IntroduCtIon xi
to produce a book that is broadly representative of the genre in all its variety and
complexity.
As for se lection criteria, the two main guiding princi ples established from the
outset is that (1) all the se lections be full- length, sound- era fiction films made
between 1930 and the pres ent and (2) that each film be widely recognized as a
superior example of the genre, not necessarily in terms of technical quality (though
that’s an impor tant criteria), but in terms of a meaningful and emotionally com-
pelling narrative. I’ve excluded war- related tele vi sion docudrama mini- series
(e.g., Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers) and/or documentaries and documentary
miniseries (e.g., PBS’s Vietnam: A Tele vi sion History; Ken Burns’ The Civil War and
his WWII series, The War, etc.). Documentaries and miniseries are vital parts of
the cinema on war but they would require their own full- length studies. On the
other hand, I have defined the war film genre quite broadly. Contained herein are
not just ground combat films but se lections from other war movie subgenres (e.g.,
POW movies, submarine movies, aviation movies, guerilla war movies, homefront
movies, Holocaust movies, etc.) that treat war from a variety of perspectives and
include an array of national cinemas— mostly United States, but also films from the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Rus sia, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands,
Poland, and Finland. More than half of these war films deal with the Second World
War— a skewed list to be sure— but justifiable because WWII was the largest and
bloodiest armed conflict in human history. As such, it has spawned the lion’s share
of notable war films.
Format
Each film entry is divided into six parts. The first part, “Synopsis,” provides a cap-
sule description of the film. The second part, “Background,” focuses on the cre-
ative genesis and development of the film. If based in history, a brief outline of the
historical event is also included. Script writing, funding, casting, and other aspects
of the pre- production pro cess are also often considered. The third part of the entry,
“Production,” deals with the circumstances surrounding principal photography
(i.e., where, when, and how the film was shot). The “Plot Summary” provides a detailed
plot summary and identifies the main actors and their characters in the film. The
fifth part, “Reception,” provides release dates, box office information, awards, and
an overview of the critical response. The sixth part, “Reel History Versus Real His-
tory,” discusses the film’s degree of historical accuracy in treating the specific mili-
tary event it was based upon, or more generally, the war in which the film is set.
Does Historical Accuracy Matter in War Movies?
Regarding war films that purport to convey real history, the answer is yes, it does
matter. Historical literacy is abysmal in the United States and almost equally poor
the world over. Most people do not read history books; they get what little histori-
cal awareness they have through movies and, to a lesser extent, through tele vi sion
and the Internet. That being the case, war movies referencing real wars (or firmly
rooted in the history of real battles and campaigns) will be the only means through