World War Two on Screen
Historians generally agree World War Two began in earnest when Germany pushed into Poland in September, 1939. Indeed, that’s the hinge point that opens WAR BONDS, as Operation Pied Piper commences to evacuate children from British cities in anticipation of the onslaught to come. But the seeds of conflict begin far earlier—arguably at the close of the first world war, with Hitler’s rise in the early 30’s, Italy’s move to subdue Ethiopia, and Japan’s brutal assault on China. Throughout this period, movies emerged as a key propaganda tool to convince the citizenry these incursions were right and necessary.
Adolph Hitler executive-produced Triumph of the Will in 1935 —widely seen as the greatest propaganda film in history, effectively recasting Hitler from a fringe radical to a bold defender of German heritage. His chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, formed the Reich Film Chamber, which produced movies infused with the Nazi world view: only actors who ascribed to Party beliefs were hired to appear in his films. Goebbels was known for his wandering eye—I include a little episode in WAR BONDS that points to this—and his extra-marital involvement with some of the young actresses in his films nearly cost him his role in the Reich. (Learn all about that and lots of other startling details about top Nazi leaders in the gripping documentary series Hitler’s Circle of Evil on Netflix.)
Whether intentionally propagandistic or not, movies produced in and around the war years have shaped understanding of the conflict—sometimes accurately, sometimes less so. The backgrounds, nationalities, and war experiences of the movie makers have produced a mind-boggling array of films that illuminate lesser known aspects of what people across the world suffered. Perhaps like me, you learned the story of Oskar Schindler through Spielberg’s heartbreaking Schindler’s List. Movies like The Resistance Banker and The Good Traitor reveal how the Danish and Dutch quietly—and at great cost—undermined the Nazis through the banking system. The British film, Darkest Hour, depicts Churchill—newly installed as Prime Minister—cobbling together a war cabinet that isn’t convinced he has the insight or judgment to stand against a German assault. Downfall is a brutal look at Hitler’s final days in the Führerbunker, the Austrian-German team behind the movie offering an unblinking look at his abject irrationality as the Russian army nears. The generals who understand the peril stand paralyzed as Hitler commands them to wage a counteroffensive—absent troops and ammunition.
American moviemakers tend to pick up the story at Pearl Harbor, then follow the war through D-Day and across the Pacific. A notable exception, of course, is Casablanca. It began production in January 1942, the month after the Pearl Harbor attack, and premiered just six months later. At that moment—with France under the Nazi thumb—the outcome of the war was far from certain. In the film, when French ex-pats rise to sing La Marseillaise at Rick’s Place, I can only imagine the high emotion it inspired among theatre-goers.
The documentary series Five Came Back, based on the book by Mark Harris, explores the work of five established Hollywood directors who made propaganda films for the U.S. government. John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens were Oscar-winning directors who recognized the enormity of the threat posed by the Axis and used their storytelling skills to ensure Americans fully understood the crisis. You can find this documentary on Netflix. It’s well worth your time.
Whether you’re game for the assaultive realism of Saving Private Ryan, or prefer Nazis not making their presence truly felt until far into the movie—as in The Sound of Music—here’s a list of some my faves. The vast majority of these films are based on real events and situations, some filmmakers taking more liberties than others.
Movies
A Call to Spy (2019) - The mostly-true story of Vera Atkins, an intelligence officer with the British Special Operations Executive and two of the female agents she sent to France.
Anthropoid (2016) - The story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of the villainous mastermind of the Final Solution, Reinhard Heydrich, by Czech fighters Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš. (More on that in another blog here.)
Casablanca (1942) - American ex-pat Rick must choose between his love for Ilsa and helping her resistance leader husband escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca in Morocco. Line after classic line—“Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.”
The Best Years of our Lives (1946) - The story of three U.S. servicemen returning to civilian life after the war. Winner of seven Academy Awards, the film was a critical and commercial success and examined the very real difficulty many veterans had adjusting to life back home.
The Book Thief (2013) - A young girl living with her adoptive German family begins "borrowing" books and sharing them with the Jewish refugee hidden by her foster parents. Lovely score by Oscar-winning composer John Williams.
Black Book (2006) - In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. Another story of determined bravery by citizens who stayed loyal to their country and their values, despite the Nazi pressure surrounding them.
Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957) - Winner of seven Academy awards, this is a fictional account of British soldiers forced to help with construction of the Burma Railway in 1942. With a star-studded cast that whistles the Colonel Bogey March, it’s an epic movie that the American Film Institute claims is one of the best ever made.
Darkest Hour (2017) - The story of the early days of May 1940, when Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and immediately faces a crisis in his war cabinet.
Das Boot (1981) - Claustrophobic, intense exploration of a German submarine crew—and the terror they experience—on a critical mission during the Battle of the Atlantic. You’ll hold your breath until credits roll.
Defiance (2008) - Jewish brothers flee to a Belorussian forest and join Russian resistance fighters, building a hidden village to protect 1000 Jews evading the Germans.
