Top 15 World War 2 Films of All Time - A Historian Reacts
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- čas přidán 4. 10. 2021
- See the original video here - • Top 15 World War II Films
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Just an FYI that there's about a 10 second spot near the middle of the video with no sound. Thank the youtube copyright detector for that. Hans Zimmer's score from Thin Red Line got dinged, and it was either mute that part or file an appeal which can take weeks. I just muted it.
You got to see the train.it is a real good one
Fun fact, here in chicago we actually have a U boat. I took a tour of it when I was a kid
Don’t forget the German film Stalingrad
Chris speaking of WW2 please react to " Jeremy Clarkson the greatest raid of all time"
It's really good he interviewed some WW2 vets and the story telling and animation is spot on makes it so you can get into the program
I had the plesure of visiting the Studio (in Munich) where Das Boot was filmed and actually been inside the Boat, not the one at sea but the one used for all "inside" scenes.
My father was in a Japanese POW camp captured at Singapore, and he was put on the Burma Road. Bridge over the River Kwai was his most detested movie. He said it was complete rubbish. He said in his camp, if you spoke to the Japanese commander or really any of the Japanese, you were shot; if you didn't respond quickly enough you were shot; There was no parade, there were no officers; it was a labor camp and they were slaves. They worked, ate, slept, and talked in whispers after dark. And they mostly died.
Jesus Christ........God Damn dude
@peterpan41 yeah, the Japanese were ruthless.
So was my great Uncle
A film that comes closer to reality is probably King Rat, with George Segal and Tom Courtenay.
an Uncle was there, he said NOTHING good EVER about the Japanese
1993 German Stalingrad Movie. Once again a movie entirely from the German perspective. The movie details as German soldiers struggle with their loyalty as the war progresses from victory to crushing defeat and retreat.
The miniseries Generation War is also a great piece of WW2 media from the German perspective. It basically covers what you just mentioned as well.
1993 Stalingrad is criminally underrated
@@caesarplaysgames but sadly it's not that good.
My father played an extra in that movie xD
Stalingrad should be in the top 3 on this list. And so should Der Untergang
Downfall is easily one of the best - despite the endless memes, the portrayal of Hitler by the outstanding Swiss actor Bruno Ganz (rip - he listened to the very few recordings of Hitler’s natural speaking voice to get the Bavarian accent) is definitive, and the incredible attention to details in the bunker, and the portrayal of the collective psychological meltdown as the Red Army nears, are just brilliant.
Meant to add that I took my mother to see Schindler’s List in ‘93 as I had just seen it (I was in high school and starting my love affair with film), and I wanted her to see it on the big screen. She absolutely sobbed out loud during the ending sequence when the living survivors enter the film. She still talks about how the film devastated her.
I thought it was going to be first!
Tbf it being memed as hard does show how good it is
Hitler had an Austrian accent, not Bavarian.
@@landtuna8061 He was Austrian, but moved to Passau when he was three, it is more likely he had a Bavarian accent
Grave of the Fireflies will break your heart. From 1988, this animated feature is like no other and tells the story of a Japanese teen boy taking care of his toddler sister just before Hiroshima. It is hard to imagine a film so beautiful and brutal. Children are the most vulnerable of wartime and this film does not pull back when it punches. Roger Ebert claims there is no way the film makers could have done this live and still have the same affect. I agree.
What’s even more respectable is that it came from the studio that made My Neighbour Totoro, showing that a child friendly company like that isn’t afraid to show serious stuff. Heard The Wind Rises is great too.
Can't deal with a list where Tora Tora Tora doesn't even make the honorable mentions.
Yeah, it kinda shows the bias of the movies about the European Theater in the ranker's list, but it also shows the bias on the lack of films about the Pacific Theater in Hollywood. Tora Tora Tora and Letters from Iwo Jima are the two standouts, and I can't say I remember many others.
Also, the creator skews heavily toward cinematic artistry, and not so much toward straightforward story-telling -- although he does pick good stories.
What makes, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" so good is that a thrilling action film achieves such tremendous historical accuracy.
However, a masterpiece of cinematic art it is *not*.
Yeah. Tora Tora Tora is one of my favorite WW2 films. Even as a kid.
1993's Stalingrad (german movie) was also missing. I think you can watch it on youtube.
One of those where i'd say you have to watch it...... once...
@@EvilGNU yes, that one is great. But an even greater miss is not including Die Brücke from 1959.
I'd recommend "Die Brücke" (The Bridge). A German movie from 1959. No big budget or huge scenes, just a story about a few young friends who are ordered to protect a completely unimportant bridge in their hometown in Germany in the assumption that there won't be any action anyhow - and then the US army shows up. Extremely impressive exactly because the whole set is that small.
Me too!
Yes.
Yes, absolutely. This film was showed in (my) school in history class in the 1970s.
there is actually a remake of that movie from 2010ish. I had to watch that version at school.
@@meganoob12 Uhhh, my condolences. I can't stand to watch the remake for longer than a minute or two, it's that bad.
