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Anti-War Film

A type of war film in which battle, jingoistic politicians and/or the military is presented or attacked critically. The general theme of these cinematic statements is war is hell, often supported by focusing on the unnecessary loss of life, tragedy and social damage caused by war. Approaches and tone vary, from melodrama mixed with action, to sermonizing, to satire and black comedy, but the purpose of showing viewers the horrors and stupidity of war is always consistent. However, rarely do these films offer any political solutions nor have they ever stopped countries from going to battle, and instead they seek empathy, sympathy and anger from audiences. Usually anti-war films take place during wars, on the field of battle where the carnage, chaos and insanity of the act is dramatized -- often with a blend of slow motion, handheld cameras, graphic gore, and a swelling musical score. Early examples that were forced to tone down visual violence include I Accuse, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Road to Glory, and the French masterpiece, Grand Illusion. Following World War II, graphic violence became more prevalent in films like Paths of Glory, Fixed Bayonets, King and Country and, later, Breaker Morant and Come and See, giving the anti-war film stronger touches of realism. Perhaps the largest rush of anti-war films came during and after the Vietnam War. In addition to presenting the horrors of battle, these films also took place post-war, opting to focus on the psychological scars left on the returning soldiers and their families. Examples include Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Johnny Got His Gun, a film made about a World War I veteran but released in 1971 as a direct comment on the loss of life in Vietnam. The other tactic used in this subgenre is vicious satire, in which black comedy is used to attack the insanity, red tape and political games of government officials at work behind the conflict. Prime models are Dr. Strangelove, M.A.S.H., Oh! What a Lovely War and How I Won the War.

Major Works
Rating
Year
 Title
 
 Director
  9 Stars 1970 MASH   Robert Altman
  9 Stars 1964 Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb   Stanley Kubrick
  9 Stars 1940 The Great Dictator   Charles Chaplin
  9 Stars 1937 Grand Illusion   Jean Renoir
  9 Stars 1978 The Deer Hunter   Michael Cimino
  9 Stars 1979 Apocalypse Now   Francis Ford Coppola
  9 Stars 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front   Lewis Milestone
  8 Stars 1998 The Thin Red Line   Terrence Malick
  8 Stars 1995 Underground   Emir Kusturica
  8 Stars 1994 Before the Rain   Milcho Manchevski
  8 Stars 1956 The Burmese Harp   Kon Ichikawa
  8 Stars 1986 Platoon   Oliver Stone
  8 Stars 1957 Paths of Glory   Stanley Kubrick
  8 Stars 1981 Gallipoli   Peter Weir
  8 Stars 1952 Forbidden Games   René Clément
  8 Stars 1959 Fires on the Plain   Kon Ichikawa
  8 Stars 1978 Coming Home   Hal Ashby
  8 Stars 1980 Breaker Morant   Bruce Beresford
    8 Stars 1925 The Big Parade   King Vidor
  7 Stars 1996 Kavkazsky Plennik   Sergei Bodrov
    7 Stars 1930 Westfront 1918   G.W. Pabst
    7 Stars 1951 The Steel Helmet   Samuel Fuller
  7 Stars 1972 Slaughterhouse Five   George Roy Hill
  7 Stars 1992 A Midnight Clear   Keith Gordon
    7 Stars 1937 J'accuse   Abel Gance
  7 Stars 1979 Hair   Milos Forman
  7 Stars 1987 Full Metal Jacket   Stanley Kubrick
  6 Stars 1983 Streamers   Robert Altman
  6 Stars 1967 How I Won the War   Richard Lester
  6 Stars 1989 Casualties of War   Brian De Palma
  6 Stars 1989 Born on the Fourth of July   Oliver Stone
  5 Stars 1992 Stalingrad   Joseph Vilsmaier
    5 Stars 1926 What Price Glory?   Raoul Walsh
  5 Stars 1958 A Time to Love and a Time to Die   Douglas Sirk
  5 Stars 1962 Hell Is for Heroes   Don Siegel
    5 Stars 1916 Civilization   Walter Edwards
    4 Stars 1936 The Road to Glory   Howard Hawks
  4 Stars 1987 Hamburger Hill   John Irvin
  4 Stars 1987 Gardens of Stone   Francis Ford Coppola
  3 Stars 1971 Johnny Got His Gun   Dalton Trumbo
 
 
 
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