War Movies Are Hell

When I was a kid, I wasn't big on war movies. I preferred lighter fare, fun monsters and superhumans and comedy. I guess generations past of kids had fewer film genres to choose from, and might have had more interest in cinematic war stories... along with westerns, which haven't exactly been in style for decades. Anyway, once I hit my teenage years, I began to develop a taste for war movies, first the toned-down older ones on TV, and then graduating to darker, more serious modern ones on home video and in cinemas. Here are a handful of the war flicks that I feel stand out above the rest:

If you asked me what my favourite war film is, without even a pause to think about it, I'd say Apocalypse Now. It is both a "guy movie" (a man on a deadly mission) and a beautiful work of art. Visually and musically, Apocalypse Now has a sort of poetry about it, and has become a fixture in pop culture... maybe not quite the same way that Terminator and Superman have, but hey, I'm sure you've heard people quote (and misquote) lines from the movie: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning - it smells like victory". Or "The horror... the horror".

There have been homages to, and spoofs of, Apocalypse Now... and you know that old saying: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Images and music and dialogue from the movie are imprinted on the minds of people the world over, even those who haven't even seen the film. Like Martin Sheen, covered in mud, creeping through the Vietnam waters on his night-time assassination operation. Or the famous village bombing by helicopter - with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyrie playing - to make way for a surfing outing. The final killing scene, with veteran actor Marlon Brando in full madness mode. As the movie progresses, the fairly straightforward story becomes more and more surreal... featuring memorable creative imagery and music. The Doors' song The End became even more widely known after its use in both the opening and ending sequences of Apocalypse Now. This highly-lauded 1979 movie truly cemented director Francis Ford Coppola's reputation as a master film-maker.

Paths of Glory is an older picture, released in 1957, but is no less compelling. Certainly less sprawling and artsy than Apocalypse Now, Paths of Glory's anti-war stance made it the subject of much attention and controversy. Director Stanley Kubrick contrasts WWI's intimate trench warfare and its grim reality of death with the privileged and powerful top brass engaged in glitzy galas far from the action. Generals, back in their cozy offices with tea service, order inhumane methods to be carried out on the battlefield. Yes, Kubrick pushed some buttons back in the day, and Paths of Glory was censored and even banned in some countries. An excellent cast, including Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, and George Macready, delivers taut performances all around... and the screenplay packs a fiery wallop of a message. 

Guns of Navarone is a big budget World War II action movie that I still love after several viewings during my life. This 1961 classic is loaded with a gripping storyline that builds and builds, and a cast of Hollywood greats of that era, including Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn. Its epic quality is aided in no small part by the location photography on the Greek islands and the superior musical score, which featured traditional songs of the area. An exciting dramatic picture on all counts!

Gregory Peck, iron-jawed and all business

in Guns of Navarone

I'm a fan of submarine movies, but I talk about them elsewhere on the blog (here), so I won't go into any detail in this post. Let's just say that I consider Das Boot and Run Silent Run Deep among the best war pictures. 

Other old classics I really like are: Platoon, M.A.S.H., Full Metal Jacket, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Deer Hunter, Hamburger Hill, Lawrence of Arabia, and Hell in the Pacific. All of these are entertaining, though most are thought-provoking and often controversial. And some are nightmarish. Hey, it's war. 

Modern wartime films that impress me are Black Hawk Down, The Hurt Locker, and Hacksaw Ridge. There are a handful that I've yet to see, like Dunkirk, and I have Jarhead on deck to watch very shortly. And I need to revisit The Thin Red Line one of these days... I saw it years ago, but have little memory of it today.