_Really_ pleasantly surprised to see "Come and See" at number 1. Thank God for Criterion kind of resurrecting it to be exposed to a whole new generation. It's like a nightmare being converted into cinema, hard to watch, but important to watch.
I walked out of the theater after the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan openly weeping. My grandfather was in the 29th infantry division and was on that beach at zero hour +30. You can even see the Blue and Grey Ying yang patches on some of the soldiers. His unit had a 90% casualty rate. He came home...for the most part. As much as you can from seeing something like that.
So why were you weeping?
The 5-hour-version of "Das Boot" is actually the best of all three versions. That version has lots of passages where nothing really happens and the crew starts to get impatient, annoyed by and angry at each other. They feel that they don't contribute anything to win the war. It's the most realistic picture of what reality was like on a submarine in WWII. But that version was considered to be too long and too boring for the audience. They cut so much stuff away from it that the actors were shocked when they watched it at the premiere. The studio had turned a great study of war into a dull action movie. Luckily, after a few years, the 5-hour-miniseries was shown on TV and is loved since that day. The Directors Cut is something in between. It's much better than the theatrical version, but still lacks some things from the miniseries.
Another vote for the Das Boot miniseries, it was awesome.
I saw the tv show, didn't even know they made a movie out of it. Not that I care.
There is a second season made recently.
Yes, the five-hour miniseries version is the most realistic. Also, the English dialog version to me is just as good as the German dialog original, as both version s were dubbed, and the actors almost all voiced the English lines. The movie was shot in such close confines of the submarine that the whirring of the cameras drowned out any sound on the set so the whole movie audio was done in post-production.
@@fixipszikon6670 The 2018 tv show has nothing to do with the 1981 movie / miniseries, except the fact that they both use the same book as their inspiration.
@@carador9286
Das Boot 2 is a German television series produced for Sky One and a sequel to Das Boot (1981). As the original film's plot ends in December 1941, the series' setting takes place nine months later, in 1942
Re: Downfall: it's the difference between an explanation and an excuse. We shouldn't excuse what Hitler did, but it is important to explain it, to understand the mindset. And frankly, we can talk about it in the clinical terms of xenophobia and such all we want, but for many, it is near impossible to truly understand such terms without an emotive example. That is what Downfall truly provides.
Yes "the madman hitler" myth is basically a get out of jail free card. For all those who were his accomplices as well as the man himself. (the former using this a lot after the war ended to get their heads out of the noose). Hitler was, as said as it is, in the end a human being who was not just capable of orchestrating what he did but also therefore accountable. Hitler was first an formost a criminal who was convinced that he was was right in the things he did. It is important to understand the hows and whys behind this.
And as you say, an explanation is no excuse, it is rather the presentation of evidence.
Also I would like to point out that even some neonazis use that madman hitler myth to defend their ideology, as in "nazism isn't wrong hitler just went crazy in the end".
Nein, Nope,Njet,No,Non.... srsly nope, while the man definitly cracked from the stress and deteriorating health in the last months of the war, he was nowhere near a state where he would not be accountable for his actions.
@@EvilGNU Agree entirely. The film does a great job showing how Hitler and others were really like, without glorifying, or excusing their actions. Just simply puts the information out there and let the viewer decide how they feel.
To truly understand how they got to these kind of mind sets you have to look at how WW 1 ended and the years between WW 1 and WW 2. That level of anti-Semitism without looking at those time frames doesn't make sense. Not like it made any sense in the first place but it will at least give the people an explanation of how they got to that point.
I think he was reluctant to use the term "humanizes" but I think there is 2 fold way to look at it. Firstly, it humanizes this myth of beast man Hitler, showing that indeed he was not some beast but a human, and that those atrocities were committed by a man rather san some mythological creature. On the other hand, if dispells the Godlike status of Hitler and brings him down to human level.
I agree, I think it's easier for some people to believe that people like Hitler went around being evil 24/7 like a Bond villain.
I’ve heard the British 1953 film, The Cruel Sea, starring Jack Hawkins is a very accurate depiction of the Royal Navy fighting Germany's U-boats.
In my opinion the best war movie of them all.
I've also read this. The bluray has been in my Amazon cart for a few months now. Eventually I need to see it.
Apparently it's amazing.
I would heartily recommend "Unknown soldier" 2017, it's based on an old finnish novel written by a veteran who fought in the continuation war against soviet union. it has great characters and good historical accuracy aswell. it's one that's probably not so well known outside of Finland so I reccomend it to foreigners especially for insight about what was happening in finland during ww2
That movie was excellent! It was long but it was a perspective I’ve never seen before and enjoy every second of it. Great film!
Generally, when I watch Dunkirk, I get bugged by the seemingly small number of people on the beach. I've heard this was because Nolan wanted to keep it practical and avoid adding more troops with effects, but I think it would've sold the situation more. I always felt very weird about it. The board walk is crammed full of people, and the ships showed tonnes of people, but very few (barely pushing 150 being generous imo) on the beach to fill those ships.