The Dirty Dozen (1967) - Featuring another star-studded cast, this film tells the story of twelve convicts on a suicide mission to eliminate key German army leadership ahead of D-Day. If they’re successful and they survive, they’ll be pardoned.
Downfall (2004) - Produced by a joint Austrian-German team, this film offers a devastating portrayal of Hitler’s madness and the sycophants who cooperated with it in the final days of the war. Source material includes the memoir of his secretary, Traudl Junge, who later claimed she was so enamored of Hitler that she failed to comprehend the Reich’s atrocities.
Dunkirk (2017) - The story of the miracle evacuation of thousands of British and French fighters from the French coast, as the Nazis overrun the Allies in the first months of the war. Both inspiring and harrowing.
Empire of the Sun (1987) - Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tom Stoppard, this is a poignant story of the experiences of a British boy, moved with his family from their home in Shanghai, to a Japanese internment camp.
Enemy at the Gates - (2001) - A heart-pounding story that finds Russian and German snipers playing a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad. Full of double-agents and double crosses, this film earned deep criticism in Russia for its portrayal of the Red Army.
Fury (2014) - An American tank crew fights its way into Germany during the final weeks of the war. The film underscores the peril tank crews faced and the high casualties they suffered.
The Good Traitor (2020) - As the Nazis occupy Denmark, the Danish ambassador to the U.S. declares himself to be the true representative of the free Danish people. What follows is the astonishing true story of how he cleverly used his country’s resources to fight the Axis powers.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - The compelling true story of brave combat medic Desmond Doss, a pacifist and Seventh-day Adventist, who refused to carry a weapon in battle and still saved countless lives during on Okinawa. Bravery personified.
The Imitation Game (2014) - The story of Alan Turing, the brilliant British cryptanalyst who decoded messages from the Nazis’ Enigma machine at Bletchley Park. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in a story both triumphant and devastating.
The King’s Speech (2010) - The story of King George VI’s preparing for his first wartime radio broadcast as Britain declares of war on Germany. Struggling with a stutter, King George overcomes his anxiety and fear—a foreshadowing of the bravery Britain will soon be called on to display in the war.
Life is Beautiful (1997) - A Jewish Italian bookshop owner uses his creative imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. Some find the juxtaposition of funny, joyful moments and the horrors of the concentration camp difficult to process in this “comedy-drama.”
The Longest Day (1962) - This film about the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944 features a head-spinning number of A-list actors of the era, many of whom had served in the war and had actually been part of landings.
The Great Escape (1963) - The fictionalized account of the escape of Allied soldiers from Stalag Luft 3 in German-occupied Poland—the Stalag depicted in WAR BONDS. Steve McQueen brings a very 60’s vibe to the film—especially once he mounts his motorcycle.
Midway (2019) - The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific Theater. Creating a cohesive, captivating narrative of this pivotal engagement proved tough for filmmakers, who spent $100 million on this indy project and ended up with a plodding, sometimes confusing screenplay. Still worth watching.
Mrs. Miniver (1942) - This inspirational story about a British family in the Blitz was the first film centered on World War Two to win the Best Picture Oscar. Their resilience and determination personify the very idea of keeping calm and carrying on. Like Beryl in WAR BONDS, this family retreats to their Anderson Shed when the bombs begin to fall.
Mudbound (2017) - After fighting bravely in the war, Black Americans return home to racism and resentment in Mississippi. Mary J. Blige’s performance is transfixing.
Operation Finale (2018) - A team of Israeli secret agents head to Argentina to track down Adolph Eichmann, one of the key Nazi masterminds of the Holocaust. The portrayal of the post-war Nazi community that formed in Argentina is horrifying.
Operation Mincemeat (2021) - The true story of an elaborate plot by British intelligence, designed to mislead the Axis about where Allied troops would land in Italy. With moments of high tension and high humor, the terrific cast makes this an especially satisfying film.
Oppenheimer (2023) - Cillian Murphy embodies theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the lead on the Manhattan Project as they worked to create the first atom bomb. The film explores the less-well known history of Oppenheimer post-war, as he grapples with the magnitude of what he’s brought into the world. Don’t miss this one.
Patton (1970) - A biopic of the controversial General George Patton—another seven-Oscar winning film—that follows Patton from his early defeats in Africa to successful campaigns in Europe.
The Pianist (2002) - Adrien Brody won the Academy Award for his portrayal of a Polish Jew—a gifted pianist—who struggles to survive in the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto and is miraculously aided by a German officer.
Resistance (2020) - The utterly surprising fictionalized biography of French mime Marcel Marceau who helped get thousands of children out of occupied Europe. While the production is somewhat uneven, this movie offers a great history lesson for young audiences about the work of the Resistance.
The Resistance Banker (2018) - In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, banker brothers Walraven and Gijs move resources around—under their occupiers’ noses—to help fund the Dutch resistance.
The Sound of Music (1965) - It’s all fine ’til the Anschluss, aside from Maria annoying certain nuns by singing too much. This is a fictionalized account of a real Austrian family that escaped to Switzerland, singing every step of the way.
