There are countless wars which are rarely remembered, but when a war gets big enough to involve most, if not all, of the world, there’s no doubt it’s had a global impact. As historical movies remain popular, World War II is still the most common war to use as a backdrop for genre, whether it means telling real stories, bringing books written about the war to life, or just in general trying to make sure people don’t forget about the war. These stories come from all over the world too, as the war was experienced everywhere.
Update July 28, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great films about World War II from the 1940s.
Perhaps some of the most riveting World War II movies are from the 1940s. WWII lasted from 1939 to 1945, so not only is the war fresh in everyone’s minds to create a more accurate depiction, but a lot of it was actually made during the war. From trying to help people understand what exactly was going on if they weren’t near the action to poking fun at some of the larger war figures to even romanticizing the war in an effort to try and get more people to sign up, there’s a lot you can find from the '40s. These are only a few of many great war movies to be released that decade.
13 Sands of Iwo Jima
John Wayne earned an Oscar nomination for his commanding performance as a tough-as-nails Marine Sergeant during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the 1949 war drama Sands of Iwo Jima, which tells the story of the respected American leader as he implements harsh training methods to prepare his men for the battlefield, culminating in the violent and major showdown that occurred on the Japanese island in 1945.
Wayne's portrayal of the rough and rigid John Stryker was one of the actor's finest, as he leads his squad into a bloody and violent battle that will test not only their resolve but fighting spirit. Sands of Iwo Jima features adrenaline-fueled combat scenes, an emotionally-gripping storyline, and engrossing characters audiences couldn't help but root for, and was one of the most lauded U.S. propaganda films to be released during the patriotic decade.
12 Captains of the Clouds
James Cagney starred as a brash and unruly Canadian bush pilot determined to earn the respect of his fellow men in 1942's Captains of the Clouds, which follows Brian MacLean as he becomes inspired to join the Royal Canadian Air Force alongside his buddies after hearing Winston Churchill's rousing "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, only to learn they are considered too old to join the battle. MacLean sets out to prove the naysayers wrong and demonstrate his strengths as a pilot while also fighting for the greater good of the world.
Captains of the Clouds garnered widespread praise for its striking aerial scenes and electrifying cinematography shot in Technicolor and dazzled audiences with its overwhelming patriotism and thrilling action sequences. For its stunning visual achievements, the drama received two Oscar nominations, including Best Color Cinematography, and remains one of the country's most celebrated World War II pictures.
11 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Released in 1944, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyois based on a book of the same name published a year earlier by Captain Ted W. Lawson. It tells the story of the Doolittle Raid when America first retaliated with an air strike against Japan for their attack on Pearl Harbor. Captain Lawson was in the raid himself, and as the book told his story, so does the movie.
He and his fellow bomber pilots and crew were called to a three-month-long top-secret project, where they trained without knowing what they were training for until they were all loaded onto an aircraft carrier and told that they were intended to bomb several cities in Japan. There were many difficulties they had to face throughout the course of the mission, including having to take off 12 hours earlier than planned due to the discovery of the aircraft carrier.
In the end, it paints an accurate depiction of the raids and the hardships those in the planes faced and even uses real footage of the bombers. In hindsight, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki makes the film uncomfortable to watch, but it's an honest, well-directed, and emotional depiction of earlier events.
10 The Mortal Storm
Legendary cinema star James Stewart appeared opposite Margaret Sullavan in 1940's The Mortal Storm, an engrossing picture that details the profound effect Hitler's rise to power as chancellor of Germany in 1933 had on its citizens as the Nazis took control of the country, resulting in widespread fear and uncertainty. The gripping film focuses on the Roth family as their peaceful lives in a quaint mountainside village is rocked and they become divided over the direction their country is going in, with family friend Martin Breitner (Stewart) getting caught in the middle.
The Mortal Storm was one of the only anti-Nazi Hollywood productions to be released before the United States entered the global conflict in 1941, and proved to be a critical and commercial hit upon its premiere. The New York Times declared the film "magnificently directed and acted ... a passionate drama, struck out of the deepest tragedy, which is comforting at this time only in its exposition of heroic stoicism", and it currently holds a highly-coveted 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
9 They Were Expendable
Touting an impressive cast led by John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, and Donna Reed, the 1945 war drama They Were Expendable is based on the William Lindsay White novel of the same name and depicts the efforts of Lieutenants "Rusty" Ryan (Wayne) and John "Brick" Brickley (Montgomery) to prove the worthiness and power of U.S. Navy PT boats during World War II and their effectiveness during battle.
The close friends make it their mission to demonstrate their newly-founded unit's importance in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and utilize the PT boats during the Battle of the Philippines. They Were Expendable was ranked as one of the top ten films of the year by The New York Times and was celebrated for its accurate representation of naval combat during World War II as well as the lead stars' stirring performances.
8 Twelve O'Clock High
Another Air Force bombing movie, Twelve O’Clock High, was released in 1949 and focuses on the Air Force that bombed Germany and occupied France at the beginning of America’s involvement in WWII. Though not specifically based on any one moment of the war, it does draw on a lot of elements in the Black Thursday strike against Schweinfurt.