Otherwise, I generally enjoy it.
Yup. Tears it down considerably.
I agree. It felt....... off..... the whole time
I've unfortunately never seen it, but i have seen reaction videos on it, And i can't agree more, It just was so empty on the beaches, it just feels off 🤔
Quentin Tarantino calls it one of the best movies ever made. I've watched Interstellar over 20 times. I've watched Tenet over 10 (plus CZcams videos explaining the timeline). I've watched Inception over 5. I've watched Dunkirk twice. Not sure if I will see it again. I don't care at all for any of the others, particularly the Batman movies. Either Quentin knows something I don't (which would not be surprising), or I have to agree I don't know what Nolan was going for with Dunkirk. It's supposed to have "scale and intimacy at the same time," but I also had the immediate reaction that he missed a _huge_ opportunity with the "scale" part.
or how about there being almost no equipment on the beach.. it should be stuffed with all sorts of gear being left behind.
I agree about adding The Longest Day and Tora Tora Tora. Not only is The Longest Day one of the best WWII movies ever made, I think it's one of the best films ever made, with both breadth and depth of vision, bringing in perspectives of so many different people and different kinds of people. I also think it's a great soundtrack. If you didn't notice it that much, that's part of the point. When you do notice it, it's often the martial drumming. I think of it as one three hour piece of music with long, long rests. In its coming and going, even in its absences, it is controlling the rhythm of your responses to everything else.
As already mentioned by others "The Cruel Sea" could have made the list. "Das Boot" gave the German perspective of the Battle of the Atlantic, while The Cruel Sea depicted the British side and the task of protecting the convoys crossing that ocean. Filming in B&W gave it atmosphere that could not be replicated in colour, plus some great actors of the time.
I agree, The Cruel Sea is one of the best war films ever, not just WW2.
@@danielearley5062 Completely agree with you.
I would have Enemy at the Gates on my list for sure.
Haven't seen that one. Have to look it up.
@@debralittle1341 Do it! It's a great film.
@@debralittle1341 to be honest it's absolutely terrible.
In short it's just a compilation of blatant lies dishonoring the deeds done not just by a bunch of generals or bloody Stalin, but of the whole god damn army.
If you want to see a movie about the Eastern front, better look up "Fortress" (2010), "Panfilov's 28" (2016) or the german "Stalingrad" (1992).
Don't watch "popular" russian war films such as the modern "Stalingrad", as it doesn't do much better than "Enemy at the Gates".
Nah, it's a cheap love story pretending to be a WW2 movies
I disagree honestly it's kind of more a cheesy romance than a war movie
Hacksaw Ridge I feel was an amazing film that was not only based on a true story, but did a great job depicting the horror of war.
its top 5 for me
Unbroken as well
The story is awesome but the movie was a little over the top and gushy for me lol
@@apm9151 In what way would you say it was over the top?
@@danimal263 I think it was a good movie but I have to agree with Apm, in the manner of the combat scenes. It was depicted as two walls of opposing forces clashing into each other like a medieval battle. Entirely too close together and too rambo-ish with using the guns. I blame Mel Gibson for that tho lol.
‘Come and see’. Is not only the best Second World War film but the best war film ever.
The pianist is a truly great film.
Agreed, even it's name is like a dare to watch it, and it really feels like youve some awful, dark corner of humanity when it's over. Powerful film for sure
a gem most people probably haven't heard about; "Land of Mine". it takes place immediately after the war, and is about teenaged German soldiers, now prisoners of war, who are forced to clear mines from Denmark's beaches. Their minder is a Danish officer, who harbors quite a bit of resentment, but gradually gets a more complex view of these boys and the horrible task they've been forced to perform. A great film.
I know it doesn't rank for many others but "Grave of the Fireflies" is an excellent film about the struggles of Japanese Civilians during the end of WW2.
I know what it's about but, man, I'm not sure I couldn't handle it.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought this.
Glad someone mentioned it. About the only film I have tried to watch twice and couldn't do it
GotF and Jojo Rabbit should be watched by all high school students imo
The Best Years of Our Lives. Too often, wars don't end in places like Potsdam or Tokyo Bay. Speaks to posterity better than perhaps any war film I've ever seen.
Definitely worth seeing. The sailor in the film is a true war hero who lost his arms in the war. He won an academy award for his performance. It's one of those films where men are allowed to cry.
One of the best WW2 movies ever.
Grave of the Fireflies is animated and one of the most heartbreaking stories set in WW2 I've ever seen.
The short movie Greyhound with Tom Hanks was one of the most realistic naval battle movies for CG historical accuracy. One or two glitches, but very good.
It's not included but "Twelve O'Clock High" should be an honorable mention.
That is a great film to teach about the importance of management.
Couple of films that came to mind right away that are not on the list:
The Enemy Below (1957) - starring Robert Mitchum and Curd Jürgens. My favorite.
Enemy at the Gates
Stalingrad - the german version of Enemy at the Gates
If Inglourious Basterds and The Dirty Dozen can make the list, so can Kelly's Heroes with Clint Eastwood.
