The cinema and the media, in general, are without question one of the most powerful forces in the modern world today. It can change our perspective, motivate people toward a cause, or inspire.
With war films, they have the very real potential to educate and influence audiences on a particular military effort, foreign policy endeavour, or historical event, in some cases for better or worse.
“This is one reason why the film is so powerful, in that it shows the world’s most notorious war criminal and the literal personification of all evil as an everyday person.”
In this list, I will cover the top 10 war movies set in the pre-1945 era. This is a two-part list, with a second list focusing on war movies set in post-1945.
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10. 1917 (2019)
While a more recent film, and something of a more artistic film than most other mentions on this list, this in no way degrades the quality, enjoyment, or commentary of the film.
Set in, predictably, 1917 in the trenches of World War One, two British soldiers must traverse enemy lines to deliver a message to a nearby battalion ordering them to halt an attack upon a fortified German position.
Filmed by way of a continuous, unbroken take, the shot displays war in its full brutality and fast-paced activity while commentating on the leadership of the war through Benedict Cumberbatch’s monologue near the end of the film.
Complete with great cinematography, a pounding soundtrack, and top-notch acting, the film is a true joy to behold with an intense narrative.
This film also does something that most other World War I epics don’t which shows the varied cultures and nationalities involved in the British fight, with characters from India and other African nations appearing.
Nearly 200,000 Africans and over a million Gurkhas under British colonial control served in the Armed Forces during the First World War.
All too often, these stories of minorities in warfare go unheard and showing their stories is incredibly beneficial to understanding warfare and society as a whole.
