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On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy, France and forever changing the course of World War II and world history. Today is the 72nd anniversary of that day, when over 4,000 Allied troops were killed and between 4,000 and 9,000 German soldiers were killed.
Cinema has long been fascinated with D-Day and the events of World War II, both in Europe and the Pacific theater. Of course, during the war, Hollywood and other film centers mobilized their stars and talent behind the camera to make films about it.
To this day, films about the war and all wars are made and many are available to stream. Unfortunately, you have to buy or rent Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line, so we’re looking at all great war films that are readily available right now. These are movies available if you have Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime subscriptions. When watching some war movies, you are often reminded of the human cost of fighting, no matter what the cause.
The first six picks are World War II movies and there are four additional great war movies you can stream with a subscription.
The Longest Day
Producer Daryl F. Zanuck’s The Longest Day (1962) is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon. The three-hour film is an incredible, detailed oriented look at the Normandy landings and the list of stars is dizzying. John Wayne, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowall, Robert Mitchum, Edmund O’Brien, Sal Mineo, George Segal and Robert Ryan are all in the cast. And there is a young Sean Connery in there as well. True, the film might not be as visceral or violent as Saving Private Ryan, but it’s a fascinating look at how D-Day came together.
Twelve O’Clock High
Twelve O’Clock High (1949), directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck, is a fascinating look at the psyche of pilots. What’s even more fascinating about the film is that it was made just a few years after the war ended. Even Peck’s character isn’t immune to the intense pressures of war. The film is available on Netflix and Amazon.
Ken Burns’ The War
While this isn’t technically a movie, Ken Burns’ TV documentaries are cinematic in nature. The War is, just like Burns’ seminal The Civil War, puts audiences in the shows of the average soldier. We’ve all heard stories about how great Eisenhower and Patton were, but Burns focuses on the soldier and how their families were impacted by war. It’s available on Netflix and Amazon.
Rome Open City
Heading back to World War II, Rome Open City is the neorealist masterpiece by Roberto Rossellini that began the great director’s war trilogy. It’s available to stream on Hulu Plus, where you can also find Paisan and Germany Year Zero.
In Which We Serve
Although David Lean is best known for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, neither of those are available to stream with a subscription. So, I’m including his directing debut, In Which We Serve, which is available on Amazon. Directed with Noel Coward, the film was made during World War II and focuses on British sailors. (Although the film was also released by the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray, you can watch the complete film on YouTube.)
Night And Fog
The Holocaust cannot be forgotten, especially when films like Alain Resnais’ truly legendary short film Night and Fog exists. In just 20 minutes, Resnais takes audiences to the concentration camps and exposes their horror and the human lives lost there. It is available to stream on Hulu Plus.
Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick’s take on the Vietnam War is available to stream on Netflix and it’s a must-see for anyone who has somehow avoided it. Yes, the film’s training first half is the movie’s most famous sequence. However, the second half, which puts those characters in the battlefield, is trademark Kubrick. The film is similar to Kubrick’s earlier war masterpiece, Paths of Glory, which was set during World War I. It’s as if Kubrick is telling us that war is hell, no matter where or when it is.
Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam classic is available on Hulu Plus and Amazon. Not much more can be said about the film other than that it just has to be seen to be believed. It’s a meditation on the cost of war and a look into the heart of darkness. (It’s actually based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.)
The Steel Helmet
Directed by Samuel Fuller very early in his career, The Steel Helmet follows a squad during the Korean War. Considering the film has no familiar faces or big stars, it makes the film feel even more realistic today. We have no preconceived notions of how these actors should act, so we can believe that they are just soldiers. This is available on Hulu Plus.
Platoon
Since Platoon is available to stream on Amazon Prime, it would be hard to justify not including it here. Oliver Stone’s Best Picture winner is a bit like The Steel Helmet, in which the audience is asked to just follow a squad. This time though, it’s Vietnam.
Also, you can watch actual footage of D-Day below.