Escape to Victory (1981) is another, which is actually a remake of the hungarian movie Two halves in Hell (1961)
Inglorious bastards ans dirty dozen should have made the top 15! Enemy at the gates too!
Relating to The Bridge Too Far, I was able to meet T. Moffatt Burriss who was part of that battle and was said to be loosely depicted in the movie. Amazing war hero. It was an honor to meet him.
One of my first exposures to WWII was in the late 50s (I was born in '51), when my father invited an aviator over to our house who was in a German POW camp for most of the war. He told us numerous stories of the ingenuity of POWs at coming up with devices/plans to escape and create havoc for the German rear echelon troops.
Based on this, one of my favorite WWII movies is a quiet but insightful (and highly rewatchable!) film about POWs called "Stalag 17", by the great Billy Wilder.
would you be interested in sharing some stories?
A movie I think is kinda left on the sidelines is the Empire Of The Sun. It shows a side of the war that is very rarely shown with Chinese prisoners and the invasion of Shanghai. Definitely on my top 5.
City Of Life And Death.
only a few movies have made me weep at the theater as this one did
man I saw hat one as a early teen on TV and this one really stuck with me.
Especially the scene when he befriends that young japanese who gets killed and he tries to revive him. So sad.
"The Longest Day" is a SPECTACULAR film all buffs should see. Also Cornelius Ryan (who wrote the book) was a great author who wrote A Bridge Too Far and The Last Battle. Great books I highly recommend
The Last Battle audiobook is AMAZING!
TLD also had an American director for the English-speaking scenes, a German director for the German scenes, and a French director for the French underground scenes. And it's known for its accuracy, not so much its artsy direction.
@@jackmessick2869 that's impressive
@@jackmessick2869 yes the German Bernhard Wicki also director of Die Brücke
'Battle of Britain,' and '12-o'clock High' should have both featured on this list.
*lol*
Letters from Iwo Jima is one of my favorites. American films always portray the Japanese as ruthless people who did evil things which no doubt many were. But there were also regular people who didn’t want to be there like many Americans were and it showed that perfectly. General Kuribayashi was also brilliant.
Come and see is the most defining ww2 film I've seen, it truly had a dramatic effect on how I viewed the 2nd world war, it made me really start to seriously read more civilian perspectives of the war and the horrors they faced. i will never watch it again but I'm so glad I did.
If you want to understand the horrors of WW2 this is the movie you have to watch. Just gut wretching. I had watched it 27 years ago and I still haven't found the courage to watch it for a second time. Same with Graveyard for Fireflies. When the focus is on the innocent victims you understand that war is not about heroic action, bravery and honor, but just senseless loss of lifes and victims all around.
The WWII film that made me fall in love with the genre was Memphis Belle. One of my childhood neighbors was restoring a B17 (now at the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle) and took part in the filming. There was a cheese factor at times, but it truly captured the terror of flying through hell and back in a tin can.
Absolutely!
Oh yeah! I have seen Memphis Belle and it is really good!
Love that movie and I once flew to RAF Duxford in a Robin with my Dad, the ATC gave us permission to park next to the Sally B.
One of my best childhood memories.
Awesome Work Bro, Thanks 👍👍 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
While certainly not comparable to any of these films, as an Australian I always tear up over the ending of 'Kokoda', because it is our story and our grandfathers who fought in some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth to save our nation. And many of these men were ill-trained 'militia', young men with little training, but who nevertheless held their own against the more experienced and battle hardened Japanese troops. I wish more of our stories would be told, particularly during the Kokoda campaign and in Libya against Rommel.
As an aside, Come and See absolutely deserves top spot. You will not see a more grim or realistic depiction of the war on the Eastern Front. Utterly chilling. For all the history books I've read on the subject, I simply cannot imagine the destruction and wholesale slaughter. This is why 'The Great Patriotic War' is so engraved into the psyche of the Russian, Belarussian and Ukrainian people (and many more!) today.
As someone who watched "Grave of the Fireflies" in two VERY different settings (Japanese class with a serious atmosphere but broken over days and Anime Club with jokesters and in one sitting), that is a movie that hits the "It should be watched at least once but not, necessarily, more than that" button for me.
Someone once said "It's the most beautiful anime you'll never watch twice."
A masterpiece that I will never watch again
DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOURE FEELING SUICIDAL ! xD
Didn’t event think of this, this should a solid top 5r
Grave is easily the best WW2 movie and maybe one of the best war movies of all time
Idk how historically accurate it is, but I feel like Empire of the Sun by Stephen Spielberg is an underrated classic. The fascination of Christian Bale's character with WW2 aircraft definitely mirrored my own as a kid, and was only amplified when my dad showed me this film. It's also another of those WW2 movies about a lesser known area of the war, that being the affects of the Pacific theater on the British held areas of China.
Ohhh YES…forgot about Empire of the Sun! OMG. One of my all time fav movies. Should have been on the list or honorable mention.
