The war itself is a huge tragedy for any people. Its consequences are colossal and terrifying. But it is precisely in such moments of history that great filmmakers draw inspiration in order to tell about some events that concern them, or share the story of one person. For Russians, films about the 1941-1945 war are more than just cultural values. Western countries affected by various military operations also reflect their stories in the cinema. Films about the Second World War find their audience. Probably the greatest value can be borne by documentary, in which reality is reflected without any artistic background.
This article only talks about a few films out of hundreds worthy.
"War and Peace"
The work of the great director Sergei Bondarchuk, the epic who immediately won the recognition of filmmakers, was released in 1966 (the first series). The theme voiced in the film was repeatedly covered by other feature films. The Patriotic War of 1812 was for many an example of the invincibility and faith of the Russian people.
"War and Peace" is a film adaptation in four parts of the genius novel of the same name by our writer L.N. Tolstoy. Therefore, the degree of responsibility of the director was huge. The work was supervised by E. Furtseva herself, all the historical funds and museums of the country were at the disposal of the film crew.
The picture met expectations, having won an Oscar in 1969 as the best film in a foreign language, the main prize of an international festival in Moscow in 1966 and becoming the box office leader in the USSR.
The film gained fame as being shot using the most modern technologies. Thanks to the creation of a new system, it became possible to shoot the most beautiful battle scenes and panoramas of nature.
"The fate of man"
The best films about the war tell not about direct military operations, but about people who, by the will of fate, had to face them. For the director and for the audience, the person is important, his feelings and thoughts, the pain that the war brought with him. Soviet films about the war are striking in their depth and penetration.
The painting "The fate of man", taken in 1959, fully meets these criteria. This is the directorial debut of Sergei Bondarchuk, based on the story of M. Sholokhov. It tells about a simple Russian man, the driver Andrei Sokolov. The war took his wife and three children from him, he himself experienced a lot of suffering, having been captured by the Germans. True hell was waiting for him in a concentration camp, but faith and hope helped Sokolov to survive in this struggle. He survived, but his soul was tormented.
In the post-war period he met the little boy Vanyushka, whom the war left an orphan (his mother died, his father went missing). Sokolov, filled with kindness and faith in a good future, told the child that he was his father.
This scene is the most piercing in the picture. Films about the war of 1941-1945 are particularly dramatic and tragic, each resident of our country can see the history of his family there and remember or understand how cruel that time was, but in spite of everything, it was full of faith in the best.
"Cranes are Flying"
Feature films about the 1941-1945 war have always attracted a wide audience. The film "Cranes Are Flying" was shot in 1957 based on the play by V. Rozov, "Eternally Alive." The action of the two works is somewhat different from each other. Although the plot is the same: two lovers Boris and Veronika are preparing for the wedding, but the war begins and the young man volunteers for the front. In parting, he gives his beloved a toy (a squirrel with a basket of nuts), in which he hides a note.
During one of the bombings, the girl loses her parents and home, she finds shelter with the Borozdin family. At their apartment lives a cousin of Boris Mark, who immediately begins to care for the girl.
Veronica, not receiving any news from the groom, marries Mark. They are evacuated to the Urals, where the girl works in the hospital, and Mark is playing tricks on his mistressās apartment. After Veronica finally found a note from Boris, she leaves Mark.
Soon, the Furrows learn that Boris is dead. Veronica does not want to believe in it and after returning to Moscow waiting for him at the station with a bouquet of flowers.
Russian films about the war have always gathered a wide audience of viewers. But only this film was able to win the highest award of the Cannes Film Festival in 1958.
"Star"
Feature films about the 1941-1945 war are always filled with some kind of entertainment, and many moments simply do not correspond to reality. So, in the film "Star", shot on the story of Kazakevich, the ending is very different from what happened in reality. All the characters in the film had prototypes in life.
