The first movie that won an Oscar was the 1929 war epic Wings, about two American pilots in World War I, and Howard Hughes famously spent $4 million (almost $60 million in today’s money) to bring to life, in chilling detail, his version of the airborne death and destruction of the Great War. Just a year later, Director Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front, in examining the devastating toll taken on humans subjected to relentless violence and grief on the battlefield, also helped revolutionize how movies and plots were created. Many young actors and directors have had big breaks or careers rejuvenated by war pictures which gave audiences front row seats to the smoke, stress and gut-wrenching loss of conflict. However, most war films have relied on nonstop combat sequences over characters to carry the story lines, and while many of these are great pictures and deserve to be honored, for this list I have chosen memorable movies that, in a departure from typical war plots, have little or no combat while still making powerful wartime statements.
15. The Great Escape, released in 1963, set in
World War II
Considered one of the best war films in general, The Great Escape follows the true story
of a group of American and British prisoners inside the German prison of Stalag
Luft III as they try to figure a way to get all 250 captives out in one mass
escape. Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough, among
others, the movie takes place entirely in the prison, except for the dramatic
ending, and never shows major combat. 14. Conspiracy, released in 2001, set in World War II
While not having a theatrical run, Conspiracy was released by HBO in 2001.
At just over 90 minutes, it is one of the shortest movies on this list, one of
the most haunting, and its brevity allows it to take place in real time. The
conspiracy in question was a real meeting of over a dozen high ranking Nazi
leaders, portrayed by actors like Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci and Colin
Firth, as they lay out the strategy for what would become the Holocaust, and
defeat the last efforts at any official opposition. 13. War Horse, released in 2011, set in World War I
Steven Spielberg’s first war film since Saving Private Ryan, War Horse looks at World War I through
the eyes of a horse who starts the war in the cavalry and ends the war pulling
heavy cannons behind the lines. Unlike some of Spielberg’s other work like Munich, and although it has some
battlefield settings, there does not appear to be any overriding political
message to it, merely highlighting the horror of war on people and animals. 12. Hotel Rwanda, released in 2004, set in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
The horrifying events in Rwanda in 1994 when the long oppressed Hutus rose up
and began mass killings of the ruling Tutsis which left over half a million
people dead in just three months, have received surprisingly little
attention from Hollywood since they occurred. One film that has attempted to document
these events is Hotel Rwanda, which
follows the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, manager of an upscale hotel, who bravely
threw open its doors to refugees fleeing the genocide. Rusesabagina, played by Don
Cheadle, stays in the hotel, watching over the people. While some violence is
shown toward the end, it does not dominate the film. 11. The Pianist, released in 2002, set in World War II
Directed by the controversial Roman Polanski, this 2002
film follows the real life story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish musician from
Poland who finds his life brought to screeching halt when the German army
invades his country in 1939. As Szpilman flees underground for most of the
movie, combat does occur around him, but he does not take part in it. 10. 1776, released in 1972, set in the Revolutionary War
This delightful Broadway musical follows the
political debate, writing and ultimate passage of the Declaration of Independence
in July in 1776. It tells the story from the viewpoint of John Adams, Ben
Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Taking place almost entirely inside
Philadelphia’s Freedom Hall, no combat is ever shown, though it is discussed
through letters and song. 9. Amen, released in 2002, set in World War II
A little known German movie from 2002, Amen follows the interesting story of
Kurt Gerstein, a low ranking German SS officer responsible for improving hygiene
for the men in the field. However, as the war continues, Gerstein finds out
that his services are being used to supply gas to the concentration camps.
