These 40s War Films Shouldn't Work in 2024 - But They Do

[@oldschool_cinema]

John Wayne Wanted Us to Watch These 5 Films kzbin.info/www/bejne/famQnWWlq95mmZI

[@TheTerryGene]

Wayne’s co-star in They Were Expendible, Robert Montgomery, was an actual naval commander who skippered PT boats during the conflict. He brought his experience to bear in one of his best performances.

[@thomasrobinson182]

Awesome movie.

[@BillBird2111]

This is a good point. I also want to add that many of these movies were based on books written by veterans who were there. This is true with Twelve O'Clock High and Sgt. York. Hollywood did not fool around. They followed these books as closely as they could. End result? They are classics. The recent movie about Midway also pulls from book material, yet CGI and really dumb dialogue kind of ruined this. I guarantee you that Pete Best never once uttered a line like, "yeah, not enough lead!"

[@B-A-L]

The old World War 2 movies are way better than modern ones because they aren't ruined by CGI and over the top unrealistic scenes. The even better war movies, particularly the British ones, are the ones that were actually made while the war was still going on. I said the British ones in particular because many of them were made while Britain was still under threat of invasion and suffering regular bombing raids!

[@michaelpoyer]

Air Force, the Purple Heart, sands of Iwo Jima. These are three of the best.

[@Kevin-wr9um]

Sahara has always been a favorite of mine.

[@lawrencewiddis2447]

That tank! How could that design have been acceptable to the US Army?

[@kennethmaeda5698]

​Actually it more than held it's own against the German Panzer's 2&3's which were the majority of the German armor at that time.

[@kennethmaeda5698]

It was also a favorite of mine.Don't watch the remake with John Belushi which was almost a word for word remake and was still terrible.

[@michaelangelo975]

@@kennethmaeda5698 Actually it was Jim Belushi and the movie wasn't that bad.

[@robertbenson9797]

Classic movies. They don’t make them like they used to! The scene in Casablanca where the Germans are singing, to the disgust of the French patrons of Rick’s. Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, tells the band leader to play La Marseillaise, the French National Anthem. As the band leader looks at Rick, Humphrey Bogart, he gives a nod of approval. The French bar patrons out sing the Germans. This is a metaphor for the entrance of the United States into WWII. Casablanca was released in 1942 but filming had been going on (in California) throughout 1941. Late in production, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Michael Curtis, the director, did a re-shoot and added the bar singing scene. Many of the actors, including Conrad Veidt, who played the German SS officer, Major Strasser, had escaped Europe because of the Nazis in Germany.

[@georgegoodyear9631]

My particular favourite British war film, produced during the war, is “Went The Day Well?” It was so good that it inspired the novelist Jack Higgins to write “The Eagle Has Landed”, about thirty years afterwards; which then inspired the feature film of that name.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Two suggestions: "Action In The North Atlantic." Many films made during WW2 don't hold up well but this one does and of all things it's about the US Merchant Marine! Great performances from Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale Snr., and the Warner Brothers stock company of character actors. "Western Approaches." This one's a British film about THEIR merchant marine, they call theirs the Merchant Navy. A remarkable film it uses NO actors, the players are all actual Merchant Navy sailors AND the film was shot in Technicolor! Amazing since it's a wartime production but the color film makes it look like it was shot last week! "Western Approaches" holds up beautifully as well. Both are well worth your time! wweke

[@johnappleby405]

The Best Years of our Lives was an outstanding film although admittedly it was about the aftermath of war rather than the war itself.

[@BillBird2111]

First movie to focus on how battles affected the men who served. Many, like my father, self-medicated with alcohol and cigarettes. It's a lifestyle that led to an early death, unfortunately. I was eight when I last saw him and nine when he died. Two decades later, when I realized what he had done, I was filled with questions he would never answer.

[@rmwein1948]

It's terrific that some American History portrayed in American films from WW II has "Stood the Tests of Time" since the 1940s! These Classic Movie Films are still exciting and gripping in the 21st Century. "The Good Guys Won," and American Democracy was Preserved/Saved for Future Generations! Bravo!

[@warrennicholsony.fernando4513]

What I loved best about Sahara is the teamwork between the soldiers in defending the well. There was no ego and they knew what they had to do.

[@keithyork8226]

None of these films were ahead of their time. They were all OF their time.

[@giantskunk]

For the 40’s, Sahara was ahead of its time. For Sgt. Maj. Tambu, a Sudanese Muslim, to save the day with the water and the German officer was quite modern when most roles for African American were for things like servants and lesser characters.