After morale was low in the 918th bomb group and a subsequent investigation by high-ranking officials, it’s revealed that the commander was not only too close to his troops but has even grown unwilling to discipline his men no matter how bad their mistakes are. He is relieved of duty, and a new commander is asked to take over, the iconic General Savage (played by the great Gregory Peck). This new strict commander makes every pilot apply for transfers, but as they get delayed, the commander and the pilots slowly come to terms with each other and grow just as close as their last commander, working better together. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
7 The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is actually an anti-war satire released in 1940 before America became involved in WWII. Written, directed, produced, scored, and starring Charlie Chaplin, he plays an antisemitic dictator named Hynkel, along with a Jewish barber who looks almost identical to him. Clearly supposed to be a parody of Hitler, Hynkel tries to amass an army and persecute the Jews, but his plans are constantly thwarted.
Meanwhile, the barber is struggling to survive between a loss of memory in WWI and being among the now-persecuted Jews. As their lives become entangled, however, it becomes harder to tell who is who. The film stirred a large condemnation of Hitler and his Nazis even while America was still neutral and remains one of the greatest political satires of all time.
6 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The British romantic drama The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp pulls its title from a comic strip but uses its own story. The film follows the life of fictional Major-General Clive Candy and the several wars he has been involved in and lived through. During the Boer War, he receives a letter from Edith Hunter in Berlin, complaining about a German spreading anti-British propaganda and wanting the embassy to intervene. He goes to confront the situation himself, and while he’s there, befriends a German named Theo while also falling in love with Edith.
However, Edith becomes engaged to Theo instead, and it’s something Candy can never get over. Continuing through the first and second world wars, Candy has several other women in his life that are all similar to Edith, and he continues to try and help the war efforts despite his feelings that stooping to the level of the Nazis is something they could never recover from. Released in 1943, while the war was still very prevalent in England, some believe it’s the greatest British film ever made.
5 The Best Years of Our Lives
The Best Years of Our Lives is a drama that actually isn’t about the war itself, but what comes after. Three veterans meet on a flight back to their Midwestern hometown, and the story shows us how they struggle to adjust to their normal lives now that they’re back home. Fred worked at a drugstore before and goes back since he can’t find a better job, especially with his PTSD flashbacks; Al works at a bank and is even promoted but struggles with the knowledge of what he’s done and turns to alcohol; Homer was hoping to marry his next door neighbor but is afraid she would no longer want him, now that he’s lost both of his hands and only has mechanical hooks.
They struggle while settling back into normal life, and while not everything is the same anymore, things eventually begin to start looking up for them all. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Weirdly enough, Harold Russell (who plays Homer Parrish) became the only person to win two Oscars for a single performance — he was a non-actor, a veteran who had actually lost his hands during military service, and since the Academy considered him a long shot to win Best Supporting Actor, they awarded him an Honorary Oscar; little did they know, he would win Best Supporting Actor later that same night.
4 To Have and Have Not
Iconic classic Hollywood couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were sensational in Howard Hawks' 1944 romantic war adventure To Have and Have Not, appearing as a disenchanted fishing boat captain and fiery lounge singer who get caught up aiding the French Resistance in 1940 France amid their burgeoning romance. The phenomenal picture was an adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel and marked the cinematic debut of Bacall, who went on to become one of the greatest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood alongside her future husband Bogart.
To Have and Have Not was among the highest-grossing releases of 1944 and caused quite a stir due to the lead pairs' on-set affair during production that led to moviegoers flocking to theaters to witness their red-hot chemistry. Time Out retrospectively wrote, "Bogie and Bacall fell in love while making the film, and their scenes reflect this, giving To Have and Have Not a degree of emotional presence that is unusual in the 'bite on the bullet' world of Hawks."
3 To Be or Not to Be
Referencing the famous soliloquy from Hamlet in their title, To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and following a troupe of actors. Plans for the actor's next show, a satirical play called Gestapo, are canceled in the hopes of keeping Nazi relations intact, but the city is soon bombed anyway.
The actors now begin to disguise themselves as varying Nazi members to fool the troops, initially trying to get personal information out of them but then realizing they were stuck in their charades and now trying to find a way to escape the city before they’re caught. Considering it was released mid-war, it was an attempt to poke fun of the Nazis while also bringing comedic entertainment to audiences at a time when comedy was harder to find.
2 Rome, Open City
Depicting some of the last years of the war, Rome, Open City is an important Italian neorealist war drama that was a huge stepping stone for Italian filmmaking. Rome was declared an open city in 1943, and in the film's occupied setting, Germans are trying to arrest Giorgio Manfredi, a leader of the resistance against the Nazis and Italian Fascists. He manages to escape them and runs to the home of his friend Francesco, who is also a part of the resistance.
He contacts a local Catholic priest who is helping the resistance and sends messages and money through him. He can’t run forever, though, and no matter how many times he tries to run, the Germans keep catching up with him, having no intent on letting him walk away free. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and its writing was nominated for an Oscar.
1 Casablanca
Casablanca is a classic romantic drama released during the war in 1942. It follows a small plot that nightclub owner Rick Blaine gets dragged into simply by keeping the club neutral and letting people from all sides of the war in. He convinces a petty crook to let him hold onto two letters of transit that let the bearers travel freely around German-occupied Europe and neutral Portugal, and they soon belong to Blaine when the criminal is arrested and dies in custody.
Blaine then soon discovers his old lover is in town along with her husband, a Czech resistance leader currently being hunted by the Germans. His lover, Ilsa, believes Blaine can help them escape the country, but he’s reluctant to hand over the papers after she broke his heart once before, even if it meant they could keep fighting the Germans. Casablanca went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, as well as earn nominations for several others, and is regarded by many as one of the finest films ever made.
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