What is your favorite WWII movie?

[Aberdeen Love]

Just wondering what everyone's favorite WWII movie is, vintage or not! Mine is Enemy At The Gate. It is Jude Law's hottest movie before he became not hot after the nanny incident. And the chick Tanya who is a sniper for Russia is so badass. You go tough Russian chicks! Any movie set during this explosive time period is awesome though and I wanted to get some opinions so I can check out a few I haven't seen already!

[WolfmanJack1959]

Hot Damn! I've got to see this, and YES Red Tails on the Muskeegie Airmen P-51s is accurate! The special effects on this movie are spectacular, down to ACCURATE CGI images of the Messerschmitt Bf-109's, B-17G's, P-40's, and P-51 Mustangs!

Edson Carlos {PL Team} said:

@flygrl9 Was Red Tails pretty era correct? The electronic music in one of the trailers throws me off!

 

 

[Aberdeen Love]

I think the term cinephile has a much better ring to it than film nerd for you LacyBones. Your taste is too good to be nerdy!

LacyBones said:

WWII is such a broad category!

Military film: Patton or A Midnight Clear

Homefront film: Swing Shift

R&R film: On the Town

Tragic Lovestory: The English Patient

The Blitz/Offense on the British Coast: Green for Danger or Bedknobs and Broomsticks

German Perspective: Downfall or Swing Kids

Resistance film: Flame and Citron

Occupation of Japan/Reconstruction: Gates of Flesh

North African Front: Indigènes

Animated Feature Length: Grave of the Fireflies

Animated Short: Der Fuehrer's Face

Film nerd alert! ;)

[Godfather Ronzo]

Always difficult to choose simply because, as the scale of WWII was vast, two theaters of war, a true, unfortunately,WORLD WAR! There were so many types of films made. But the first that always comes to my mind, as a child of the 50's, on a Saturday afternoon on TV, was ; " ATTACK!", with the great Jack Palance, Eddie Albert { way before Green Acres, }, Buddy Ebsen[ before the Beverly Hillbillies!], and an actual combat Marine during WWII, the great Lee Marvin!. Directed by Robert Aldrich, this is not for the faint of heart. This deals with the " Battle of the Bulge" in Europe against the Germans, but really deals with the age old problem in war, of conquering fear, and also leadership,  or lack of it, and how it's the soidier's who have to do the actual fighting pay the dearest price. Sadly, some things never change.

But the best WWII movie, AND  BOOK?...CATCH-22!,,,YA GOTTA BE CRAZY NOT TA LIKE THIS, BUT OF COURSE, IF YOU'RE NOT CRAZY, YOU CAN HAVE GERMAN'S GO SHOOT YER ASS OFF,HA, HA!...

[voodoo1789]

I just a quick look on the blog and I am actually found of movies where the story is real, where everything's look like in the 40's. The first option is "Memphis Belle", a true story of the American Army Air Corp in England and over the European countries, followed  by two wonderful realisation of Clint Eastwood "flags of our fathers" & "Letters from Iwo Jima".

[LacyBones]

Oh man, I studied under the writer who adapted Catch-22 for film. If you IMDB him, you'll see it's basically the only thing he ever really did, despite winning a lot of awards for that work. I think it broke him completely.

[LacyBones]

Thank you for the compliment! I never would have stumbled on Green for Danger had I not started an insane project- watching every film release by Criterion- and boy am I glad I did! I LOVE that movie. And of course Criterion has plenty of WWII films that just didn't make my cut below. Happily I only have 110 left (out of 610)!

Gracey O'Grady said:

I think the term cinephile has a much better ring to it than film nerd for you LacyBones. Your taste is too good to be nerdy!

LacyBones said:

WWII is such a broad category!

Military film: Patton or A Midnight Clear

Homefront film: Swing Shift

R&R film: On the Town

Tragic Lovestory: The English Patient

The Blitz/Offense on the British Coast: Green for Danger or Bedknobs and Broomsticks

German Perspective: Downfall or Swing Kids

Resistance film: Flame and Citron

Occupation of Japan/Reconstruction: Gates of Flesh

North African Front: Indigènes

Animated Feature Length: Grave of the Fireflies

Animated Short: Der Fuehrer's Face

Film nerd alert! ;)

[Mr.Goo]

The Fighting Seabees and Saving Private Ryan.

Sahara starring Bogart is another great WWII tale.

[Marty Weghorn]

It's a tossup for me. Das Boot and Saving Private Ryan are best overall for acting, writing and production. But I've always loved12 O'clock High, The Great Escape and Empire of the Sun.

And I can't ever seem to pass up Pattonif I come across it while flipping channels...

[richardwangphotography]

1.  The Dambusters

2.  The Cruel Sea

3.  The Sands Of Iwo Jima

4.  The Best Years of Our Lives

5.  Casablanca

[richardwangphotography]

6.  12 O'Clock High

7.  Why We Fight:  Prelude To War.

8.  Victory At Sea

9.  Judgement At Nuremberg

10.  The World At War:  Remember...

"Down this road, in the summer of 1944.  The soldiers came. Nobody lives here now."

This is the best movie on World War II.

[Tina G]

Kelly's Heroes, Casablanca, Schindler's List (I adore Liam Neeson), The End of the Affair and The English Patient. Sorry, I couldn't pick just one. :)

[SweetLeigh]

Enemy at the Gate was my first thought but,

The Best Years of Our Lives is one of my all time faves!