It s based on JG Ballard’s book. I assume it’s based on personal experience so is historically accurate.
Empire of the Sun, while cinematically meticulous in the Spielberg way, is so muddled in what it seems to be saying that it leaves one admiring the production, but not feeling much about the experience. The "kiddiecentric" approach, as a review in the Village Voice called it, didn't gain any gravity. Roger Ebert: Maybe, like the kid, I decided that no world where you can play with airplanes can be all that bad." One
of Spielberg's honorable misfires. It did, however, give Christian Bale a career start, for which we can be thankful.
The novel is far better (Ballard is one of my favorite authors). Spielberg took a notable novel and made it into a middling kiddy-fest. It's just standard run-of-the-mill Spielberg cheese with a few entertaining set pieces.
And @GreyWolfClimber the novel is historical fiction. It's broadly based on Ballard's own life (born in Shanghai, captured by the Japanese at 12, interned at Lunghua), but the details are almost all fictional.
I would have included "The Dam Busters". When the actor Richard Todd showed the movie to Hollywood heavy weights he had to convince them that it was a factual movie. They had no idea.
Peter Jackson was reportedly going to remake, but Guy's dog was a sticking point
None of these movies would crack the top 15, but they're all good movies and worth a watch.
"Run Silent Run Deep"
"Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison"
"Murphy's War"
"Von Ryan's Express"
"Tobruk (1967)"
"Castle Keep"
I might be biased since I am from Finland, but I think that the Unknown Soldier (2017) in its miniseries form is on par with Band of Brothers, the Pacific and Generation War.
Another excellent offering. The Norwegians have done some good movies too.
Like the 12th man
Heard a lot about it. But I wasnt able to find it with subtitles. Although I have to admit it is already some time I tried so maybe it is available now. The same goes fro 12th man.
@@elliottjames8020 Notably "Max Manus, Man of War" about one of the great Norwegian Resistance leaders.
@@MyYTwatcher Sail the 7 seas, well worth the watch.
21:58 where eagles dare and Kelly's heroes are amazing.
I agree, what I really like about Kelly's Heroes is that it was one of the first WWII movies that really tried to make the tanks look right. If you look back nearly all WWII movies use Patton's or Chaffee's and didn't try to make them look right. Kelly's Heroes not only got actual Sherman's for the movie (true a close examination would tell you that they are post WWII variants but I applaud the effort), and they dressed T34's to look like Tiger I's.
I would add "King Rat" with George Segal , from the novel by James Clavell, a harrowing study of British POWs in Singapore. For fun, "Von Ryan's Express" ,Frank Sinatra hijacks an Italian train of British POW's on their way from Italy to Germany.
Talking about Das Boot, one of my roommates a couple of years ago was in NROTC and he spent a summer on a submarine and he said it was very claustrophobic. There was nowhere to go where you weren't in the way and you routinely saw stuff above your clearance level that you were expected to keep quiet about.
Cross of Iron is excellent in my opinion.
and he never even mentions it best hard hitting ww2 movie ive ever seen
Sam Fuller, the writer and director of The Big Red One, served as a combat infantryman in the US 1st Division during the war and for that reason alone it is worth a watch.
I heard something the other day that really shocked me.
Despite all the countless submarine movies with sub v sub action, there is apparently only been one actual battle involving a sub attacking another sub in WW2. I was shocked by this because there are so many movies about subs hunting other subs.
My father was a chief electicians mate, later commissioned, during the war in the Pacific. I took him to see "Tora, Tora, Tora". The only thing he said about the movie was that the nighttime bridge lights weren't that color on that class of vessel (whatever it was).
There was a scene in "Patton" during the Battle of the Bulge of infantry advancing across a field of snow. Every few seconds an artillery shell would illuminate the field and a soldier or two would fall. It was some of the best cinematography I've ever seen.
You mean the movie Patton, where they used US-made-post-WWII M-47 Patton tanks as stand-ins for German tanks?
Please make your own top 15. Would love to hear it.
He did though? Look through his catalogue and find it.
Ok I did it for you.
m.czcams.com/video/IjF2BA75jiA/video.html
@@kadenvolan3557 Hey thanks!
@@kadenvolan3557 This list is of top "War" movies, not top "World War II" movies
I highly respect that this countdown didn't suffer from short-term memories like many CZcams countdowns do. I really enjoyed Stalag 17!!!!
An underrated and brilliant movie. 👍
for American films that came out during and post WWII I would include Battleground (1949), 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), The Story of G I Joe (1945), 12 'Clock High (1949) and Guadalcanal Diary (1943). And yes Come and See is the greatest movie ever made concerning WWII
Come and See #1? Hell yes. I'd say it's the greatest war movie ever.
I like ' Sink The Bismarck ' , great story , tremendous stuff from both sides . Das Boot is ,for me ,the particularly outstanding one because of the atmosphere , the claustrophobia , the action , the remorseless story .
