A horrible and deplorable thing,warhas nonetheless been a constant throughout all human history. Conflicts between two or more groups—be those groups nations, empires, tribes, or anything else—have always existed from the moment humanity first appeared on this planet. Like everything so quintessentially human,war has also been the subject of endless moviestrying to capture both its devastation, itstechnical aspects, and the consequences it leaves onthe people fighting it.
War movies, by now a genre of their own, have generally been well-received at the Oscars and a good number of them has done considerably well in the over ninety years of the history of Hollywood’s biggest awards. More than twenty of the movies that have managed to win the night’s most coveted prize, that Best Picture statuette, were one flavor or another of war movie—dealing with war more directly or focusing on its prelude and aftermath.
The Bridge On The River Kwai
Cast
During World War II, British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge by their Japanese captors. Colonel Nicholson, the British commander, becomes obsessed with constructing the bridge as a symbol of British pride, while an Allied commando team plots to destroy it, leading to a tense and tragic confrontation.
The Bridge on the River Kwaiwas directed by English director David Lean and was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by French author Pierre Boulle. It’s a fictionalization of a real-life event—as it generally always happens with war movies—namely the construction of the Burma Railway by Allied soldiers captured by Japanese forces.
Captured Allied soldiers weren’t the only ones forced to work on the Burma Railway. The majority of the workforce was actually composed of abducted Southeast Asian civilians.
The Bridge on the River Kwaiisa perfect example of a war movie that doesn’t deal directly with combat. The movie happens inside a prisoner camp, allowing for a more precise character study that truly dives down into the madness that seizes people who have to live through a war in any capacity. Despite its not insignificant age, it’s a movie that still holds up and whose anti-war message resonates loud and clear for modern audiences as well.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a drama film released in 1994, starring Tom Hanks as the titular character. The film explores the life of a man with a low IQ who inadvertently shapes several historical events, while his personal journey remains centered on his unrequited love for childhood friend Jenny.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and also based on a novel, the 1986 work of the same name by American author Winston Groom,Forrest Gumpmight not be considered a war movie in the most classic sense of the word. At the same time, though, not including it within this massive genre would be a disservice to its story and its characters.
While the titular character’s time spent fighting in the Vietnam War occupies a relatively minor part of the movie, that conflict and the ramifications it has throughout the plot—particularly on the characters of Forrest himself, Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue, and their platoon leader, Lieutenant Dan Taylor—are massive. This makesForrest Gumpan undeniable war movie—andTom Hank’s most famous role—one that has entered the collective cultural canonmuch more than some of its fellow movies of the same genre.
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 war drama film by director Michael Cimino that centers on three men in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania during the Vietnam War. The film explores the effects of the war on small-town workers, with the trio of Russian-American friends bonding over one last hunting trip. Holding onto the hope of bringing home militaristic glory back to their friends and families, their reality quickly comes crashing down when they experience the war in Vietnam firsthand.
The Vietnam War is understandably a recurring subject in American war movies, going head-to-head with World War II. Several pictures have been made about the fighting in Vietnam and the consequences it left on those who returned, andThe Deer Huntercaptures all the Vietnam War’s complicated history. It does so by following a group of three friends, who work in a steel mill in Pennsylvania, before they go to Vietnam, during their time there, and then when they are back in the United States.
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The aftermath of the war is of course, devastating for all three—who are played by Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Cazale—both physically and psychologically. This makesThe Deer Huntera tragic, heartbreaking movie that delivers its powerful anti-war message simply by showing things as they were, without over-indulging in brutality or melodrama.
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor chronicles the extraordinary life of Pu Yi, the final Emperor of China. From his auspicious birth and short-lived reign in the Forbidden City to his abdication, exploitation during Japanese occupation, and subsequent life as a peasant worker in the People’s Republic, the film spans significant historical transformations.
The Last Emperor, directed by Italian director Bernando Bertolucci, is technically a biographical movie about the life of Puyi, the titular last Emperor of China, from his infancy to his death as a private citizen under China’s new government. The movie was based on Puyi’s own autobiography, which was first published back in 1964.
The Last Emperorwas shot on location in the Forbidden City of Beijing, the first Western movie to ever receive the authorization to do so.
Even thoughThe Last Emperoris technically a biopic,it ends up inevitably being a war movie as well,since Puyi’s life spans the majority of the 20th century. The movie’s main character lives through all the major events of the 1900s, from the Japanese invasion in the 1930s to World War II. Audiences follow all of these through the eyes of Puyi, grappling with the strict upbringing he received within the Forbidden City and his new reality where he’s no longer the Son of Heaven.
Platoon
Platoon is a war drama directed by Oliver Stone, featuring Charlie Sheen as a young soldier experiencing the harrowing realities of Vietnam. Released in 1986, the film chronicles his moral struggle within a divided platoon, led by the contrasting characters of Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Platoon offers a raw depiction of the harsh conditions and ethical dilemmas faced by soldiers, contributing to its critical acclaim and multiple Academy Awards.
