Lets Talk About War Movies

Continuing my favorite movie theme (see here, and here if you care) it’s time to think about war movies. Now war movies are almost exclusively a male thing, and I’m male so feel fully qualified to talk about this one.

Like sci-fi or period movies there are many sub-sets of the genre. There are big picture epics like The Longest Day, other films take a certain dramatic license with an event (The Great Escape), others tell the story of a single mission (Dambusters) and finally for now, those that use a conflict as background to great drama such as Apocalypse Now or the Pianist.

After reading through the list there is a definite British bias in my choices, but I think that may reflect the rich history of the country.  Again there is no order here, just great movies that I hope people will enjoy.

• The Longest Day – OK, maybe one stands out from the rest, and this may be the best of all. It’s an accurate, star studded, well-told version of what may be the greatest story of the 20^th century. Like most of the films on this list the reality makes a far better story than fiction ever could.
• A Bridge Too Far – Only the British would celebrate a defeat quite like this. It tells the story of the battle for the Arnhem Bridge and Operation Market Garden. Like the Longest Day, no writer could come up with a story like this. Again a great cast tells a very dramatic story.
• Apocalypse Now – Martin Sheen is brilliant as the guy sent to kill the insane Col. Kurtz. Spectacular, long (over 3 hours for the full directors cut), and full of great supporting characters like Robert Duvall as Bill Kilgore. Good lines abound, and all wrapped up by great story that asks a lot of questions of everyone.
• Zulu – Michael Caine is 100% stiff upper lip British Officer. Great action and like all great stories, the battle of Rorkes Drift really happened. 
• The Great Escape – Ok, so Hollywood twisted the true story of the breakout of Stalag Luft III, but it’s difficult to argue with the addition of Steve McQueen. Yes the bike jump at the end is iconic, but the tale that gets you there is quite wonderfully told.
• Where Eagles Dare – Clint Eastwood has fights on top of cable cars, lots of people get shot, a little betrayal and a noble mission that will change the course of the war. This sounds like a by-the-number formulaic war movie, but with a cable car. And to a certain extent that’s true, but it’s also a good, entertaining story.
• Lawrence of Arabia – This is Peter O’Toole’s definitive film role and the movie is based on the adventures of T.E. Lawrence. He spent the First World War uniting the Arab tribes against the Turks. This is a great movie, with a great cast and tells a quite amazing story.
• The Dambusters – It starts with the genius of Barnes Wallace and the development of the bouncing bomb and ends with 617 Squadrons attack on the Ruhr dams in Germany. Like every other one on this list, it’s a great story and
• Waterloo – The word “epic” is thrown around a lot, but this is one of those rare occasions where for the scale alone it’s fully deserved. The battle scenes are unlike anything else committed to film, 17,000 extras, including 2000 mounted cavalry. All of who were Soviet conscripts that director Sergei Bondarchuk somehow talked his way into being allowed to use.
• Battleship Potemkin – A little pretentious? Perhaps, but I recently saw this for the first time. Yes it’s a propaganda movie telling the story of the mutiny of the crew of the Battleship Potemkin against the Tsarist officers. It’s a film anyone who appreciates the medium should see.

Interested in your thoughts?
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