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
Killing Hitler (2003)
6.6/10
Director: Jeremy Lovering
Starring: Keith Allen, Kenneth Cranham, Peter McDonald, Kate Ashfield
A BBC/History Channel docudrama combining fast-paced action with true-life facts to portray the 1945 Allied plot to assassinate Hitler. Dubbed Operati... Read more
Saving Private Ryan: The World War II Collection (1998)
8.6/10
Director: James Moll, Steven Spielberg, Richard Schickel
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, Edward Burns
"Saving Private Ryan" (1998) - This highly acclaimed portrait about one small unit's search for a soldier who has been ordered home, following the dea... Read more
Vietnam Air War (2000)
"Vietnam Air Wa"r is the most comprehensive film record ever produced of the aircraft, weaponry, strategy and tactics deployed during the Vietnam War.... Read more
Korea: The Forgotten War (1987)
7.5/10
Starring: Narrated by, Robert Stack
In June 1950, the North Korean Army initiated a massive attack on its southern neighbour, beginning a see-saw battle that would engulf the entire Kore... 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
Scorched Earth: Propaganda (2000)
5/10
This episode provides an intriguing look at the part played by propaganda as governments struggled to gain the upper hand in the war away from the bat... Read more
Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire (2008)
7.9/10
It is 114 B.C. and the Republic of Rome is a small empire clinging to the rim of the Mediterranean. Suddenly, terror grips the Romans as the first bar... Read more
The Gestapo: Hitler's Secret Police (2005)
4.6/10
Very few state organisations in history have instilled fear into citizens like the Gestapo, Adolf Hitlers secret police. During the darkest days of th... Read more
Arnhem: A Bridge Too Far - The True Story (2001)
5.8/10
September 1944. The Battle of Arnhem was one of the most audacious but ultimately controversial battles of the Second World War. Airborne drops in Hol... Read more
Truth, Lies and Intelligence (2005)
7.1/10
Director: Carmel Travers
Directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Carmel Travers, this insightful documentary is a decisive and compelling exploration of the intelligenc... Read more