Films that explore the wide range of human experiences and historical events from these worldwide battles are based on World Wars I and II. These movies cover a wide range of topics, including the Holocaust, strategic military operations, resistance groups, and the horrors of trench warfare. They frequently illustrate the severe psychological effects on both troops and civilians while telling intimate tales of bravery, selflessness, and sorrow. With a focus on honor, duty, and the price of war, the cinematic depictions seek to offer both a dramatic account of the historical events and a close-up view of the human condition during times of war.

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front (German: Im Westen nichts Neues, or “Nothing New in the West”) is a German epic anti-war film released in 2022. After the films in 1930 and 1979, this is the third adaptation of the novel for the big screen. Starring Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, and Devid Striesow, it was co-written, co-directed, and co-produced by Edward Berger.

It centers on the life of a young, idealistic German soldier called Paul Bäumer and is set during World War I. Bäumer and his buddies enroll in the German Army, where he soon learns the harsh reality of war and loses his early dreams of being a hero in the process of trying to live. A parallel plot that follows the armistice negotiations to end the war is added by the movie and is not in the book.

On September 12, 2022, All Quiet on the Western Front made its world debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. On October 28, the movie became available for streaming on Netflix.

2. Pearl Harbor (2001)

Directed by Michael Bay and written by Randall Wallace, Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American romantic war drama film produced by Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Colm Feore, and Alec Baldwin are among the actors who feature in it. A love story set against the backdrop of the assault, its aftermath, and the Doolittle Raid is the main emphasis of this highly romanticized account of the Japanese troops’ attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The movie was a box office hit, taking in $59 million on opening weekend and $449.2 million globally. However, critics gave it a bad review, citing issues with the story, length, dialogue and screenplay, pacing, acting, and historical inaccuracies. On the other hand, they applauded the visual effects and Hans Zimmer’s score. It received four Academy Award nominations and won the Best Sound Editing prize. In addition, it received six Golden Raspberry Award nominations, including one for Worst Picture.

3. Paths of Glory (1957)

Based on Humphrey Cobb’s novel of the same name, Stanley Kubrick co-wrote and directed the 1957 American anti-war film Paths of Glory. The movie, which is set in World War I, stars Kirk Douglas as French troops’ commanding officer Colonel Dax, who stops them from launching a suicide strike. Dax then tries to defend the men in a court-martial by arguing that they are not cowardly.

Douglas’s film production business, Bryna Productions, and Stanley Kubrick and James B. Harris’s joint venture, Harris-Kubrick Pictures, co-produced the movie. 1992 saw the Library of Congress designate the movie as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and include it in the United States National Film Registry for preservation.

4. 1917 (2019)

Sam Mendes co-wrote and directed the 2019 British war film 1917 with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The film, which is set after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich, is partially inspired by stories Mendes’ paternal grandfather Alfred told him about his service in World War I. It follows two British soldiers, Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), as they attempt to deliver a crucial message to avert a disastrous offensive attack. In supporting parts are Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

1917 had its UK debut on December 4, 2019, and on December 25, Universal Pictures opened it theatrically in the US. Entertainment One released it in the UK on January 10, 2020. At the box office and with positive reviews, it made $384 million worldwide. At the 92nd Academy Awards, the movie was nominated for 10 prizes and took home three of them in addition to a host of additional honors.

5. Downfall (2004)

Oliver Hirschbiegel is the director of Bernd Eichinger’s 2004 historical war drama film Downfall (German: Der Untergang). It shows the last days of Adolf Hitler (played by Bruno Ganz) and is set during the Battle of Berlin in World War II, when Nazi Germany is about to lose the war. Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Juliane Köhler, Ulrich Matthes, Heino Ferch, Christian Berkel, Alexander Held, Matthias Habich, and Thomas Kretschmann are among the cast members. The movie is a joint German, Austrian, and Italian production.

