Cinema of World War II: 1941-2009

Last week, down at the VA clinic where I work, a former student, a veteran, and friend, Bob Mower--asked me to do him a favor. Several years ago I gave him a list of all the hundreds of John Wayne movies, and he has been collecting them diligently. He said that only I could do this new favor for him. He wanted a list of ALL the WWII films ever made. I promised to do that, perhaps not realizing the enormity of the task. Finally I decided only to list those films that are collectable, on VHS or DVD. I came up with a list of over 200 movies. Then I broke it down to decades, starting with the films made during WWII, in the 1940's. It is by no means the definitive list, but if any of you can think of other movies, put them in the comments section. I decided to expand the project and find pictures of every one of the films, and mount the monster here on this blog. I came up with 458 illustrations, rich in all the propaganda and flair that only Hollywood could attach to them. WWII films have been the most popular of war film genres, I think. One day I will have to do the Korean War films, then the Viet Nam war, then Desert Storm and the Iraq war.

BOB MOWER WWII FILM LIST

The 1940’s

TWELVE O’CLOCK HIGH (1949)
BACK TO BATAAN (1945)
THE FIGHTING SULLIVANS (1944)
THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945)
PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945)
BOMBARDIER (1943)
CONVOY (1940)
MINESWEEPER (1943)
SAHARA (1943) [+] SAHARA (1995)
SPITFIRE (1942)
COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DAWN (1942)
TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI (1942)
TONIGHT WE RAID CALAIS (1943)
DESTINATION TOKYO (1943)
AERIAL GUNNER (1943)
IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942)
A YANK IN THE RAF (1941)
THE STORY OF G.I. JOE (1945)
GUNG HO (1943)
GUADALCANAL DIARY (1943)
THE FIGHTING SEABEES (1944)
THE FLYING TIGERS (1942)
COMMAND DESCISION (1948)
AIR FORCE (1943)
BATTLEGROUND (1949)
THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944)
WALK IN THE SUN (1945)
WING AND A PRAYER (1944)
WAKE ISLAND (1942)
THE PURPLE HEART (1944)
OBJECTIVE BURMA (1945)
IMMORTAL SERGEANT (1943)
SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949)

The 1950’s.

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
OPERATION PACIFIC (1951)
D-DAY, THE SIXTH OF JUNE (1956)
FLYING LEATHERNECKS (1951)
TORPEDO RUN (1958)
KINGS GO FORTH (1958)
DARBY’S RANGERS (1958)
RED BALL EXPRESS (1952)
AWAY ALL BOATS (1956)
GO FOR BROKE (1951)
CHINA DOLL (1958)
THE NAKED AND THE DEAD (1958)
TAKE THE HIGH GROUND (1953)
WINGS OF EAGLES (1957)
EIGHT IRON MEN (1952)
BEACHHEAD (1954)
MISTER ROBERTS (1955)
THE ENEMY BELOW (1957)
TO HELL AND BACK (1955)
UP PERISCOPE (1959)
THE DESERT RATS (1953)
SAILOR OF THE KING (1953)
HEAVEN KNOWS MR. ALLISON (1957)
THE DESERT FOX (1951)
RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP (1958)
ATTACK (1956)
THE YOUNG LIONS (1958)
THE FROGMEN (1951)
BATTLE CRY (1955)
THE COLDITZ STORY (1955)
THE COCKLESHELL HEROES (1955)
THE DAM BUSTERS (1955)
THE CRUEL SEA (1953)
STALAG 17 (1953)
THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (1956)
HELLCATS OF THE NAVY (1957)
THE PURPLE PLAIN (1954)
FLAT TOP (1952)
DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951)

The 1960’s

TOBRUK (1967)
MERRILL’S MAURADERS (1962)
HELL IS FOR HEROES (1962)
THE DEVIL’S BRIGADE (1968)
THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN (1969)
633 SQUADRON (1964)
THE THIN RED LINE (1964)
SINK THE BISMARCK (1960)
THE TRAIN (1964)
BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969)
THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)
THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961)
THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
IN HARM’S WAY (1965)
WHERE EAGLES DARE (1968)
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (1965)
MORITURI (1965)
THE WAR LOVER (1962)
HELL IN THE PACIFIC (1968)
IS PARIS BURNING? (1966)
HELL TO ETERNITY (1960)
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND (1962)
MOSQUITO SQUADRON (1969)
KING RAT (1965)
VON RYAN’S EXPRESS (1965)
MAN IN THE MIDDLE (1963)
THE LONGEST DAY (1962)
AMBUSH BAY (1966)
THE HILL (1965)
ANZIO (1968)
36 HOURS (1965)

The 1970’s
1. CROSS OF IRON (1977)
2. TOO LATE THE HERO (1970)
3. MURPHY’S WAR (1971)
4. PATTON (1970)
5. MIDWAY (1976)
6. TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970)
7. KELLY’S HEROES (1970)
8. SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE (1972)
9. MacARTHUR (1977)
10. HANOVER STREET (1979)
11. FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE (1978)
12. A BRIDGE TOO FAR (1977)
13. CATCH-22 (1970)
14. SOLDIER OF ORANGE (1977)
15. MIDWAY (1976)
16. RAID ON ROMMEL (1971)
17. THE McKENZIE BREAK (1970)
18. FIREBALL FORWARD (1972)
19. HORNET’S NEST (1970)
20. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (1976)

The 1980’s

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)
DAS BOOT/THE BOAT (1981)
THE WINDS OF WAR (1983)
EYE OF THE NEEDLE (1981)
A SOLDIER’S STORY (1984)
THE SEA WOLVES (1980)
THE LAST DAYS OF PATTON (1986)
MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE (1983)
FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY (1989)
THE BIG RED ONE (1980)

The 1990’s

MEMPHIS BELLE (1990)
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN (1995)
SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
THE THIN RED LINE (1998)
SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (1998)
A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (1992)

The 2000’s

BAND OF BROTHERS (2001)
PEARL HARBOR (2001)
THE WAR, WWII, by Ken Burns (2007)
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2007)
ATONEMENT (2008)
U-571 (2000)
COLDITZ, WWII (2005)
TO END ALL WARS (2001)
ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001)
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)
WINDTALKERS (2002)
HART’S WAR (2002)

Oddly, MIDWAY made the list twice, and it wasn't a great film. Oh well, enjoy the visual treat, the return to the "Big One", WWII.

Glenn