Personally The Cruel Sea, Ice Cold in Alex, Battle of Britain and Cross of Iron are all worthy of a mention. Also love the sheer escapism of Kelly’s Heroes if I want some light relief.
Agreed!
Ahhhh Kelly’s Heroes! There’s one I had forgotten about.
@@dr.philhenady6642 "Forget the culture crap and get to the hotels!"
The Cruel Sea is my favourite of all time. They even had the correct ships.
@@eddhardy1054 I watch it once a year and still get Goosebumps when they finish with the engines and discuss the miles done. Not only the best war film but my all-time favourite film. The correct amount of bangs and tension with very well written characters. "For bad memories there is drink."
I’ve never seen “Come and See” but the look in that kid’s eyes as they’re about to take that picture has sold me. Wow.
7:45
The cranes are flying is awesome. Great acting, shooting and a great story.
No Tora Tora Tora, I already am crying about the lack of it.
Exactly Tora Tora Tora is the definitive ww2 movie
Me as a German, I would definitely add "Stalingrad" from 1993 to the list. It shows the perspective of common German soldiers during the battle of Stalingrad.
And I would add "Tora Tora Tora!"
Have you seen Generation War? Thoughts?
@@jimland4359 Yes, of course. Even twice. It's not bad, but i don't think that it is as good as "Stalingrad" from 1993.
Sometimes "Generation War", or "Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter" (Our mothers, our fathers in German), feels like a soap opera, which is typical for German TV shows.
'Tora! Tora! Tora!' (Tiger, tiger, tiger) Certainly the best film on Pearl Harbor. Made in the early '70's it would be considered 'slow going' for today's audiences because much of the movie is going meticulously through what was known about the events leading up to it but the authenticity and slow build to that event for those who know or want to know WW2 history it is superb. The comedy of errors, brought on by the mindset of 'we can't be attacked', is a study complacency.
And The Longest Day is in the top five of WW2 films ever made easily. Spielberg took some of the scene directly and put them in Saving Private Ryan.
"A Man Escaped" ... a true story and one of my top 10 WWII movies. The story revolves around a lone man escaping from an inescapable cell in an inescapable prison. The entire dialog is of the prisoner's reasoning and plans for escape. This is a French movie but since the dialog is in the escapee's mind the English version works seamlessly.
So glad you mentioned “the longest day” love that one
Yeah, Come and See is THE masterpiece!! I love that movie! I've heard they used live ammo filming that movie. Aleksey Kravchenko was magnificent in his role as Flyora.
How Battle of Britain never made any of these lists is perplexing.
Not really a “war movie,” per se, but it beautifully relates the experiences of an English boy in the early days of the Second World War: John Boorman’s “Hope and Glory.” A wonderfully heartfelt and witty film.
I will not fight you on your opinion on „Thin Red Line“ as I see your point.
I personally love it and will always love it for giving an interesting depiction on what war does to you.
I was blown away when I realized that we see no faces of the „enemy“ for the majority of the movie and no one really having issues with killing the Japanese. But from the attack on the village where the Americans need to go into hand to hand combat they start seeing the individuals on the other end of their weapons and question if they do the „right thing“.
Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Also a great film set in WW2
You could probably add "The Dam Busters", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "Battle of the Bulge" and "Sink the Bismarck" to the list.
The Winds of War miniseries is a drama, but the way it manages to offer perspectives from so many different places throughout WWII is unmatched.
I'm kinda mad that Empire of the sun was not on the list.
I totally agreed with you on that Saving Private Ryan scene.
Everytime i go and watch that movie i still hope Upham actually goes up those stairs to save Mellish.. god that scene always brings me to tears.
That is war. Kill or be killed. That's why it should become more rare instead of more prevalent. Seems like a great idea to just send management instead of the troops when war arrives.
Upham is my single most hated character from a movie. Every time I watch the movie I want to smack the crap out of him
I would add two Dutch ww2 movies to your list: 1.black book 2006 and 2. Soldier of Orange 1977
Disappointed that Valkyrie didn’t even get an honorable mention. Also if you haven’t seen Anthropoid, you should. I think it’s one of the most UNDERATED WW2 movies I’ve ever seen.
Haven't seen most of the European films. With that in mind, I would've ranked Dunkirk a bit higher. I loved the approach that Nolan took in that one. Not sure how "The Longest Day" doesn't even get an honorable mention. Good list though.
Sorry to say but only Brits blinded by patriotic fervour can appreciate that terrible movie. I love war movies but Dunkirk is on top of my list as the most boring and over-hyped WW2 movie of all time. Apart from the often-mentioned "about hundred and fifty guys on the beach", there were far too many blatant errors made and the editing was a joke. Just one example - re-watch the closing scenes with the Spitfire burning on the beach and you will clearly see the modern containers cranes hulking in the background - not just once but repeatedly!
@@philipjooste9075 Coudnt even finish Dunkirk, Was absolutely terrible.
@@philipjooste9075 exactly right with the modern cranes and containers!
The Forgotten Battle is like the Dutch version of Dunkirk they say. Great movie.
