This playlist includes the trailers to a dozen movies about war that I require students to watch in my Battleground Cinema course. The course is intended to introduce students to the study of film as an historical source (both for the cultural history of the time it is made and the period depicted on screen) by examining three modern conflicts: World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
Each film highlights the powerful influence films have in shaping historical memory and public understanding of past wars and their meaning for the present. These films also raise a number of issues related to masculinity, racism, leadership, camaraderie, and other themes.
The films on the list are all feature films (we also watch documentaries, by way of comparison). Most are widely available on the major streaming sites or via library collections. All of the films are available on DVD at the Temple University library, for instance, for students without access to streaming services.
Students view films outside of class, then lead class discussions using clips, stills, marketing materials, and other sources. The films chosen for the list must also be the subject of at least some scholarly research, so that students have more than just their own interpretations to work with. The course is intentionally international in scope, though American films predominate.
Here’s the playlist for the films students view and discuss:
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930, directed by Lewis Milestone) Trailer
I love showing old movies because students are often surprised how good they are. The film introduces themes of misused patriotism, and the home front vs. fighting front, as well as many tropes of the war film genre, such as class and regional divisions within a unit.
“Paths of Glory” (1957, directed by Stanley Kubrick) Trailer
I resist the temptation to fill any class with Stanley Kubrick’s work (“Barry Lyndon,” “Full Metal Jacket,” “Dr. Strangelove”) so that I can offer a global diversity of films. I save “Dr. Strangelove” – arguably the greatest war movie of all time – for a viewing-in-class treat at the end of the semester. Very few students have seen “Paths of Glory,” and Kirk Douglas gives a stellar performance. The combat scenes are intense, and the courtroom drama draws comparisons with “A Few Good Men” (albeit with a less satisfying outcome).
“Wings” (1927, directed by William A. Wellman) Trailer
This is a challenging movie for students because they must actually watch closely, since the film is silent. No multitasking while they stream! Winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Picture, “Wings” combines a cornball love story with innovative photography. Themes of class divisions and masculinity come to the fore.
“Saving Private Ryan” (1998, directed by Steven Spielberg) Trailer
Analyzing this popular film is very fruitful because nearly everyone has already seen it – and people default to the assumption that this is the prime example of a realistic combat film. While the filmmaking is impressive, Spielberg uses a number of tricks to accomplish a semblance of realism and then uses that realism to smuggle in a completely improbable story. It teaches a great deal about 1990s America and less about World War II.
“The Bridge” (Die Brücke – 1959, directed by Bernhard Wicki) Opening scene
This is a personal favorite (nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar) that features prominently in an article I wrote in 2012. “The Bridge” reveals postwar West German efforts to remember a certain kind of war. The action is set in spring 1945 (when Germany was fighting defensive battles, not invading other countries) and involves young boys, influenced by Nazi ideology but innocent of Nazi crimes.
“Ivan’s Childhood” (Ivanovo detstvo – 1962, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky) Fan trailer
Though the film is artsy and opaque, it stands as a pinnacle of Soviet filmmaking during the post-Stalinist thaw. Like “The Bridge,” the main character is a child, but this is a boy hardened by war and seeking revenge.
“12 O’Clock High” (1949, directed by Henry King) Trailer
This course debuted during my stint at the United States Air Force Academy, so I had to include this film, which many see as a powerful study in leadership. It is also a very good film, highlighted by Gregory Peck’s Oscar-nominated performance as Brigadier General Frank Savage. Pay close attention to the many techniques typical of the war movie genre, like integrating gun-camera and other documentary footage into a feature film.
“Dam Busters” (1955, directed by Michael Anderson) Trailer
This film always threatens to disappear from the list and is almost always the students’ least favorite. But I persist in assigning it for several reasons. It is Peter Jackson’s favorite film and George Lucas quotes it verbatim in “Star Wars” (1977). There is math if you want it, and a British mathematics professor has worked up a whole exercise around the film. Plus, there is the dog’s name.
“Hope and Glory” (1987, directed by John Boorman) Trailer
Though combat is often considered the sine qua non of war movies, I like to encourage students to think more broadly. “Hope and Glory” is the semi-autobiographical account of the director’s experiences as a young boy during the 1940-1941 bombing of London known as “the Blitz.” Generational conflict and gender roles provide rich material for discussion, as does the notion of perspective. The young protagonist, Billy, rather enjoys the war while the audience can see the many tragedies around him.
“Steel Helmet” (1951, directed by Samuel Fuller) Commentary
I’ve squeezed this film into a crowded syllabus for several reasons. Fuller was a combat veteran himself and while he emphasized the limits of his medium, he strove to conjure realism to the extent possible. This is one of the few movies set in Korea during the war (though Fuller wrote the film as a World War II story) and so it is also one of only a handful of films from the era to depict an integrated army. “Steel Helmet” presages some of the later Vietnam films in the treatment of race relations (including attitudes toward Koreans).
“Apocalypse Now” (1979, directed by Francis Ford Coppola) Trailer
Coppola’s troubled masterpiece codifies a language for Vietnam films that is now almost impossible to escape. The sound of helicopter rotors, rock music, and napalm bombs became the soundtrack of that war.
“Hamburger Hill” (1987, Irvin) Trailer
Where “Apocalypse Now” is epic, arty, and psychedelic, “Hamburger Hill” focuses largely on a single, actual battle, the May 1969 attack on Hill 937 (Dong Ap Bia) by units of the 101st Airborne. Like so many other films, “Hamburger Hill” emphasizes the futility and purposelessness of the war. It also depicts racial tensions, both within the unit and in relations with the people of Vietnam, in a powerful way.
Of course, there were countless ways I could have organized this playlist. I look forward to hearing suggestions or seeing revised versions around particular themes.
Jay Lockenour, a professor of history at Temple University, studies the intersection of social and military history – including the social and cultural impact of warfare in Europe, POW and veterans’ affairs, and the role of film and media in illuminating historical consciousness. His most recent book is Dragonslayer: the Legend of Erich Ludendorff in the Weimar Republic and Third Reich (Cornell University Press, 2021). He is currently studying the transnational history of the military and sports.
