The silver screen has proven itself to be capable of producing two different kinds of war movies – the kind that prides itself in its highly realistic portrayal of war, and the kind that relies on explosions and a hero-driven narrative. Some of us look for the best films that fall into the first category, so here are 5 Great Historical War Movies (plus a little extra):
1. Downfall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp1RXmM1-601
Based on historical accounts and the memoirs of people around Hitler at the time, the film depicts the final 10 days of Hitler’s reign before the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. If there was one word we could use to describe the movie, it would be illuminating.
2. Joyeux Noël
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrr-CDXijs1
The beautiful story of the World War I Christmas truce of 1914, this film is a reminder to all of the humanity that can transcend the brutalities of war.
3. Schindler’s List
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwfIf1WMhgc1
Another beautiful story to emerge from the horrors of war, this movie narrates the story of Oskar Schindler, savior of over a thousand Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. A German businessman, he protected them by employing them in his factories. Winner of seven Academy Awards, Schindler’s List is often regarded as one of the best films ever made.
4. Flags of Our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuym66LIr41
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vFrTGH9-Ko1
Based on the photograph that captured six Americans raising the flag on Iwo Jima, these two movies tell the story of the Battle for Iwo Jima from the American and Japanese perspectives. Thought-provoking, these two films challenge us to think beyond what is presented to us at face value.
5. Saving Private Ryan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwhP5b4tD6g1
A graphic film that does not flinch from the realities of war, Saving Private Ryan documents a Captain and his squad’s search for a paratrooper who has received a ticket home, but is currently missing in action.
6. Inglourious Bastards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnrRy6kSFF01
Just because you have to slip this one in somehow!