Nolan's Dunkirk was awful ,way to clean and bright ,a couple of hundred blokes instead of 450000 all the modern buildings in the back of shot and cheesy bits like the arrival of the small boats ( why did a sailing ketch cross the channel to sit offshore and just watch? )
The older Dunkirk story is a better watch.
What I get from the stabbing scene in Saving Private Ryan isn't just the intimacy, but the feeling of betrayal.
They spared a soldier earlier in the movie and then he's the one stabbing his saviour later on.
It’s a common misconception that Steamboat Willie (SW) is the same soldier that stabs Mellish, but it’s just another soldier with a shaved head. Upham shoots SW later after SW kills Capt. Miller. Personally I believed this until it was revealed to me recently. It would’ve made a better story if it had been.
They are totally, completely different men. The guy with Mellish I believe is a Paratrooper (IIRC), and SW is a common infantry soldier.
I always felt that when Hank's character told Ryan to "earn this", he wasn't talking to Ryan so much as to the audience.
My faves, the Cruel Sea, Above us the Waves, Battle of Britain, Ice cold in Alex, Memphis Belle, the Dam Busters, Battle of the River Plate, Angels one five, first of the few, Reach for the sky, the list could go on.
I'd recommend the German film Stalingrad(1993). It's pretty gut-wrenching and shows brutality of the fighting really well
This may be my Navy bias kicking in ,But Tora!Tora!Tora!, Midway(1976),Greyhound and Patton.
I’d recommend “Ballad of a Soldier” (a Soviet soldier is rewarded with 6 days’ leave to fix his mother’s roof but keeps getting sidetracked on the way home; the film opens with a voiceover that explains that he never made it through the war and his aging mother keeps waiting for him every day).
“Only ‘Old Men’ Are Going Into Battle” (about the lives of Soviet fighter pilots, intercut with archive footage of aerial battles; the “Old Men” are the experienced pilots)
Ballad of a Soldier was a brilliant movie too.
Haven't seen a mention of Sam Peckinpah's "Cross Of Iron" from 1977. Tremendous movie with a great performance from James Coburn in the starring role.
For all of its floors I think hacksaw Ridge would at least be an honourable mention for me
The Thin Red Line felt so different that when I first saw it that I didn't understand it at all, but the more I watch it, the more I understand it, and actually love it. It's not really a film about the Battle of Guadalcanal, but an introspection into the minds of the young men who fought on that Island. I remember seeing it for the first time with my Uncle Mike who flew UH-1's as a Marine, was shot down in Vietnam, and it shook him to his core. I didn't understand until years later after he passed and read a journal he kept when he was MIA. It is almost impossible to understand the terror, and utter helplessness being hunted through miles of jungle whilst being surrounded by the beauty of nature. Trying to gain a perspective of what that was like is not something easily understood but The Thin Red line comes close to providing understanding of trauma in a very ethereal way.
My Favorite is "The Gallant Hours" followed by "They Were Expendable", "The Best Years of our Lives", "In Harm's Way", "The Battle of Britain", "A Bridge Too Far", "The Longest Day", "Sink the Bismark", "The Dam Busters", and "The War Lover". Could also throw in "T-34", "Tankers", "White Tiger", and "The Winter War".
I can't really rewatch Schindler's List either, but I can surprisingly enjoy watching reaction videos to it on youtube. People (reasonably so) get absolutely floored by it.
Darkest Hour is a great one, don't know about Top 15 but great non the less. Battle Of Britain is also a classic and worth the watch.
One of my favourites is The Devil's Brigade from 1968.
Totally agree. It's one of my faves, too. It suffered from coming out right after the Dirty Dozen and the critics, instead of actually watching the film and understanding the actual history of the First Special Service Force, just called it a copycat of the DD.
A little Das Boot trivia, that's the same submarine used in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Bruno Ganz put a lot of effort into his part, and it really shows, it was really really well done.
I highly recommend 'The Weeping Meadow' by Theo Angelopolous. The story spans from 1919 to the conclusion of WWII and follows a story of a single families separation from eachother at the start of the war and the ensuing Greek Civil War. Amazing film
You know a WW2 movie I always felt was highly underrated and often forgot? "Hell is for Heroes". One of Steve McQueen's first roles if I remember. All about a few under supplied men who had to hold a position against a vastly superior German opponent in France, until days later men could be moved in to relieve them and continue the offensive. It's kind of everything I'd want out of a War Movie in a way. Both very somber, particularly with its ending, action packed, but also not afraid to have some moments of levity and even black humor at times. All in all, it's just about basically 3 days in this lonely little position, from when a few men were left to hold a line, to the eventual attack pressed through. Not a big event in the war. No iconic battle or assault depicted. Just something that felt very "real". Something that might have happened in a dozen different places in the wake of things like the failure of Market Garden.
I never expect the movie to be on any sort of list like this. I don't think many people (comparatively) these days have watched it. Or really had a strong impression of it.
