There is nothing better in the world than sitting down to watch a good war film for me. Since I was a young child, the whole subject has fascinated me. From comics to books, films, and documentaries my attention is always triggered. Documentaries like ‘The World at War’, which I remember being transfixed to on the television, every Sunday dinnertime as a kid.
In general, I am a massive history buff with a large appetite for the history of wars. I have been known to search the digital channels for old or new stuff to watch much to the annoyance of the wife who can often be heard saying “not again”. In between writing this, I am watching an episode of the Greatest Tank Battles, which I have seen a number of times.
There are some worthy films that deal with the WWII experiences from the smaller arty films to the big blockbusters all of which I have enjoyed. Of course, there's no way a movie can accurately recreate what an ordinary soldier goes through in a combat situation, no matter how many special effects and explosives are used. An outstanding film can give the viewer a sense and appreciation of the conditions and situations that a member of the military has to deal with. Here then are my five World War II films today that could be totally different set of films tomorrow.
The Cruel Sea (1953) – This movie is the exception to the rule because it's not your stereotypical war movie. It is difficult sometimes to remember that the scenes in the water were film in a filmed open-air water-tank at Denham Studios. Instead of being, a story about the daring action, which men went through in order to defeat the enemy “The Cruel Sea”, is about the people who served and how war affected them. It’s a film where the enemy are unseen but for a brief moment when they sink and force a submarine, they were attacking to the surface and rescue the crew.
The film centres on the men of “HMS Compass Rose”, a brand new Corvette convey escort under the command of Commander Ericson (Jack Hawkins) with a crew of inexperienced sailors and officers straight out of training. When the “HMS Compass Rose” is torpedoed, Hawkins becomes commander of "HMS Saltash Castle".
What makes this movie so good is its matter-of-factness. There are no over the top heroics, just men learning their jobs and doing their duty, with some who die and some who survive. The scene where Captain Ericson decides to use depth charges to destroy a suspected submarine hiding below a group of struggling survivors from a torpedoed freighter is harrowing and when the Compass Rose is sunk and he listen to the men trapped below is just as disturbing. A fantastic cast and I couldn’t recommend this film enough.
Sea of Sand (1958) – A film about the British Long Range Desert Groups a mismatch of soldiers from all the regiments within the British army, which lead to the formation of the SAS and SBS. Sent out in the desert on dangerous missions to seek out the enemy and in this film the target is a large German fuel dump.
They reach their target after overcoming a number of hazards only to come across an unexpectedly large number of German tanks under cover hidden from the British. After the attack, they are desperate to get a message back to HQ but after a sudden attack on their trucks, the radio is destroyed. Even more desperate to get the information back they set out on the long return to base camp but closely chased by German pursuers hoping to keep the information about the tanks out of the hands of the British.
With only two trucks left one brakes down and then the other runs out of petrol forcing them to walk but Corporal ‘Blanco’ White was too wounded to carry on. They leave him behind with a machine gun, water to hopefully cut up the pursuing Germans. He manages to destroy one of the two German half-tracks following them but is then killed. Another film I would highly recommend.
The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961) - Deep in the Burmese jungles of South-East Asia in 1942, Sergeant Mitchem leads a seven-man patrol on a mission to draw the Japanese troops away from the main Allied contingent by creating a sonic diversion. Mitchem is struggling to exert his authority over his men, most of whom are woefully ill-equipped for their job. His second-in-command Corporal Johnstone taunts him for having lost a previous patrol whilst Lance Corporal Macleish endlessly lectures him on doing things by the book.
Mitchem's biggest headache is Private Bamforth, a loud-mouthed Londoner who divides his time between railing against authority and demoralising his fellow soldiers. The patrol comes across a deserted hut and decides to stay there to shelter from the heavy rains. Whilst attempting to contact the nearby British camp via radio, Private Whitaker picks up an ominous Japanese transmission. Not long afterwards, a lone Japanese soldier appears and is immediately taken prisoner by the now jittery patrol. Aware that Japanese soldiers are heading their way, Mitchum decides that it is time for his patrol to make a hasty return to their camp. They must first decide whether to kill their Japanese prisoner or take him with them...
What this film boils down to and is worth watching is because the tension and dynamics between characters. The acting was solid and features several well known actors including Richard Todd, Richard Harris and David McCallum. The jungle scenes were more believable than one might expect given that it was filmed at Elstree Studios.
San Demetrio London (1943) - After heading to America to pick up a shipment of fuel the San Demetrio turns round and heads back for England as part of a convoy. However, on the return journey, the convoy comes under attack from U-Boats and with their destroyer sunk; the San Demetrio is soon hit, forcing the captain to order the ship to be abandoned.
Stuck in a lifeboat, the captain and his crew survive 3 days until they see a ship floating in the distance and make their way to it, shocked to see that the smoking vessel is the San Demetrio. Their best shot of survival is to rebound their ship and try to put out the fires. But they don't just put the fires out as the small crew manage to patch it up so that the engines work and try to make it back to England.
Never the less "San Demetrio London" is still a thoroughly good movie with good performances and just the right amount of humour. The film is a bit of a forgotten gem.
They Were Not Divided (1950) – A film about a tank company of the Welsh Guards and three new recruits a Englishman, a Irishman and an American who all find themselves in training together at with the Welsh Guards somewhere in England. After receiving emergency promotions, they train up to take part in the D-Day landings in Normandy.
The first half of the film we have a Englishman, Irishman and American, which almost sounds like the start of a joke, all going through training having to deal with orders being shouted at them. All light-hearted with wives, girlfriends, and banter before any action.
The second half which focuses on the experiences of the men having been sent overseas to fight and we get more drama than in the first half. Although again "They Were Not Divided" still has an aspect to it which makes it lighter than other movies and in truth makes this come across as a sort of propaganda movie about life in the army. The director keeps things ticking over never resting too long for it to become too heavy or too slow and that combined with some cliche characters who have their own charm makes it on the easy side to watch.
