The DU Lounge

Last edited Fri Jan 2, 2026, 01:01 PM - Edit history (1)

Possibilities include:

"A Time to Love and a Time to Die," based on Erich Marie Remarque's novel and featuring a cameo by Remarque
"Western Approaches," a British wartime flick that is a virtual forerunner of Reality TV, as it employs no actors, but just working sailors
"The Way Forward," one of David Niven's propaganda pieces
"The North Star" (aka "Armored Attack" ) because of its chequered propaganda history: it is the story of plucky Ukrainian partisans fighting off the Blitzkrieg in 1941, but after 1945 was edited for Cold War purposes to remind the viewer that those plucky Ukrainians were Commies and thus the evil bad guys after all
"Kelly's Heroes," because it is one of the better anti-war films I've seen
"The Fighting Lady," a docudrama about USS Yorktown (CV-10)
"Stalag 17," because it is just a good POW movie without the kind of bullshit in "The Great Escape."
"In Which We Serve," another British wartime flick about the RN. It juxstaposes scenes aboard ship with scenes on the home front, depicting the challenges faced by the sailors and their families
"Mr Roberts," because it features some great acting by Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon, to say nothing of Jimmy Cagney and William Powell
"Operation Mad Ball," because it stars Jack Lemmon and is actually hilarious
"Red Ball Express," because it deals with a vital part of the war virtually ignored by film

Honorable mention to "Teahouse of the August Moon," because while it deals with the Occupation of Okinawa and not directly with WW2, it features Marlon Brando playing an Okinawan houseboy, and you can't get funnier than that.

Others may come to mind. I tend towards the relatively obscure and older films, made either during or immediately after the war when memory was still fresh. There are a number already recommended that I am not including in this list.

-- Mal