War Docos
Innovative German film-maker Leni Riefenstahl's pioneering masterwork epic "Triumph of the Will" (1934) was explicitly propagandistic yet historical in its spectacular yet horrifying documentation of the Nazi Party Congress rally in Nuremberg in 1934. It was a revolutionary film combining superb cinematography and editing of Third Reich propaganda. She also documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the stunning film "Olympia" (1938) - with graceful and beautiful images of 'Aryan' athletes in competition. To respond to the Nazi propaganda, Frank Capra was commissioned by the US War Department to direct seven films in a "Why We Fight" (1943) series of narrated WWII newsreel-style films. The first in the series, "Prelude to War," a look at the events from 1931-1939, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. These and many other truely great War Documentaries, including the BBC's brilliant "World At War" series, are available by scrolling below.
Right: William Wyler's Academy Award winning "The Memphis Belle"Â
War Dance (2007)
7.9/10
Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix
Since the 1980s, Uganda has been locked in a violent civil war; a war in which children are often snatched from refugee camps or even their homes and... Read more
War in Iraq (2003)
On the night of March 19th-20th, 2003, two U.S. F-177A Stealth Fighters launched a surprise attack on a secret location in Baghdad where Saddam Hussei... Read more
War is Sell (2004)
4.7/10
Director: Brian Standing
How do you sell a war? Armed with words, pictures and advertising techniques, war propagandists fight for the hearts and minds of the public. This d... Read more
War Made Easy (2008)
8/10
Director: Loretta Alper, Jeremy Earp
Starring: Narrated by, Sean Penn
Sean Penn narrates this expose of media distortion and presidential endorsement of arguably unjustified wars. Focusing on the parallels between Vietna... Read more
War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us (1995)
Director: Gaylene Preston
Starring: Pamela Quill, Flo Small, Tui Preston, Jean Andrews
Seven women discuss their secret lives during World War II in this unique, moving, unforgettable film. Featuring Pamela Quill, Flo Small, Tui Preston,... Read more
Warlords (2005)
4.1/10
Starring: Hitler, Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt
A major fourt-part television series that sheds light on the main warlords involved in WWII and the psychological battles and strategies that changed... Read more
Western Desert: 1940 - 1943 (2003)
The War in the Western Desert began as a sideshow but steadily escalated into one of the most important campaigns of the second World War, with essent... Read more
When the Lights Go On Again - Britain's Home Front 1943-1947 (2002)
The story of wartime Britain from 1941 to the final Allied victory. This programme looks at the contribution made by women during these years and how... Read more
When the Mountains Tremble (1983)
8/10
Director: Pamela Yates, Newton Thomas Sigel
Shot at the height of a largely unreported war between a heavily armed Guatamalan Military and a virtually defenceless Mayan population, this powerful... Read more
When the War Came to Australia (2000)
This four part series tells the story of Australians on the Home Front during World War II. Personal recollections, rare archival footage and the musi... Read more