Summer of ’42 (1971) - While an American pilot serves overseas, his wife back home on Nantucket draws the eye of a yearning teenage boy. A poignant coming of age story that takes place as the world is coming apart.
Sophie’s Choice (1982) - Based on William Styron's 1979 novel, Meryl Streep is a newly-arrived Polish immigrant in Brooklyn who carries a burdening secret as a result of her experiences in the war. A piercing, heartbreaking performance that, to my mind, put Meryl on the map.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - With HBO’s Band of Brothers, this film is credited with renewing widespread interest in World War Two. An army unit must find Private James Ryan and bring him home after his three brothers are killed in action. The battle scenes are acutely realistic and brutal; the story, inspiring and agonizing.
Schindler’s List (1993) - Factory owner Oskar Schindler—a Czech businessman and member of the Nazi party—bribes and schemes to save Jews from extermination camps. Winner of seven Academy Awards, Itzhak Perlman’s haunting violin surely helped land this movie on multiple lists of the best films ever made.
The Thin Red Line (1998) - Every aspiring 90’s actor had a role in this film about the bloody battle on Guadalcanal.
Tora, Tora, Tora (1970) - This film centers on the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the series of American blunders and mis-reads that made the attack so very costly.
The Train (1964) - Loosely based on the story of Resistance fighters intent on stopping the theft by Germany of masterpieces of art owned by France, this film inexplicably stars New York-born Burt Lancaster as a French Resistance fighter and train engineer. Still, worth seeing.
Twelve O'Clock High (1949) - Based on the novel by Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay, Jr. who flew in the war, this film depicts the constant, convulsive danger bomber pilots endured on their bombing runs over occupied Europe. Many veteran fliers called this the definitive movie expression of their combat experience. Watch for actual German and American aerial combat footage used in the film.
Unbroken (2014) - After a near-fatal plane crash, Louis Zamperini, a former U.S Olympian, spends 47 days on a raft before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a POW camp. Satisfying and stirring, this film was a passion project for actress Angelina Jolie. The Coen Brothers wrote the screen play.
Woman in Gold (2015) - Based on the true story of Maria Altmann, an Austrian Jew who fled to Los Angeles after the Anschluss. She and her lawyer fight to reclaim a painting of her aunt created by Gustav Klimt and worth millions. While not explicitly discussing this, the movie alludes to the thriving Jewish community that emigrated to Los Angeles because of the war.
TELEVISION SERIES
All the Light We Cannot See (2023) - The incandescent Aria Mia Loberti stars in this Netflix miniseries that takes some liberties with the source novel, but is still well worth your time.
A Small Light (2023) - This miniseries tells the story of the people who helped Anne Frank and her family hide during the occupation. Bel Powley’s portrayal of Miep Gies, an employee in Otto Frank’s factory, is riveting as she grasps the advancing Nazi peril.
Band of Brothers - Now on Netflix, this miniseries masterpiece is based on Stephen Ambrose’s book profiling Easy Company, or E Company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne. The ten episodes begin with their training in Georgia under a brutal and unfair company commander, continuing to their deployment overseas, and their ultimate arrival at Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, this series is often credited with reawakening the country’s awareness of the sacrifice of the Greatest Generation.
Foyle’s War - A British series that follows a detective who’d prefer to be across the Channel fighting the Nazis but is forced to remain attached to his local police unit. Detective Foyle soon finds many of the crimes and murder cases he investigates have a connection to the war after all.
The Holocaust (1978) - This miniseries is credited with bringing to wider usage the term “Holocaust” to signify the systematic extermination of the Jews. While it was criticized by Holocaust survivor Ellie Wiesel as “cheap and offensive,” it prompted wide public debates within what was then West Germany on what had actually happened during the war.
Masters of the Air (2024) - Premiering on Apple TV+ this year, this is the third Spielberg/Hanks miniseries on an aspect on the war, focusing this time on the 100th Bomb Group stationed at Thorpe-Abbots Air Base in East Anglia. Called “The Bloody Hundredth” because of their staggering losses of fliers and aircraft, this is the group in which my father served as a Wing Commander.
The Pacific (2010) - The second World War Two-focused miniseries from Spielberg and Hanks on the Allied campaign across the Pacific, highlighting the experiences of three Marines in the 1st Marine Division.
Winds of War (1983) / War and Remembrance (1988) - Based on Herman Wouk’s epic novels, the first miniseries follows a Naval officer and his family as he serves as a diplomat in Germany before the war and realizes the conflict to come. Part Two spans the war years.
World on Fire (2019, 2022) - With an accomplished international cast and a storyline set in locales across the world, World on Fire is a satisfying series that goes beyond the usual tropes. Season Two dropped in October 2023 on PBS stations after a long pandemic pause, the delay costing two stars from Season One, Helen Hunt and Sean Bean, because of schedule conflicts. Since Season Two barely takes us into 1941, I expect there will be many more seasons to come.
