Second World War lasted for more than six years involving all the major powers spanning 30 countries and involving more than 100 million people across the globe. Although it is impossible to mention all these acts, some of the second world war movies here can give you a glimpse into the days and nights these brave people endured through the war.
Power and sense of superiority is a heady mix that can propel one to achieve greatness by helping people or in this case by bringing misery to all.
All through the conflict, men and women across the world gave innumerable accounts f bravery and selfless acts. From the deep waters of the Pacific to the deserts of Africa, ordinary people became soldiers overnight to face the enemy bullets.
1. Saving Private Ryan
Built around the Normandy beach invasion by the Allies, Saving Private Ryan is the story of James Francis Ryan. James Francis Ryan was the only surviving brother among four, who gave their life in the war.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
General Marshall moved by the events and that their mother was about to receive the three dreaded telegrams about the death of her sons on the same day, orders Miller (Tom Hanks) to find Private Ryan, who is missing in action near Normandy. And so the quest begins.
2. Schindler’s List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwfIf1WMhgc
Schindler’s List is based on the book named by the same name and originally published as Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally. War is brutal, but World War II perhaps crossed all limits of brutality as Hitler went on a killing spree meting out unimaginable physical and mental agony to Jews across his and all countries he invaded.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Schindler’s List, a historical fiction, narrates the story of Oscar Schindler who, although being a Nazi sympathizer, saves thousands of Jews from concentration camps.
3. Pearl Harbor
Hitler’s brutality and massacre of Jews is the highlight of World War II. But Japan, Hitler’s ally, also had similar delusions of superiority and the Japanese forces were equally monstrous. If there was one key event that change the course of the war and made it a World War, it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 and marked entry of the US in second World War.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett
The movie is an Action-Romance that follows Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker through the attacks on pearl harbor and sorties over bombing of Tokyo.
4. Bridge on the River Kwai
War, death, and destruction can break any man. Being a prisoner of war can further exacerbate the suffering. In such times, helping your fellow prisoners to stay busy and giving them hope is as important as killing the enemy soldiers.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Director: David Lean
Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
And that is what Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson does when he orders his men to help the Japanese build a bridge on the river Kwai. Even when he knows that it may very well work against his country.
5. The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line is a fictionalized version of the battle of Mount Austen in 1942-1943 on Solomon Islands. U.S Army Private Witt, like many is drafted into the army, but he is not very keen. He tries to run, but is brought back and imprisoned with the C company.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte
However, his outlook soon changes as the C company advances to capture a difficult Japanese position. The C company manages to overpower the Japanese positions and complete their mission. On a regular patrol, Witt shows courage and selflessness as he tries to misdirect the approaching Japanese column to allow the rest to depart.
6. The Desert Fox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4n48bVGom8
Erwin Rommel is a decorated German officer known for his role in invasion of France in 1940 and later in the North African Campaigns. This biographical movie, based on the novel Rommel written by Desmond Young, highlights Hitler’s denial to accept Allied superiority in North Africa and later when the Allied Army approaches from France.
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
Director: Henry Hathaway
Stars: James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, Jessica Tandy
He tries to reason with Hitler, but his consistent denial to see the impending doom forces Rommel to consider going against and overthrow the Fuhrer. Soon Hitler is attacked and there a string of executions of suspected traitors. It is believed that Rommel died of injuries from a previous attack by the Allied forces, no one knows for sure.
7. A Bridge Too Far
The Allied forces had reached to the German borders by 1944 and reclaimed much of German neighborhoods. Operation Market Garden was planned to capture the bridges on the river Mass and tributaries of Rhine. This would have allowed the Allied units to enter Germany for the final push and finish the war before Christmas.
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Director: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Sean Connery, Ryan O’Neal, Michael Caine
A Bridge Too Far is based on the book by the same name written by Cornelius Ryan. It narrates the story of Operation Market Garden, which was the largest airborne operation until that time.
8. The Dirty Dozen
Filthy Thirteen was the name given to the demolition squad assigned to blow up bridges behind the enemy lines as the Allies marched toward Germany. The Dirty Dozen is based on the novel written by E.M. Nathanson of the same name.
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Director: Robert Aldrich
Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson
Major Reisman is asked to assemble a band of ex-convicts and train them as commandos for a top-secret mission before the D-Day. The Dirty Dozen is the story of these 12 men who learn to work as a unit to complete the all important mission just before the invasion on D-Day.
9. Patton
Just as Rommel was known and his bravery appreciated by Germans and their enemies alike, General George S. Patton had a similar reputation.
Patton (1970)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Stars: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young
This biographical movie traces the second world war through the eyes of General Patton and his exploits in North Africa and Italy. Often reprimanded for his outspoken attitude and insubordination, General Patton was no doubt one of the greatest military leader in World War II. The movie is based on Omar Bradley’s memoir A Soldier’s Story and the biography Patton: Ordeal and Triumph.
10. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhRmLV5oBk
Pearl Harbor not only forced America into the war, but also cast a demoralizing effect on its troops as the entire fleet at the harbor was lost in the Japanese attack. Retaliation on Japanese soil was necessary.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Stars: Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Walker
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo chronicles the events leading up to the attack known as the Doolittle Raid. The raid was launched from an aircraft carrier and the pilots were directed to fly on toward China as returning to the aircraft carrier was impossible. The movie is noted for its accurate portrayal of the raid and real wartime footage.
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