We live in a war time; there are wars everywhere, not just the wars between the countries and cultures but also the war against terrorism. The most devastating wars were the two World Wars. The First and the Second World Wars were the time of horrors for the entire human civilization. Thankfully, you and I were not born in that time; however, we still see many wars around us.
War is a popular genre in movies and the First World War and the Second World Wars have been extensively features in movies. If you want to watch the movies based on the Second World War, here are some of the best movies made about Second World War. This is not a comprehensive list, however, the list includes movies made in English, French, German and Italian languages.
#1 Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour (Hiroshima I Love You) is a New Age cinema from a French veteran movie maker Alain Resnais. The black and white movie was released in 1959. The movie is about pain and suffering of a French woman during the Second World War. The movie is set in France and Japan.
#2 Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List is an award winning Hollywood movie from Steven Spielberg. The movie was adapted from a book of the same name in 1993. It is a true account of a war profiteer who tried to stop the Jewish people from being sent to concentration camp. The movie features Liam Nesson and Ralph Fines. Schindler’s List is one of the best movies based on Holocaust.
#3 Downfall
Downfall is a German movie released in 2004. It is a movie adaptation of a diary of Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge. The movie features Mark Bruno as Adolf Hitler. Downfall is one of the best portrayals of Hitler in the movie. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, Downfall depicts Hitler in his last 10 days in a Bunker.
#4 Life is Beautiful
Life is Beautiful is an Italian movie released in 1997. The movie is directed by Roberto Benigni and features Roberto Benigni in the lead role. The movie shows the life of Jewish people inside a concentration camp. It is a light treatment of Holocaust with a sad ending.
#5 Valkyrie
Valkyrie is directed by Brian Singer and features Tom Cruise in the lead role. Valkyrie is about the assassination attempt of Hitler and the repercussion of the failed attempt. The movie was released in 2008.
Conclusion
As I said above, this is not the comprehensive list of war movies. However, I have included movies from various countries, not just the Hollywood movies.
This is my top 5 list, yours might be different, please share your favorite second World war movies, or the all time favorite war movies.