Horrified by what he sees, the film shifts to what happens when word from Gerstein
reaches the Vatican and Pope Pius XII. Based on the 1963 play The Deputy by Rolf Hochhuth and Gerstein’s
real story, the movie takes place in multiple locations over several years, but
it does not depict any combat. It also deserves special credit for discussing a
little known area of the war – the infamous T-4 Program.8. Twelve O’clock High, released in 1949, set in World War II
A classic war film and one of the highlights of
Gregory Peck’s long career. The film follows General Frank Savage, a young
officer placed in charge of the VIII
Bomber Command. The struggling VIII
has a poor bombing record and low morale. Through brutal discipline, Savage
remolds them into one the most feared units in the air. Like most movies that
came out in the immediate years after the war, Twelve O'clock High may have had a low budget and been unable to
show aerial combat for very long. For this reason, the single combat scene that
is shown uses stock film from the war and almost the whole film takes place at
an airbase in Britain. 7. Downfall, released in 2004, set in World War II
Often made fun of for the fact that it has a Hitler
rant scene, Downfall is still one of
the most accurate films made to date. It follows Traudl Junge, Hitler’s
personal secretary, as she and Hitler are forced to flee into a massive bunker when
the Soviet Red Army surrounds Berlin and moves in for the final assault. While
street fighting is shown at some points in the film, Downfall is chiefly about the men and women in the bunker and how
they are forced to ready themselves for the unknown. Hitler, played brilliantly
by Bruno Ganz, is not shown as a drooling monster, but his mental instability
and declining grasp of reality is deftly portrayed. 6. Das Boot, released in 1981, set in World War II
At over three hours, Das Boot follows the crew aboard the German submarine U-96 early in
1941 as they go out into Atlantic in search of British merchant ships to sink.
There are long scenes of depth charges raining down on the crew and one British
ship is sunk, but this is not a film about combat. It is more about a diverse group
of men thrown together in claustrophobic conditions and how each simply tries
to carry on their lives as the war rages on above them. No wonder some called
the film, “So good, you will root for the Germans.”5. Gone with the Wind, released in 1939, set in the Civil War
In this sweeping adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s
classic novel, Scarlett O'Hara, a southern belle and daughter of a planter,
finds herself caught up in the storm of the American Civil War. Most of the
film being set in wartime Atlanta, no scenes of battle are shown except for
when the city is spectacularly burned by the retreating Confederate Army, and
even then no army action is shown. While Scarlett herself shoots a Union
soldier, the movie is more about how strong willed women survived as their
world was being destroyed around them. 4. Casablanca, released in 1942, set in World War II
Among the first films to depict life during a war
which was still going on at the time, Casablanca
is about American expatriate Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, who
runs a bar and semi-secret gambling club in Nazi occupied Casablanca. Finding
himself helping two underground rebels escape back to Europe, Rick is forced to
outwit the Nazis and make peace with his former girlfriend, Ilsa Lund, played
by Ingrid Bergman. 3. Lincoln, released in 2012, set in the Civil War
Among the very best films made by Steven Spielberg
in recent years and even better than War
Horse or Saving Private Ryan, this
movie focuses on President Abraham Lincoln as he pushes, cajoles and flat out
bribes members of Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment banning slavery
throughout the United States. While a brief combat sequence is shown at the
beginning, no other military action happens as it is mostly set in the House of
Representatives. The obvious high point of the movie is Daniel Day Lewis, who
turns in an Academy Award winning performance as the title character. 2. Command Decision, released in1948, set in World War II
1. The Best Years of Our Lives, released in 1946, set in World War II
Filmed immediately after the end of World War II, The Best Years of Our Lives centers on men returning from Europe and the Pacific who attempt to resume lives they find no longer exist. The main characters, a sergeant, a B-17 pilot and a double amputee Navy sailor, each have different experiences that are equally disturbing and unexpected. The pilot suffers post-traumatic stress, the sergeant finds his wife and children are strangers with strange ideas, and the sailor must adjust to a new life with awkward prosthetic arms. All of the characters are skillfully written and portrayed compassionately and the film was, and still remains, a sober and realistic observation of post-war life that appealed to millions of people all over the world who were recovering from the war themselves.
As war continues to fascinate and horrify the public, Hollywood will continue to produce stories revolving around war. Some of these will become classics while others were will be seen as shallow political hit pieces. But it is also hoped that directors and writers will continue to make films that focus on the quieter and less well known sides of war.
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