Platoonis another landmark war movie that deals with the Vietnam War, if not one of the most famous—andhighest-grossing—on the subject. Directed by Oliver Stone, it marks the beginning of his trilogy of movies about Vietnam—which continues withBorn on the Fourth of Julyin 1989 andHeaven & Earthin 1993.
Following a pattern that is quite common in war movies, audiences follow a new recruit, volunteer Chris Taylor, as he is thrown into the chaotic world of the Vietnam War, where life follows a set of completely different and sometimes absurd rules from the one he was used to. A series of different messages are conveyed through the mouths of the characters serving in Taylor’s platoon, particularly in thediscussions about the war’s purpose and moralitythat happen between Staff Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias, played by Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe respectively.
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind is a historical romance film set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Released in 1939, it follows the tumultuous relationship between Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, and Rhett Butler, a cynical profiteer.
Known far and wide beyond the United States of America,Gone with the Windis a monumental movie. Directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1936 novel of the same name by American author Margaret Mitchell, the four hours ofGone with the Windare, at their core, a love story between Scarlet O’Hara, the daughter of a rich Georgia plantation owner, and the socialite Rhett Butler—played by Vivien Leighand Clark Gable respectively.
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Their love story happens against the backdrop of the American Civil War, and those scenes in the movie are as grandiose and spectacular as they come. Still,Gone with the Windremains a complicated movie, especially when seen with modern eyes. Its approach to the themes of race and slavery is considerably lacking and deeply reflects the ideas of the time in which it was shot.
The King’s Speech
Based on the life of King George VI, The King’s Speech follows George before and during his initial reign of Britain after his brother’s abdication of the throne in 1936. Possessed of a pronounced stammer that impedes his speech, George hires speech therapist Lionel Logue to help him overcome his issues. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush star as King George and Lionel Logue, along with Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, and Timothy Spall.
The most recent war movie to win the ever-coveted Best Picture statuette,The King’s Speechis alsoa war movie that doesn’t directly deal with war.Directed by Tom Hooper, it’s a fictionalization of a part of the life of George VI of the United Kingdom—the father of Queen Elizabeth II—and his close relationship with his speech therapist, Lionel Logue, who helped considerably in managing the King’s stammer.
While there are no combat scenes inThe King’s Speech, the whole movie could very well be considered one massive prelude to what would become known as World War II. Every single thing that happens during its runtime, and particularly Logue’s speech therapy sessions, leads to that final, titular speech—brilliantly acted by Colin Firth and also incredibly scored—with which George VI announces that the United Kingdom is once more at war with Germany.
Casablanca
Casablanca is a classic film set in December 1941, starring Humphrey Bogart as a cynical American expatriate in Morocco. When he encounters a former lover, portrayed by Ingrid Bergman, complicated personal and political tensions arise amidst the backdrop of World War II.
Casablancais quite simply a pillar of the entire history of cinema, not just of war movies. It mixes romance and war incredibly well, crafting a story about two former lovers—played by Humphrey Bogartand Ingrid Bergman—who unexpectedly reunite in the titular Moroccan city of Casablanca, at the time controlled by Vichy France, the puppet state that had been established in France after its defeat against Nazi Germany.
Shot in 1942 and released in 1943,Casablancais a movie about World War II that was shot right as World War II still raged on. Even though there aren’t any combat scenes, it still makes foran incredibly powerful movie about the devastation of war and the power of resistance—as exemplified by the iconic scene where the patrons of Rick’s Café American sing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, right in the face of a group of Nazi officers.
Lawrence of Arabia
The 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia is a historical movie based on the life of a real-life British officer who played a key role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, and Anthony Quinn, the Oscar-winning film displays the man’s disillusionment with war and its politics.
Another movie by British director David Lean,Lawrence of Arabiais not just a war movie but one ofthewar movies. Epic and sweeping, it tells the story of the life of the real British Army officer T.E. Lawrence—played in the movie by Peter O’Toole—both as a dramatic biopic and as a grand war story, creatingan explosive mix that still holds up today as one of the best of all time.
The story is set during World War I, with the titular Lawrence fighting in what were the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria.Lawrence of Arabiais an incredibly beautiful movie to watch, and it also delivers a powerful anti-war message—as all the best war movies do—when Lawrence begins to question the inherent violence of the war and his allegiance to the British Empire.
Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, chronicling the efforts of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust. Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, the film vividly portrays the atrocities committed during World War II while highlighting Schindler’s transformation from a profit-driven industrialist to a humanitarian savior.
Schindler’s Listis a complicated, emotional story that dives into one of the greatest horrors ever borne of war, the Shoah. While not exactly an easy watch,Steven Spielberg’s self-declared favorite movieremains probably one of the bestwar moviesever made, toying that line between faithfully representing the brutality of the situation lived by the people in the Kraków Ghetto and finding some modicum of hope to pass on to its audience.
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The plot is a fictionalization of events that really happened and starts when Oskar Schindler, a role that arguably remains the most famous of Liam Neeson’s career, arrives in Kraków to open an enamelware factory. During his stay in Kraków, Schindler, more and more horrified by the treatment of the Jewish population of the city, decides to do everything in his power to save as many people as he can from deportation.
