Wartime Epics?

[filkertom]

A new Harris poll says that the most popular films of all time include SF epics and war movies.

The "war" movies they cite are Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, and The Sound of Music.

None of which I think of as "war" movies.

I mean, yeah, they've all got wars as backdrops, even as primary motivators... but they're all character pieces, romances even. To me, it's like saying Raiders of the Lost Ark is a war movie. The Lord of the Rings is definitely a war movie in its way, although I'd be loathe to sell it as one.

Discuss. And, if you like, name your favorite war movies. Mine would definitely be Patton.

Comments

[sdelmonte]

I would call Casablanca a war movie because everything in that film is about the battle between the Allies and the Nazis. And maybe because it was made and released as part of the Hollywood war effort. But can see your point that it's certainly not a war film in the sense of depicting battle and military life.

Bridge on the River Kwai is my choice as greatest film ever, so it would of course be my choice as greatest war film, even if it takes an unconventional approach to war. Patton, The Great Escape and Glory are also high on my list.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I definitely see what you're saying. I see it as every event in the movie is colored by the war, but it's not actually depicting the war. It may be a spy movie; on one level, Victor Laszlo is more of a Secret Weapon than a person, and the weapon has to be smuggled out. It gets more complicated because he's also a person, and Ilsa loves him, if not as much as she loves Rick.