CaptainWaggett

I don't think a film can be considered a WW2 film because it happens to feature characters who have been in the war - that more or less applies to every film until about 1960s (for example, in Chance of a Lifetime, the characters are always talking about What They Did During The War and a lot of the resentment towards the evil foreman is because he was in a reserved occupation). The main film in that category would probably be The Best Years of Our Lives. Likwise isn't Frieda all post-war? (It's ages since I've seen it)

Does This Happy Breed really count? Only the last couple of scenes are during the war. How about The Man in Grey which has a similar amount of screen time given to the war

Some others not in your latest list

Always
God is My Co-Pilot
Journey for Margaret
Mrs Henderson Presents
Old Bill and Son
Pearl Harbor
Saving Private Ryan
The Rake's Progress
Tonight and Every Night

brianl

Isn't The Miniver Story (the sequel to Mrs Miniver) set in post WW2?
brianl

maturin

As I said, I think it's difficult to judge so I've been less than ruthless in part because I'd like to encourage people to add to it. Perhaps with the limited subject of UK WW2 films we may get close to a definitive list. Personally, I don't want to be limited by release date, or amount of screen time devoted to the war, and I want to include films in which deal with the build up to or aftermath of the WW2, though not to the extent of including, say, League of Gentlemen. I also would like to include documentaries (or docudramas) like The Volunteer.

Others can prune as they like, of course. In the Excel version there are categories and keywords so the list can be manipulated to show, for example, only films that deal directly with battle, or ones released during the war.

Yes, and The Miniver Story really shouldn't be in the list for the same reason Mrs Miniver should be excluded - it's a US film. But both Mrs Miniver and the Miniver Story are in my personal version of the list in a UK focus category and Story slipped through . I'll regretfully excise it in the next version (if there is one). Thanks for spotting it.


Thanks captain: I've added the UK films above - two of which i'd never heard of. The others are in the US list already. BTW I'm following IMDb - mostly - on country of origin and including UK+other countries. Another minefield of course.

CaptainWaggett

I was getting confused about whether you just wanted British films since various foreign ones seemed to have slipped in. Also you seem to have quite a few tv series (eg Shine on Harvey Moon) - perhaps you should add A Family at War, Secret Army, Enemy at the Door and many others. Or just not do tv, whichever seems easiest!

How about Memphis Belle (British director and locations though largely American cast) and Empire of the Sun (US director but mostly British cast and British source material)? If you're going to do documentaries too, you will probably need to decide on what length you will accept - unless you want to list 2535 MOI Food Flashes!

maturin

Some of the titles come from other lists & so may be foreign, but I've checked most with IMDb and have included co-productions - however unlikely.
I thought I'd leave TV as I'm not at all familiar with UK TV. I'd be grateful for info on which are TV so that the list can be cut. Or we could grasp the nettle and add TV. All I have listed in my TV tab - based mostly on what I happen to have - are:

Allo 'allo 1982
And a Nightingale Sang 1989
Blue Remembered Hills 1979
Bomber Harris 1989
Carrie's War 2004
Cazalets, The 2001
Churchill and the Generals 1979
Colditz 1972
Colditz 2005
Dad's Army: 1971
Dame of Sark, The 1976
Danger UXB 1979
Death of Adolph Hitler, The 1973
Enemy at the Door 1978
Evacuees ,The 1975
Fair Stood the Wind for France 1981
Family at War, A 1970
Fortunes of War 1987
Foyle's War
Gangster Show, The 1972
It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow 1975
Killing Hitler 2003
Manhunt 1970
Men Without Shadows 1957
Moonstrike 1963
Mosley 1998
Oppenheimer 1980
Orde Wingate 1976
Owner Occupied 1977
Pathfinders, The 1972
Piece of Cake 1988
Piece of Resistance, A 1966
Private Schulz 1981
Rainy Day Women 1977
Secret Army 1984
Singing Detective, The 1986
Shine on Harvey Moon 1982
Tenko 1981
Uncle Adolph 2005
We'll Meet Again 1982
White Rabbit, The 1967
Wish Me luck 1988
Machine Gunners, the 1983
Camomile Lawn ,The 1992
Baa Baa Black Sheep 1976

Could add these expecting other members to add many more, or remove TV altogether. The list seems a bit pitiful; I've not research the topic. Perhaps someone else could expand the TV list in another thread (hint hint).

Then there's the massive explosion of documentaries on WW2.


I'll add Memphis Belle as it's listed in IMDb as a co-production; I'll also add Empire as I do want to be flexible. Purists can prune.

There's a separate and hopelessly inadequate list of WW2 shorts, again based mostly on what I happen to have: lots of RAF (The Gen series, Arming a Bomber etc) and some MOI. Shunter Black, Protect the Convoy, The New Lot, Read All About It, What's the Next Job etc should be in this category. I really enjoy these documentaries - someone on another forum said this of the RAF series:

Many, but by no means all of these are in the Imperial War Museum collection and therefore catalogue. The writer quoted above found many interesting short films and made them available online.