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Top Picks: Military-Themed Movies on Video/DVD
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I feel that movies about military life can be among the most dramatic of all films and can reveal much about the human condition as it is framed by politics and society. To honor all veterans of the U.S. armed forces, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite military-themed movies available on video/DVD.
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1) "Saving Private Ryan" (1998)
In Steven Spielberg’s tribute to the American citizen soldier of World War II, an elderly man visits a military cemetery in Normandy and his memories drift back to June 6, 1944. Then, in the greatest combat sequences I know of, the film shows the massive D-Day landing. After surviving the landing, Captain Miller is assigned the task of leading a half-dozen men on a public relations mission to rescue a Private Ryan, whose three brothers have already been killed in combat.
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2) "Platoon" (1986)
"Platoon" is a violent, dizzying, disorienting, brutally realistic depiction of the horror of war. The film’s narrator, Private Chris Taylor, is a patriotic young man who volunteered to fight in the Vietnamese War, but everything he knew and believed in before coming to Vietnam is challenged. Much of the film’s power comes from the audience experiencing the war from a grunt’s point of view. I feel that this is Oliver Stone’s most personal and moving film.
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3) "From Here to Eternity" (1953)
This is a powerful portrait of Army life for American soldiers stationed in Hawaii on the eve of World War II. I love this film’s tale of the talented misfit who is accidentally killed by the organization he loves. There’s also a terrific pair of stories about doomed love, including the scene where waves break over Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr as they embrace on the beach. The Japanese attack on Oahu on December 7, 1941, leads to a dramatic and moving ending.
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4) "Glory" (1989)
Set during the U.S. Civil War, this is the tale of the 54th Infantry Regiment, a unit made up of black enlisted men. Eventually overcoming doubts about their combat readiness, the 54th leads a larger force against a Confederate fort near Charleston, and the regiment’s discipline and bravery pave the way for 180,000 blacks to serve in the Union army. I especially like the performances in this movie, particularly those of Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.
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5) "Gettysburg" (1993)
This four-and-one-half-hour Civil War epic chronicles the 1863 battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in which 50,000 Americans were killed or wounded. Starring Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Jeff Daniels, the film was shot at Gettysburg National Park using thousands of Civil War reenactment enthusiasts. The movie gains in power as it goes along, and it deepened my appreciation of a defining moment in American history.
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6) "Sergeant York" (1941)
Gary Cooper portrays the title character in this biopic about America’s best-known World War I hero. York, a pacifist from backwoods Tennessee, requests conscientious objector status, but his request is denied. Thrust into combat, York sees many of his fellow soldiers killed, and he fights valiantly to try to save the rest. One of my favorite lines is when York says stoically: "What we done in France was sump’m we had to do. Some fellas that done it ain’t a-comin’ back."
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