"Star" is the call sign of a reconnaissance group that conducts operations behind enemy lines. At first everything goes according to plan, but soon they are discovered and the pursuit begins. Scouts hide in the attic of an old barn, but even here the Germans find them. Help is late, the Nazis set fire to the barn, there is no way out ...
In reality, the prototype group survived by completing the mission.
The best films about the war should touch the soul of the viewer, despite some inaccuracies. In fact, they are even imperceptible. Stunningly true play of actors, dramatic history and competent work of the film crew made this film incredibly piercing.
"Schindler's list"
Of course, this is one of the most heartbreaking films affecting military subjects. And the story is very unusual, because the main character and savior in it was a member of the NSDAP, industrialist Oscar Schindler.
Films about the Second World War usually include scenes of a battle-like nature, but this picture is about another. The Holocaust is one of the most tragic pages in the history of mankind, and we all must thank God that there was a man like Schindler who saved hundreds of people from imminent death.
Oscar is a very entrepreneurial businessman who in 1939 opened production in Krakow. As workers, he hires Jews from the ghetto, and takes the accountant Yitzhak Stern as his assistant.
Thanks to Schindler, 1,200 Jews survived, including women and children.
The motion picture collected all conceivable and inconceivable awards, including the Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes.
"Life is Beautiful"
This 1997 Italian tragicomedy also tells of the difficult fate of the Jews who ended up in a concentration camp. The plot focuses on the young Italian Guido and his son JosuƩ, who is too small to die. Father presents everything that happens as a game in which certain rules must be observed in order to win a tank.
After the liberation of the camp, JosuƩ reunites with his mother, and Guido sacrifices his life for his son.
The best war films are highly regarded at various film festivals. The painting "Life is Beautiful" won the main prize in Cannes, as well as the American Oscar.
"Pearl Harbor"
Of course, the relations of people come to the fore in this military melodrama . We are talking about Evelyn, a nurse serving in Pearl Harbor, and two fellow pilot Rafe and Danny.
The first falls in love with Evelyn at first sight, and his feelings are mutual. However, he flies to England to fulfill his duty. And soon the news of his death comes from there. Evelyn and Danny find solace in each other's company. They are very close. And then, like a bolt from the blue, Rafe appears. He survived!
Perhaps this film would have remained a banal melodrama, if not for the attack by Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor base. Friends forgive each other for a common purpose.
The best films about the war are most often shot based on either works or real life stories. Danny and Rafe also had prototypes, but one of them was unsatisfied with this film work, which distorted many circumstances of his life.
It is interesting that some planes for the film were built in Russia at the Orenburg plant. Some Russian films about the war were also filmed with similar props.
"Save Private Ryan"
Steven Spielbergās film, released in 1998 and collected five Oscars.
The action takes place in 1944 in Normandy. During the landing, two Ryan brothers die in battle, and somewhere in the Pacific Ocean a third brother. The command decides to send the only living Ryan home to his mother to alleviate her suffering.
But his whereabouts are not exactly known ... Therefore, commander John Miller recruits a group and sets off in search of a soldier. There will be many obstacles in their way, but the order is above all. Miller finds Ryan, but the latter refuses to leave the army and his friends before the attack, and then Millerās group enters the fray. At the cost of their lives, they manage to survive, and Ryan returns to his mother.
War Documentary
Any event these days is echoed in the media, especially if it is military action. Documentary is designed to show without embellishment how the situation actually stood or stood.
Of course, so many tragic conflicts have happened during the existence of mankind that they canāt even be listed in one article. Therefore, we will only touch upon documentaries about the war of 1939-1945.
- "Peace in the war", 1974. The picture contains eyewitness accounts, chronicles of events from twenty participating countries. The viewer can see the actual frames on which there is Hitler, listen to the memoirs of veterans.
- "Apocalypse: World War II", 2009. The National Geographic project, which also shows unique footage of the chronicle, battle scenes.
- "The Great Battle - Kursk Bulge", 2003. A film about a turning point in the entire war.
Such works are designed to explain to humanity that life is beautiful and war is the worst fate, bringing only grief and suffering.