War and Anti-War Films
"War and Anti-War Films" often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict (against nations or humankind) provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine warfare, espionage, personal heroism, "war is hell" brutalities, air dogfights, tough trench/infantry experiences, or male-bonding buddy adventures during wartime. Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.
Listed below are all the very best of this genre. Scroll yer heart out....
Le Silence De La Mer (1949)
7.7/10
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Howard Vernon, Nicole Stephane, Jean-Marie Robain
Aka 'The Silence of the Sea'. Jean-Pierre Melville's cinematic adaptation of French Resistance writer Vercors' acclaimed 1942 novel is one of the most... Read more
Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Director: Henry King
Starring: Gary Merrill, Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe
Actual combat footage and a dramatic look at the burdens of command highlight this classic WWII tale set at an Allied air base in England. Gregory Pec... Read more
Battleground (1949)
7.5/10
Director: William A Wellman
Starring: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban
An oscar-winning account of the Battle of the Bulge, and the American foot soldiers who were trapped by the Germans in Bastogne during the fighting. Read more
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
7.2/10
Director: Allan Dwan
Starring: John Wayne, John Agar, Adela Mara, Forrest Tucker
The Duke was never better than as the haunted Sergeant Stryker, a man hated by his men (with few exceptions) for his unyielding toughness, but it is b... Read more
Notorious (1946)
8/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Cary Grant
In this brilliant allegory of love and betrayal, Hitchcock fuses two of his favourite elements: suspense and romance. A beautiful woman with a tainted... Read more
A Bell for Adano (1945)
6.8/10
Director: Henry King
Starring: Gene Tierney, John Hodiak, William Bendix
Major Joppolo and his men are assigned to restore order to the war-torn Italian town of Adano. He has to manage getting supplies into town without int... Read more
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
7.3/10
Director: Lewis Milestone
Starring: Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, Richard Conte
This terrific WWII drama from director Lewis Milestone ('All Quiet on the Western Front') follows one infantry platoon in battle from the time they la... Read more
The Way to the Stars (1945)
Director: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Basil Radford, John Mills, Michael Redgrave, Rosamund John, Stanley Holloway, Do...
In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, a deserted airfield somewhere in the heart of England becomes a bustling bomber command station. This excellent... Read more
Objective, Burma! (1945)
7.4/10
Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Errol Flynn, William Prince, James Brown
A taut, thrilling blockbuster of a war film about a group of tough, tight-lipped paratroopers who are dropped into the Burmese jungle to wipe out a Ja... Read more
They Were Expendable (1945)
7.3/10
Director: John Ford
Starring: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed
One of the finest of all World War II films, based on the true story of America's P.T. boat Squadron in the Philippines during the early days of war.... Read more