Group 4 Films: The World War II Era

This particular group of films provides a special challenge, because so many films on the World War II era exist. In addition to regular feature films, hundreds of documentaries have been made about World War II in Europe and Asia, including background films on Russia, Italy, Germany, Japan, and many other factors dealing with the world of the 1930s and 1940s.

One of the most famous films of all time was made about a side issue of World War II: "Casablanca," with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The only reason that the film is not on this list is that it is really peripheral to American history, being set in North Africa. Although Rick, the tavern keeper, is an American, it has practically nothing to do with American history itself. It's still a great film, however, and if you have never seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out. (By the way, Ilse never said, "Play it again, Sam," but she came close.)

Other films that might have been on this list include:

• "To Hell and Back": The story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier World War II (Audie Murphy plays himself in the film);
• "The Fighting Lady": The main character in the film is an aircraft carrier.
• "Memphis Belle": The lead character in this one is a B-17 bomber, with support played by her crew. Excellent cast. The original documentary is available for rent at Netflix.
• "The Longest Day." June 6, 1944. Huge cast. Huge story. Big film.
• "Fat Man and Little Boy." The story of the creation of the atomic bomb under the guidance of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Paul Newman plays General Groves, who oversaw the project for the Army.
• "A Bridge Too Far": An airborne operation that went sour. (Some critics dubbed it "A Movie Too Long.")
• "The Battle of the Bulge." Also covered briefly in "Patton."
• "Sands of Iwo Jima"; "Battle Cry"; "The Naked and the Dead"; "A Walk in the Sun"; "Run Silent, Run Deep"; "The Enemy Below"; and so on. All combat films about "The Good War."
• "From Here to Eternity": Another great film but only peripherally about American history. Famous for the beach scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr and Montgomery Cliff's portrayal of Robert E. Lee Prewitt.

In addition, there have been many fine television series or World War ii, including "Winds of War, "War and Remembrance" and "Band of Brothers."

Dozens more exist, and some may be "better" than the ones on our list, at least according to some viewers. In any case, try to stick with the list below.

The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell. 1955. — A courageous army officer sees the future of military aviation. Gary Cooper, Ralph Bellamy. Directed by Otto Preminger. Set in the time before the war, when America was embracing neutrality, this film perhaps says more about politics than about war, but it shows the difficulty a prophet has being heard in his own land.

Patton. 1970. – The World War II general and his enemies, foreign and domestic. George C. Scott, Karl Malden. The portrayal of Patton himself is not very good. Scott plays him like a mafia thug, when in fact George Patton himself had a gentlemanly background, despite his use of colorful language and hot temper. But the events of "Patton's war" and the surrounding drama are quite accurate.

Tora Tora Tora. 1970. — The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Martin Balsam, So Yamamura, James Whitmore, Joseph Cotton. Maybe not as exciting or romantic as "Pearl Harbor," but a lot more accurate in most respects. By the way, actual Pearl Harbor veterans found the special effects in "Pearl Harbor" almost comical, they were so exaggerated.

Command Decision. 1948. American Air Forces during World War II. Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson. If you have not already watched this one, you might want to substitute "Memphis Belle." Permission granted in advance.

MacArthur. 1977. — World War II and the Korean War. Gregory Peck, Ed Flanders. Gregory Peck truly captures MacArthur here. MacArthur has been called "An American Caesar," by one biographer, an apt descriptor. He was a brilliant general, but also a flamboyant showman. This film is also an excellent brief summary of the Korean War.

Nuremberg. 2000. — American Justice Robert Jackson presides over the war crimes trial of Nazi leaders. Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Max von Sydow. Some critics could have done without the romance, but the scene you want to watch is the one where the film of the concentration camps is shown in the courtroom. The world was just beginning to find out how horrific the Nazis really were.

Hiroshima. 1995. — A detailed account of Hiroshima and the end of the war from the American and Japanese perspectives. Large international cast. What was the real impact of the Atomic Bombs? I think you get a pretty good explanation here. This film was made by Canada and Japan, and it spares nothing.

Saving Private Ryan. D-Day, June 6, 1944 and after. Tom Hanks. The first 45 minutes show to true horror of Omaha Beach. It was a close call. The real Private Ryan was tracked down by a chaplain, but that does not really detract from the overall message of the film.

Twelve O’Clock High. 1949. World War II B-17 air crews in action. Gregory Peck. This film has been used in business schools to illustrate challenges faced by leaders in a tough environment. Air crews in World war II flying over Germany had some of the highest casualty rates of the war. (See also "Tuskegee Airmen" in that regard.)

Varian's War. 2001. A wealthy American helps rescue Jews from Vichy France during World War II. William Hurt. A side story of world War II about a little-known hero. Sometimes private citizens have to step in when governments lack the will or courage to act.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. 1994. — World War II —Jimmy Doolittle's 1942 Raid on Tokyo.  Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson. Interesting for the propaganda speech given by Lt. Col. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) on board the U.S.S. Hornet. The speech (which would have been quite unnecessary for those pilots) was inserted at the request of the War Department, which exercised a good deal of control over films that came out during the war.

The Tuskegee Airmen. 1996. — African American Fighter Pilots in WWII. Laurence Fishburne, Andre Braugher, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Courtnay Vance. The basic facts are intact, with only minor changes for dramatic purposes. (Mrs. Roosevelt did not fly with a cadet.) Students who watched this in the classroom felt that the racism the airmen faced was probably toned down in the film. I think this film has as much to say as the much more famous "Glory."