28pmJun '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Misthiocracy: I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned The Best Years of Our Lives, which I would definitely put up there in the top 5.
I don't want to repeat any of the suggestions already posted, so here are a few honourable mentions:
I also think that Jarhead tends to be underrated. Some claim it's too harsh on the US military, but I disagree. I think it puts the men who serve in unfamiliar circumstances in a very decent light.
And a guilty pleasure, which has zero educational value but is damned cathartic as WWII fantasy: Inglourious Basterds · Jun 28 at 11:58am
Edited on Jun 28 at 12:10 pm
Best Years of Our Lives would be a post-war movie...great film that it is.
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
That sound like an interesting conference. Was it federally funded? · Jun 28 at 2:19pm
Nope. It was run by some people at Johns Hopkins SAIS (School for Advanced International Studies) and funded through foundations/private donors.
Sep '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Only to add to this great list...Stalag 17 Run Silent, Run Deep
Jun '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
Adam Freedman: Zulu. Not only a great film, and a great study of leadership, but highly accurate. They fudged a few details, but basically it is the true story of how 150 British soldiers successfully defended their supply station against 4,000 Zulus.
And also: · Jun 28 at 2:08pm
I'm with you on Zulu...outstanding film.
Guns of Navarone not so much only because it's formulaic Alistair MacLean double-agent malarky and has little to do with what actually happened in WWII...fun Saturday matinee movie but just not in the same class as many of the others that have been mentioned.
Aug '10
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
J. C. Casteel: And now for something completely different...
49th Parallel
A British propoganda film aimed at getting the U.S. to enter WWII. How can you not love a movie that has Inuits and Hutterites battling a Nazi U-boat crew in Canada? How can you not love a movie with cameos by Sir Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey, and Glynis Johns? It's best to watch it at 3 a.m. on an old b&w set. · Jun 28 at 2:11pm
For your enjoyment, here's a link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-i-UkQrIQA
The entire movie's on YouTube as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9EKx5rRUoA
Jan '11
Re: What are the Best War Films of All Time?
I'll second the nominations for Saving Private Ryan, Zulu, Flags of our Fathers/Letter From Iwo Jima, Downfall, and especially Breaker Morant (one of my all-time favorites). I'll also add Akira Kurosawa's Ran and a qualified nomination for Master & Commander for getting so much right and yet so many things wrong.