Many strong films take on World War II

Last updated 2/3/2009 at Noon

With two excellent World War II films coming to Sisters in recent weeks, it seems like a good moment to look at a few other films that vividly capture the great crisis of civilization in the 1940s.

"Valkyrie" did an outstanding job of depicting the July 20, 1944 bomb plot and coup that nearly did away with Hitler. "Defiance," coming to Sisters Movie House later this month, tells the story of the Bielski Brothers of Belarus, who led a Jewish partisan movement that created a haven in the forests, saving thousands of Jewish lives.

Here's a list, by no means exhaustive, of some other World War II films that capture some of the nature of that great struggle.

1. "Downfall" depicts the last days of the Third Reich. Based on the recollections of Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary, "Downfall" is made extraordinarily compelling by a cast of brilliant actors (mostly British) who bring alive the sense of madness and desperation that pervaded Berlin as Hitler brought down his Gottdamerung.

2. "Band of Brothers" took what was good about "Saving Private Ryan" and broadened and deepened it, creating an intense, utterly believable depiction of a U.S. Airborne company from D-Day to VE Day and beyond. It's on the History Channel all the time, but it's better watched on DVD so that the momentum isn't broken.

3. "Come and See" is hard to recommend because it is such a wrenching viewing experience. A nightmarish Russian-made depiction of a boy growing up (actually turning into an old man) with the Soviet Partisans is ugly and grotesque, but it is incredibly powerful and de-glamorizes events that all too easily become legends of derring-do in the forest.

4. "Flags of Our Fathers"/"Letters from Iwo Jima," Clint Eastwood's look at both sides of one of the Pacific Theater's most brutal battles, didn't make the splash that "Saving Private Ryan" did, but they are superior films.

5. "Winds of War"/ "War and Remembrance": The grand dame of the television miniseries holds up remarkably well, thanks to the fact that the teleplay was written by Herman Wouk, who wrote the original novels. By following the Henry family from 1939-1945, the series personalizes the War and the Holocaust with sweep and grandeur.

There are many more, of course. We remain endlessly fascinated by the great conflict and, judging from "Valkyrie" and "Defiance," it doesn't look like our interest will abate any time soon.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.