What are your favorite WWII movies - and why?

[MsAmerica]

What are your 3-4 favorite WWII movies? And if you can ponder why they're your favorites, do include that.

I enjoyed Where Eagles Dare. Exciting! Just a load of brave Brits getting on with the job. It's believable. Haven't seen any more modern war films, I don't think.

Another vote for 'Went the day well'. And Reach for the Sky, which tells Douglas Baders' story - and also a docudrama 'Fires were started', which was made as propaganda and is really good - its about the civilian firefighters during the Blitz. Ooh, and the Malta Story, which has Jack Hawkins and Alec Guinness. Some many amazing films!

There are so many films here I’ve never heard of ! Which is a total shock to me as it’s clearly a genre I haven’t engaged with enough. I’m making a damn list now 😊

the end of Schindler’s List when the real survivors were there utterly broke me, literally can’t think of it without tearing up.

I haven’t seen Waterloo Bridge for ages it used to be on tv quite often. It starts during World War II but flashes back to WWI for most of the film where Robert Taylor and Vivian Leigh’s characters first meet and fall in love.

As an aside I always love the fact that Robert Taylor’s real name was Spangler Arlington Brugh.

I’ve just discovered Waterloo Bridge is available to stream on Amazon Prime (and as a dvd and Blu Ray) if that’s any use @AllaFieraDellEst?

Memphis Belle. I lived close to a former American WW2 airfield mostly returned to agricultural land now. But it was so atmospheric seeing the remains of the runways and imagining what it was like at the time and thinking about all those young men, so far from home, many of whom never went home again.

Goodnight, Mr Tom

os that the Douglas Bader one where he’s running around and hiding in peoples gardens? ( I want to say French people, but I’ve only seen it once, a long time ago and that’s all I remember really!!) I liked that one too - if “like” is a good word for films about war.
there was one on tv a few months back about the Bismark but it was told from both sides and kept flitting back and forth between the English and the Germans - I had to concentrate way too hard for my liking but it was good…

I don’t think Von Ryan’s Express has been mentioned?

I don’t know if anyone else has said D-Day: the Sixth of June, either? It’s ever so sad but really very good. And for a weird one, A Matter of Life and Death, with David Niven

Also The Great Escape, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Charlotte Gray, Atonement (searingly heartbreaking), Birdsong and Valkyrie if not mentioned already. And, of course, Top Secret for some spoofy ridiculousness.

I really wish I could remember the name of that other film. Might need to start a new thread.

English man goes to a city in Germany at end of WWII. His job is to take itineraries of the contents of big houses. He is posted to this big house and the wife is still living there; her husband is still away somewhere. They have an affair.

I can't remember what happens in the end of if the husband discovers the affair. The film always interests me because my great uncle was an army officer and did this same job at the end of the war. I feel as though the title was 1 word possibly, and it may have been a city in Germany but I could be way off there.

Any ideas? Really good film.

Can’t help there - but double bonus points for reminding me about Top Secret, that was the first time I’d seen Val Kilmer and my god he was stunning 😍😍😍

in a similar vein of course are Hot Shots! And Hot Shots! part Deux though not strictly war films. ( so much fun though !!!)

Could it be The Good German?

I think it is called The Aftermath, Kiera Knightly is one of the stars

YES! Thank you. I think I remember the story a little incorrectly but that is it. Thank you.

Oh! I'll check it out...thanks so much!!

I love Darkest Hour. Not a massive WWII film afficionado, but DH watches the classics fairly often.

Two more I’ve thought of

Three Came Home
Two Thousand Women

both about women in prisoner of war camps (one a Japanese run camp in Borneo and one German run one in France)

Casablanca, my favourite film.

Downfall

Also life is beautiful/la vita e bella

Son of Saul. Can’t call it ‘favourite’ because it’s too harrowing. It is, however, devastating.

This is my ‘giving up drinking’ film cos it’s always on on New Year’s Day.

regardless it’s a good film.

A matter of Life and Death - also I'd recorded it and watched with my dad, I didn't know then, that would be his last visit to me.

Those mentioning Memphis Belle - which one? It was remade in the 1980s.

I can't get on with The Great Escape because it is so far from what happened, if it didn't pretend to be a true account I probably wouldn't.

One of Our Aircraft is missing

The Six Triple Eight. Women who were set up to fail and took everything in their stride.

The Italian film Kapo is a good one.

Most recent? The Zone of Interest. Simply brilliant.