Lest we forget: WW 2 in the movies

Hi to everyone and welcome back.

Brad Pitt in Fury

With the release this week of Fury a World War II  action drama starring Brad Pitt as the leader of an American group of soldiers who take part in the D- Day invasion in control of a Sherman tank, named Fury. I thought I would take a look back at my favourite films that were set in the second world war. There is no mistaking in how my choice of films made sure that I and our generation would never forget what the soldiers and the people who lived and died through the war sacrificed for us.

Battle of Britain. (1969) This is the first of my choices as it was only the second film I remember seeing at the cinema, the first being Tommy Steele’s musical Half a Sixpence. As you can imagine the contrast in the two films was immense on a young boy’s mind. I was blown away by the aerial action and the spirit of the spitfire pilots as they protected Britain from the Luftwaffe.

Directed by Guy Hamilton, best known for directing James Bond films it also included an international cast with the likes of Michael Caine, Harry Andrews, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York and many more British, American and German stars of the sixties. One scene in particular has stayed with me, it’s the one where a German pilot was shot while in his cockpit and his goggles filled with blood I remember being freaked out by that. Together with an unforgettable soundtrack it was certainly boy’s own stuff.



The Bridge over the River Kwai. (1957)  Directed by the legendary David Lean and set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma during the middle part of the war. It was based on a book by Pierre Boulle, who also wrote the original Planet of the Apes book. The film followed British prisoners who were made to build a railway bridge over the river Kwai to aid the Japanese with the transport of arms and aid for their soldiers.

The film had a strong cast of actors including the greats of that age William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Alec Guinness. A true epic of cinema the film won a total of seven academy awards including best directer for Lean and best actor for Guinness. The film has a certain poignancy for me as my Uncle was a prisoner of war held by the Japanese.

Schindlers List. (1993) A very personal film from directer Steven Spielberg depicting the horror of the holocaust and the plight of the Jews at the hands of the Nazi's during the war. Memorably filmed in black and white with the only colour being a little girl’s red coat as she wandered around as the Nazi’s rounded up the Jews in her town.

 There were outstanding performances from the leads Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes in what must have been difficult roles to portray especially for Fiennes who played the despicable camp commander Amon Goeth, who was a truly atrocious human being. The movie went onto win a total of 7 Academy awards with Spielberg collecting best film and best directer. Although nominated Liam Neeson unfortunately did not receive the best actor award. The film is by far the most detailed of all films depicting the terrible fate of the Jews at the hands of the Nazi's and is a lesson to all of the cruelties of man to fellow men during a time of war.





Saving Private Ryan. (1998) Another WW 2 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and  Matt Damon with a host of other stars appearing throughout the film including the likes of Ted Danson, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Paul Giamatti and Tom Sizemore. The film centered around Tom Hanks' character as he and a group of American GI's, who after the landing at Normandy in the 1944 allied invasion, are given a thankless task of searching for a Private named Ryan in order to save him from the fate of his three brothers, who had all been killed in action. The film's opening 20 minutes depicting the Omaha beach landing is probably the most exciting but also harrowing of any Steven Spielberg or for that matter any other war movie scene. It really did bring you a lot closer, sometimes to close to the reality of war.

With an ending that still pulls at the heart strings and makes you realise exactly what the veterans went through. Winner of 5 Academy awards including best directer for Spielberg.

And lastly on a lighter note a film not based in WW 2 but worth a mention all the same

Top Secret. (1984) The debut feature film of a certain Val Kilmer as the all action, dancing and even singing star of this hilarious musical and war film spoof directed by David and Jerry Zuker along with Jim Abrahams, who brought us the equally funny Airplane. The cast includes veteran actors not usually associated with comedy. These included Peter Cushing and Omar Sharif as you have never seen them before. The movie was a parody of Elvis Presley musicals and cold war spy films. There are so many scenes that are side splitting, more than I can mention here so if you haven’t seen it already please check it out. Look out for the Peter Cushing scene which it is actually played backwards.

So there we have it my choice of World War 2 movies and a bonus film. I hope you can watch them again soon.

Until next time enjoy the movies.

Miles Dunton.