[@frederickwarrick1294]

the German flier reminds me of David Bowie

[@frederickwarrick1294]

But Rex Ingram is good as Tambu - another of his many varied roles from the genie in Thief Of Bagdad to Lucifer Jr in Cabin In The Sky to guest spots on The Rifleman and Branded with Chuck Connors

[@rph111745]

I became a US Army tanker because I watched Sahara as a kid.

[@mikebrase5161]

I became an Infantryman because I watched The Sands of Iwo Jima.

[@BELCAN57]

These films are classics. They work in any generation.

[@krisswegemer1163]

Can't believe that you missed "Come and see".

[@andrewfischer8564]

battleground 1948 van johnson reicardomontablan richard jackle james whitmore. love sahara... dont watch the mediocre remake with james belushi... they cut out the best of the italians part.

[@carolh110]

I second the observation on Battleground. One of the best films about the battle of the bulge.

[@chutethemall8099]

Mrs. Miniver;

[@randydalmas]

All great choices and would recommend them, especially 12 O'Clock High for its amazing flying sequences, and depiction of what the ground crews went through waiting for the planes to return. However, A Walk In the Sun should be replaced by Battleground. AWITS is limited by being made during the war -- its combat scenes look staged and the characters are too gung ho. Battleground was made just after the war, and had combat veteran advisors from the 101st Airborne. The end result is a much better depiction of the fog of battle and of troops surviving in the field.

[@The_Dudester]

0:27 12 O'Clock High is an excellent movie about PTSD. 2:14 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a true story and Ted Lawson flew on that raid and wrote an excellent book about it, and the movie follows the book, but half of the movie is: Ted: "I love you" (to his wife) Wife: "I love you more." Ted: "No. I love you more" And over and over and over and over again. Take those 40 minutes out of the movie and you get a great war movie.

[@kmarks97236]

I love all those movies except A Walk in the Sun. You forgot Back to Bataan, Purple Heart, and I am sure their are more Ian forgetting

[@frederickwarrick1294]

Sahara was basically a remake of John Ford's Lost Patrol... which MGM paid to RKO $7000 or so for the rights fee so they could make the Robert Taylor Thomas Mitchell classic Bataan-an ultra violent for it's time last stand movie and one that should be on the list

[@johnleotti4742]

A Bell For Adano should be included. Except for the unnecessary casting of Gene Tierney, it's an excellent drama of how an Italian village recovers from the war under the Army command of an Italian-American major.

[@christopherlee2515]

Would add Foreign Correspondent

[@alking4153]

I watch Sahara every time it's on

[@romanclay1913]

All these films are great choices.

[@Mark-jp9dz]

You missed out "Dangerous Moonlight" . Perhaps you should do a selection of films that were made during WW2. - And don't forget Henry V.

[@roberthughes9856]

The big difference between American and British war films is that 90% of the American ones are fictitious and 10% based on real events while the British films are 90% about real events and 10% fictitious.

[@kirkrjb]

In my opinion what makes these movies great is that they are all character driven. Anyone that served in the military will tell that they met a lot of characters.

[@raleighsanford5111]

The Great Dictator went full circle and survives as the film Chaplin wanted it to be. He took a lot of heat early on for making light of the Jewish plight in Germany, but the film was made before the extent of the efficiency of the atrocities we known. Now we can look back on the film's original message, that was we need to stand up to evil and be kind to one another.

[@thomasrobinson182]

Sahara is great.

[@jeffbaxter8770]

Back to Bataan & Fighting Seabees

[@jeffbaxter8770]

The Cruel Sea excellent Brit movie

[@michaelwilkinson2928]

You omitted the Presberger and Powell wartime films and The Way Ahead (David Niven - who, unlike John Wayne, actually served in the army).

[@edprince9079]

John wayne tried to get in the navy.

[@edprince9079]

John wayne tried to enlist in the navy.

[@edprince9079]

John wayne tried to enlist in the navy.

[@edprince9079]

John wayne tried to enlist in the navy.

[@bheast86]

disagree about the phoney SERGEANT YORK; it's a travesty that this was Howard Hawks' only Oscar nomination for best director. You do stretch the 'war' definition rather with NOTORIOUS and, to some extent TO HAVE AND HAD NOT If not for OPEN CITY, you'd have missed non-US movies, and PAISAN belongs here as well. Also a few British films: FIRES WERE STARTED, THE BELLS GO DOWN, THE NEXT OF KIN, WENT THE DAY WELL?, IN WHICH WE SERVE (even with Noel Coward)

[@jeffbaxter8770]

Saipan?

[@kennethmaeda5698]

How about A Wing and Prayer I thought that it was great movie.

[@jeffbaxter8770]

Flying high into the wild blue yonder - flying high into the sky

[@DrSho]

Fun fact, Lauren Bacall’s singing voice in to have and have not was provided by Andy Williams