On September 14, 2004, the movie had its world debut at the Toronto Film Festival. Because it depicted members of the Third Reich and showed a human aspect to Hitler, it caused controversy among viewers. Later, it was widely shown in German theaters by Constantin Film, the production firm behind it. The picture brought in more than $92 million. Reviews were positive, especially for Eichinger’s writing and Ganz’s portrayal of Adolf Hitler. It was a nominee for the 77th Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

6. They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

The 2018 documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old was produced and directed by Peter Jackson. The film’s original First World War video, all of which had been over a century old at the time of release, was sourced from the Imperial War Museum’s archives. The majority of the material had never been seen before. The audio comes from interviews conducted by the BBC and Imperial War Museum (IWM) with British soldiers who participated in the war. The majority of the film has been colorized and altered using contemporary production techniques, and voice acting and sound effects have been added to make it seem more authentic and more like the soldiers’ real experiences.

As a director, it’s Jackson’s debut documentary. Jackson paid tribute to his grandfather, a war veteran, in the film. His goal was not so much to tell a tale as it was to provide an immersive experience of “what it was like to be a soldier” in the movie. To create the film, the team went over 600 hours of interviews with 200 veterans and 100 hours of uncut material. The phrase “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old” from Laurence Binyon’s 1914 poem “For the Fallen,” which is well-known for being included in the Ode of Remembrance, served as the inspiration for the title.

7. Stalingrad (1993)

Joseph Vilsmaier is the director of the 1993 German anti-war film Stalingrad. It centers on a platoon of German Army troops who are sent to battle in the Battle of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front during World War II.

This is the second German film to depict the Stalingrad Battle. Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben (Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?) from 1959 was the film that came before it.

8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

American epic war movie Saving Private Ryan, which debuted in 1998, was written and directed by Robert Rodat. It is based in 1944 and takes place in France during World War II. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) leads a squad of troops on their quest to find Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) and return him home safely after three of his brothers are killed in combat. In addition, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, and Barry Pepper are in the cast.

Drawing inspiration from Stephen E. Ambrose’s writings and stories of deaths inside a single family, like the Niland brothers, Rodat began writing the script and was later contracted by Paramount Pictures to complete it. Spielberg and Hanks were made aware of the proposal, and their prior collaborations ensured the project’s advancement. Spielberg engaged Frank Darabont and Scott Frank to do uncredited rewrites of Saving Private Ryan based on veteran interviews and research in an effort to make the film as genuine as possible. To better comprehend what it’s like to be a soldier, the primary actors underwent a week-long boot camp. On a budget of between $65 and $70 million, the filming took place nearly completely on location in England and Ireland between June and September of 1997.

9. A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Frank Borzage directed the American pre-Code romantic drama A Farewell to Arms in 1932, which starred Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, and Adolphe Menjou. The film, which has a screenplay by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Benjamin Glazer and is based on Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 semi-autobiographical novel A Farewell to Arms, tells the story of the sad passionate love affair between an American ambulance driver and an English nurse in Italy during World War I. The movie was nominated for Best Picture and Best Art Direction and won Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

The movie became public domain in the US in 1960 as a result of United Artists, the final claimant, failing to renew its copyright registration in the 28 years after its release. The film cannot be used again until 2025 since the book it is based on is protected by copyright until then.

The National Theatre hosted the first Broadway production, which featured Glenn Anders and Elissa Landi, from September 22, 1930, until October 30, 1930.

10. Dunkirk (2017)

Christopher Nolan wrote, directed, and co-produced the 2017 epic historical war thriller film Dunkirk, which tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II from the viewpoints of the land, sea, and air. Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles (in his first feature film role), Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy are among the ensemble cast members.

Little language is used in the movie to depict the evacuation because director Christopher Nolan wanted to build tension via his use of music and photography. Filming in Dunkirk started in May 2016 and ended in September 2016 in Los Angeles, when post-production got underway. The film was shot on large-format IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm film material by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. Dunkirk has a lot of real-world applications. In addition to vintage airplanes and antique vessels from the evacuation, thousands of extras were used.

Dunkirk, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, had its London premiere at Odeon Leicester Square a few days prior to its July 21, 2017, release in the United States and the United Kingdom.