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Top 5 World War Two Films

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  • iaitch said:
    ….Where Eagles Dare…

    Can’t believe I forgot one of my all-time favourite films on my list!
  • Off_it said:
    Looking forward to someone coming out with how most WW2 war films don't portray the Germans in the correct light, or the impact of troops from the colonies/commonwealth - so basically we're all racist.
    Perfectly good thread with no sniping.... then you post that. Bravo. 
  • Battle of the River Plate
    Bridge at Remagen
    Hannibal Brooks
    Von Ryans Express (one day Frank will make the train)
  • Reach For The Sky
    Battle Of Britain 
    Escape To Victory
    Fury
    Where Eagles Dare
  • No votes for “Fury”
    Great film
  • Now read all the suggestions above and could now probably make up a list of about 15
  • The Pianist. 
    The Forgotten Battle.
    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
    Alone in Berlin.

    and if ‘Band of Brothers’ were a single film then that masterly work gets in, it owes a lot to ‘Saving Private Ryan’.

    Battle of Britain gets an honourable mention as it seemed so authentic for a film.
  • Off_it said:
    Looking forward to someone coming out with how most WW2 war films don't portray the Germans in the correct light, or the impact of troops from the colonies/commonwealth - so basically we're all racist.
    Perfectly good thread with no sniping.... then you post that. Bravo. 
    It's a joke mate. You know, a joke? The point being that nobody had posted anything like that up to that point, so who exactly was I supposed to be "sniping" at? But now you've taken aim ...... and missed!

    Speaking of which, Enemy at the Gates is a good film.
  • edited October 28
    Saving Private Ryan
    Kelly's Heroes
    A Bridge Too Far
    Where Eagles Dare
    Schindlers List

    Honourable mentions to Dunkirk (new) and Enemy at the Gates. Just can't fit them all in!
  • iaitch said:
    ….Where Eagles Dare…

    Can’t believe I forgot one of my all-time favourite films on my list!
    I can't believe it took so long for it to get a mention.
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  • Many great mentions and struggling to narrow it down:

    Probably, Saving Private Ryan, Letters from Iwo Jima, Memphis Belle, Come and See, Das Boot. 

    To those already mentioned, I'd only add (may have repeated so apologies):

    The Big Red One - a bit underrated.
    Inglorious Basterds - For that cellar bar scene alone, one of Tarantino's finest set pieces.
    The Cruel Sea - Throws you into the action at sea impressively for its time.
    A Man Escaped - French, almost art-house but very watchable and tense
    Empire of the Sun - JG Ballard's most accessible work and Spielberg did it proud. Christian Bale was a pretty annoying child actor though.
    The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - One of the better unashamedly propaganda films of the wartime period.
    Patton - Larger than life character expertly portrayed by the demented George C Scott.

    Also, my guilty pleasure, I'll admit it. I actually enjoy Pearl Harbour (From Here to Eternity is passable too). I'd happily watch it just for prime Kate Beckinsale but irrespective, I genuinely thought it was decent. I know...then again, I also really like Titanic, so read into that what you will.
  • While I agree with lots of the listed films up until now, I'll throw in an idiosyncratic (pronounced pretentious, because that's me, so I'm told, as if it's a bad thing) choice or two...

    A Town Like Alice (a, dated now, story by the brilliant Neville Shute, but still a cracking read), there's a decent 1950s film, but I really liked the 1980s TV series as well.
    I really enjoyed Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, humming the theme tune as I type.
    Life is Beautiful
    Mediterraneo
    Rome Open City impressed me when younger (I may have to rewatch to see if I still think so).

    War related, I also like:

    Catch 22

    I often think about the film Sole Survivor about a General being reunited with a bomber from which he had as a young man bailed out over the Med, that crashed in the desert.  It was a TV movie, but really impressive.

    The Secret of Santa Vittoria was something I enjoyed as a child, but, like the equally enjoyable Tea with Mussolini, is more of a story set during the war than a war film.
  • Some great films on here and I love all the classics.

    Given I'm in some spiralling AI-loop with Amazon Prime, I now only ever watch second world war films, so I've dug out a few obscure ones that I love:

    - 12th Man - true story but unbelievable
    - 1944 - the Final Defence
    - Stalingrad - really grim
    - Hope and Fate - really, really grim (a series of long format episodes)

  • Reach for the Sky
    Battle of Britain
    Town Like Alice
    A Bridge too far
    Battle of the River Plate

    None of that fantasy revisioned Yank shite.
  • 5 peronal favourites
    A Bridge Too Far
    Ice Cold in Alex
    The Longest Day
    A Midnight Clear
    Saving Private Ryan


    5 reminders that war is hell
    Come and See
    Fires on the Plain
    Grave of the Fireflies
    Das Boot
    Die Brucke (1959)
  • edited October 29
    South Pacific deserves a mention, as they haven't been said yet I don't think. Too many classics here I hadn't even thought about to come up with 5. 

    EDIT Gallipoli doesn't because I'm a fool...

    I'll add Downfall and Darkest Hour as well
  • McBobbin said:
    Gallipoli and South Pacific deserve a mention, as they haven't been said yet I don't think. Too many classics here I hadn't even thought about to come up with 5. 

    I'll add Downfall and Darkest Hour as well
    Its a First World War film... ;)
  • edited October 29
    A Generation
    Kanal
    Rome Open City
    Battle of the Rails


    Some great choices for foreign films.
  • The Great Escape
    The Darkest Hour
    Battle of Britain
    A Bridge Too Far
    The Guns Of Navarone



  • One that hasn't been mentioned before:
    "The Highest Honour" made in 1982.
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  • The film “Churchill” also “Darkest Hour”

    On a lighter note, if the thread could be extended to include tv sitcoms then I would definitely go for ‘Allo ‘Allo and It ain’t half hot mum
  • edited October 29
    Greyhound (Tom Hanks) - defo worth a mention
  • Operation Petticoat.
    In Which We Serve.
    Gift Horse.
    Downfall.
    Twelve O'Clock High.

  • iaitch said:
    ….Where Eagles Dare…

    Can’t believe I forgot one of my all-time favourite films on my list!
    Number one for me. Great film.   
  • edited October 30
    Life is beautiful 
    Dunkirk (modern version)
    Downfall 
    Great escape 
    bridge over the river kwai

    Plus the great das boot.

  • 633 Squadron
    The Dambusters
    Stalag 17
    The Great Escape
    Battle of Britain
  • edited October 30
    The film “Churchill” also “Darkest Hour”

    On a lighter note, if the thread could be extended to include tv sitcoms then I would definitely go for ‘Allo ‘Allo and It ain’t half hot mum
    Surely, Dad's Army too?
  • My favourite.  How could I have forgotten.
  • It is difficult to say which are the best, more the ones I enjoyed the most.
    1. Dambusters - Not just a story about the audacity and bravery involved in the operation but the obstacles faced by Barnes Wallis to get his idea into reality.
    2. The Longest Day - Having visited the Normandy beaches in the 80s the film transposed the story onto the sites. 
    3. I was Monty's double - Based on a true story and the person who the film is about plays the actual double I think.
    4. The Great Escape - So many layers to it
    5. Escape to Victory - Nonsense but being a football fan I loved it. The poor acting from the footballers doesn't detract

    I have missed some great films but we only get 5.
  • I know this is a film discussion but if TV series could be included, I'd like to add The Pacific and Band of Brothers. These two are my favourites of ALL war movies/series, not just WWII. The Pacific theater tends to be overlooked and the series IMHO deserves more recognition than it receives.
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