War and Anti-War Films
"War and Anti-War Films" often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict (against nations or humankind) provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine warfare, espionage, personal heroism, "war is hell" brutalities, air dogfights, tough trench/infantry experiences, or male-bonding buddy adventures during wartime. Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.
Listed below are all the very best of this genre. Scroll yer heart out....
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
7.6/10
Director: Edmund Goulding
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, Basil Rathbone, David Niven, Donald Crisp, Errol Flynn, Melvil...
Richly drawn portrayals by Errol Flynn and David Niven as aces in the British Air Corps during World War I accentuate this dynamic decrial of the futi... Read more
The Day Will Dawn (1942)
Director: Harold French
Starring: Hugh Williams, Deborah Kerr, Ralph Richardson
The story of Colin, a journalist who becomes an important tool against the Nazis. Sent to Norway as a foreign correspondent, he becomes caught up in r... Read more
The Deer Hunter (1978)
8.1/10
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, Christopher Walken
Winner of five Oscars, this harrowing indictment of war from director Michael Cimino stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage as three... Read more
The Deer Hunter ( Blu-ray ) (1978)
8.1/10
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale
Winner of five Oscars, this harrowing indictment of war from director Michael Cimino stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage as three... Read more
The Desert Fox (1951)
7/10
Director: Henry Hathaway
Starring: Cedric Hardwicke, James Mason, Jessica Tandy, Luther Adler, Everett Sloane, Leo...
James Mason shines in his portrayal of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, head of Nazi Germany's famed Afrika tank corps. The film follows his career from hi... Read more
The Desert Rats (1953)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Wise
Starring: Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton
Richard Burton leads the hopelessly outnumbered, but stubbornly defiant, Australian 9th Division in their heroic stand against Rommel (James Mason) in... Read more
The Devil's Arithmetic (1999)
6.5/10
Director: Donna Deitch
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, Mimi Rogers, Louise Fletcher
Sixteen year old Hanna Stern was a typical American teenager who ignored her family's heritage until a mystical Passover seder takes her back in time... Read more
The Devil's Whore (2008)
7.2/10
Director: Marc Munden
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Dominic West, John Simm, Tim McInnerny, Tom Goodman-Hill, Pe...
A four-part mini-series set during the English Civil War as seen through the eyes of 17-year-old courtier Angelica Fanshawe. An English co-production... Read more
The Diary of Anne Frank (2008)
6.5/10
Director: Jon Jones
Starring: Iain Glen, Tamsin Greig, Ellie Kendrick, Kate Ashfield
This five-part BBC drama presents an intimate portrayal of the tragically short life of Anne Frank and her family. Anne's diary was first published ov... Read more
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
7.8/10
Director: Robert Aldrich
Starring: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, George...
Very tough, very funny and ultimately very violent film, based on EM Nathanson's novel, and featuring a great all-male cast that includes Lee Marvin,... Read more