World War 2 ( WW2 ) era films, documentaries and series

anthony a. · « **on:** 5 Feb 2011, 03:29 pm »

since my fav genre of all time is ww2 era, i would like to compile a list of movies, documentaries, and series that relate. feel free to add to the list and i will update the list (in no particular order).

Series

Band of Brothers

Movies

The Counterfeit Trader
Defiance
Saving Private Ryan
The Big Red One
The Dirty Dozen
Judgement at Nuremberg
Hart's War
U-571
Hunt for Red October
K19: The Widowmaker
Inglorious Basterds (Original and New)
Days of Glory

Foreign Movies
Flame and Citron
Max Manus
Downfall
Black Book
The Counterfeiters
Das Boot
Anonyma: A Woman in Berlin
Life is Beautiful

Kinger · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 03:50 pm »

Don't forget The Pacific.

Randy · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 03:56 pm »

Some on your list are not set during WW II.

For WW ii, see "From Here to Eternity" and "Schindler's List" to mention just two of many.

BTW, "Widowmaker" just could be the WORST movie I've ever seen. Harrison Ford was ridiculous in his role as a Russian naval officer. Hilarious, in fact.

ArthurDent · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 06:21 pm »

The Longest Day (1962): stories of D-Day on the various fronts, classic cast

The Flying Tigers: actually pre-dates WW II, China, the American Volunteer Forces story, John Wayne

Run Silent Run Deep: naval classic, Clarke Gable, Burt Lancaster

30 Seconds Over Tokyo: amazing true story of 1st attack on the Japan homeland, a fair bit of actual archive footage

jazzcourier · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 06:39 pm »

"Victory at Sea" If you ever get laid off or laid up you might have time to watch this expansive documentary.It has a great score and was riveting when originally shown on TV. "Run silent,run deep"- just love those submarines-this one will have you sweating bullets!

thunderbrick · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 07:55 pm »

Can't think of the name, but there is one movie about a Soviet sniper in the Battle of Stalingrad and his German opponent. Riveting!

Let's not forget:

Bridge over the River Kwai
The Great Escape
Dambusters
Guns of Navarone

django11 · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 08:21 pm »

Quote from: thunderbrick on 5 Feb 2011, 07:55 pm

Can't think of the name, but there is one movie about a Soviet sniper in the Battle of Stalingrad and his German opponent. Riveting!

Enemy at the Gates

I'll add The Damned which is about "The rise of Nazism as reflected within a decadent German industrialist family", and Black Book which seems, strangely,, to be little known. A very good, realistic, action film about" a young Jewish woman in the Netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance during World War II after tragedy befalls her in an encounter with the Nazis".

ArthurDent · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 08:27 pm »

Stalag 17

Randy · « **Reply #8 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 10:11 pm »

"The Best Years of Our Lives," a classic about what it felt to be a returning service man after the war. "Nervous out of the service," was a memorable line delivered by Dana Andrews in the film, although he was making light of that state of mind at the time.

jermmd · « **Reply #9 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 12:30 am »

Apocalypse Now

John151 · « **Reply #10 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 12:40 am »

Hogan's Heroes
McHale's Navy

Diamond Dog · « **Reply #11 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 12:48 am »

Movies : Pearl Harbour ( I consider this movie to be a bit of a reverse turd sandwich - a chunk of tremendous action filling with crap on either side )
Battle of Britain ( "There's no fighter escort, boys. Help yourselves!" )
Cross of Iron

Patton
Memphis Bell ( I've been inside a B17 and it gives you a whole new appreciation for the bravery of
those crews. I couldn't imagine what the reality of it must have been like...)
The Thin Red Line
The Bridge at Armagen
The Devil's Brigade ( Rare acknowledgement by Hollywood that Canadians fought in that war,too )
Downfall ( The film that launched a thousand memes !)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri
The Cruel Sea
Battle of the Bulge
Sink the Bismark !
The Sands of Iwo Jima
Letters From Iwo Jima
Flags of Our Fathers
Guadacanal Diary
A Bridge Too Far
D.

wharfrat · « **Reply #12 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 04:31 am »

Good topic!

Documentaries-

World at War-Considered by many to be the best documentary about WW 2. It is narrated by Laurence Olivier
D-Day, The True Story-3 hour documentary produced by the History channel
The Russian Front-4 part series based on extensive research by John Erickson. Parts 1 and 2 (The Road to Stalingrad) cover 1939-early 1942. Parts 3 and 4 (The Road to Berlin) Spring 1942-May 1945.
Battlefield-BBC production about key battles of WW 2.
Shoah-Claude Lantzmann's documentary from 1980s about the Holocaust
Battle of the Atlantic-3 part series about the campaign between German U-boats and the US/British.
Stalingrad-not to be confused with either Enemies at the Gate or the German film from 1990s. This has searing, graphic and brutal German and Russian archival footage.
Cities of the Underworld-Military and state architecture in Berlin from the Third Reich.
Search for Hitler's Bunker-like Cities of the Underworld this is a History Channel production.
The War-Ken Burns directed this for PBS

Films

Is Paris Burning?-Docudrama-type film on the liberation of Paris in 1944
Warsaw Uprising- Andrej Wajda film made in Poland in the early 1950s. For the time this film has real balls because it criticizes the Russians for refusing to aide the Polish Home Army.
Katyn- Also by Wajda. Made in the last 3 years this is as much film as documentary because it provides historical overview with personal experiences about the Russian massacres of 40,000 members of the Polish Army. Wajda's father was one of the victims.
The Pianist-Directed by Roman Polanski.
Au revoir, les enfants-Louis Malle directed. Is based on his personal experiences as a displaced child who lives in a French Catholic boarding school that hid Jewish children.
The Odessa File
Marathon Man
Garden of the Finzi-Continis

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #13 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 04:39 am »

Two Mel Gibson films:
Attack Force Z

And the WWI based film:
Gallipoli

thunderbrick · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 05:07 am »

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Mag · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 06:34 am »

WWII stuff I have that hasn't been mentioned:

Reich Underground
Hunting Hitler
The Goebbels Experiment
The Rape of Europe
Eye of Vichy
Hitler: The Rise of Evil
Secrets of WWII
Restricted films of WWII
Unknown War
Third Reich in Color
Voices of Hitler's Army
Fall of Berlin
The Occult of the Third Reich
Architecture of the Third Reich
Mein Kumpf

Martyn · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 07:33 am »

I second the television documentary series, The World at War. Probably the most highly regarded series on this subject, it contains much original footage and has been on my wish-list for some time (it's available from Amazon). It's both factual and thorough, and a far cry from Hollywood entertainment.

Mr P · « **Reply #17 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 02:46 pm »

"The Train". This is one of my favorite WW II movies. Great train sequences. I saw in one publication where it was voted the best made train movie to date. Shot in black and white and stars Burt Lancaster. A lot of suspense. I think I've seen it a half dozen times and still watch it whenever it is on televison.

thunderbrick · « **Reply #18 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 04:05 pm »

Paths of Glory, a helluva good WWI movie starring Kirk Douglas about a French officer appalled by lousy tactics.

A Kubrick film, need I say more?

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #19 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 04:12 pm »

Speaking of Kubrick... Full Metal Jacket