One I was surprised wasn't in, was "To Hell and Back". The movie about Audie Murphy, starring the man himself. It did a lot of very interesting things that just don't happen in War movies. For example the studio wanted Audie to have a "band of war buddies" who went through the entire war with him. Audie himself however staunchly held the line and demanded that NOT happen (unlike basically every War Movie/Series before or after). As he pointed out, "No one with me at the final battles were there with me in my first. All my friends died. And I won't disrespect their memories by pretending otherwise". Which resulted in the ending montage honoring those who fell in battle with him.
That and Audie Murphy is just a fascinating, inspiring figure in general. I think knowing the man himself was involved so deeply on it, and really wanted to keep it honest to his time in the war, lends it a sort of impact for me that other movies just don't quite reach. If it was just "A war movie" that was loosely based on a figure, or adapted, or didn't really have that rigor of Murphy himself on set putting his foot down as I know he did? It probably wouldn't hit the same way. Definitely something you appreciate more knowing about the figure.
Army of Shadows though is something I have issues with mostly because of the romantic revision feel of it, to me. The French Resistance is a bit... overly done in popular culture. It was a real clown shoes thing in reality. There wasn't really "A French Resistance" (though de Gaulle wanted to portray that and really popularized the idea when he was given the honor of liberating Paris and making his speeches, possibly for the better in terms of unifying France around his cult of personality after the war when it was deeply divided before and during). Most of the time the various French Resistance Groups were very disorganized, and often spent more time fighting each other instead of the occupiers. The Communist Groups didn't like the Monarchist Groups who didn't like the Nationalist Groups who didn't like the Republican Groups who didn't like... you get the idea. They spent more time doing things like robbing fellow Frenchmen of what little they had over harming the occupation. They did, eventually, have an effect. Mostly due to British and US organization and support in both training and supplies right before D Day. But it was kind of the exception to the general rule. I don't discount the effect that had on D Day, it was notable for its organization which really is something to give props to both UK and US organizers. But it's always really weird to see the common depiction of this highly effective and driven French Resistance making life hell for the occupying Nazis. Which outside of that one, titanic, amazing effort of foreign organizers just... didn't really happen. Well, didn't happen often. There's always individual stories of various things (usually the likes of saving and protecting downed allied pilots). But it was a far cry from the usual depiction in TV, Movies, Books, etc of this highly organized national network that was constantly getting key intelligence, assassinating officers, blowing up supply depots ever night, staging prison breaks on the regular, etc.
A few movies on here I need to see. That's the best part of these videos, seeing what you've missed and need to watch.
The peaky blinder's actor that he mentioned was so good, that when he reminded me of his performance, I got chills because of how great he did.
As an Italian I didn't expected "Rome, Open City" to be in a foreign list, at all. I'm very happy they did.
As for other WW2 movies that didn't show on the list that I would have putted probably "Enemy at the Gates". It deserved at least an honourable mention.
I would add Le quattro giornate di Napoli and Tutti a casa
enemy at the gates is historically pretty inaccurate though and a typical hollywood over the top blockbuster
Please don't- Enemy at the gate " is junk, as far front actual events as Moon, even if it supposedly based on a real person. It is an insult to real sniper Zaitsev and to every Russian who fought in Stalingrad
the 5 hour series of Das Boot is terrific. Well worth the watch.
Have fun on your trip. I was born there tho was only 6months before moving. Beautiful place this time of year. Safe travels!
Thank you for the review. I would suggest the following films are worth watching, "The Heroes of Telemark", "The Dambusters", "The Battle of Britain", "The Cruel Sea", "Went the Day Well" and "Ice Cold in Alex". Kind regards, Graham.
And "Battle Ground" about the Battle of the Bulge. Sgt Kinnie is the ultimate NCO! Soldiers who took part in the battle acted in the movie.The brutal cold was experetly depicted.I marched with JODY in 1970/71.
watch it once a month
i first saw in 74 and at the end when there battered and go into the jodies. "i wont be home until the end of the war in 74" that has stuck with me all these years
The original Midway what an all star cast, The quality of which we will probably never see again.
A film that matches "Saving Private Ryan" realism is "Decision Before Dawn" that is based on a true story about a German POW who volunteers to spy for the allies. Filmed entirely in Germany in the immediate aftermath of the war it is set with a background of war torn ruins. It was nominated for an Oscar Best Picture in 1951. Along with "12 O'Clock High" Das Boot", "All Quiet On The Western Front" and "The Cruel Sea" , "Decision Before Dawn" is one of the great classic WWII war films.
Disagree with a number of these films - Battle of Britain, Sink The Bismarck!, Battle of the River Plate, I Was Monty's Double... Hell, Theirs Is the Glory should have been right up there because it was more of a documentary as most of the "actors" were former troops who had been at the real events during the war - it is said that is the closest to HD black and white combat recording as possible
Totally agree - Battle of Britain is by far the best ever WW2 movie. 12 o’clock high is also an absolute classic. Sink the Bismarck is an excellent movie and Battle of the river plate is also extremely good. Also loved Tora, Tora, Tora.