Memorial Day Films

It's Memorial Day here. That is the day countries (I think every country has that holiday in some form or another) pay tribute to those soldiers who died in wars in which their country was engaged. There are services at cemeteries for those killed in combat, it's a holiday for government workers, there are recreational activities that involve summer (Memorial Day is considered the first day of summer) and the TV networks show their best and worst "war films" that involve military achievements by the nation.

Wars are always a tragedy and very expensive (the most expensive war in U.S. history was W.W.II). They rarely end well for the "victor" and often the country that loses receives so much assistance from the victory in rebuilding that it winds up with an improved economy and government. Still, wars are never a good thing for the civilian population, which rarely is portrayed in those shoot-up action war films Hollywood  likes to make. Perhaps the best war film ever made was the 1946 classic, 'The Best Years of Our Lives'.

That film had no battle scene, for it centered on how soldiers coming home tied to deal with the many problems after they returned to civilian life after W.W.II. Here is a clip of Harold Russell (He won an Academy award for his portrayal in the film) one of the actors, a real soldier who lost his hands in a battle during the war and who was recruited by the producer to be featured in the film as a character who is forever changed by the loss. This film reminds us that war is not the silly action films we see made about it, but a human tragedy to be avoided at all cost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLDBiSPKgKI

I think people have different reactions to war films. Some hate the and will not watch, others are fascinated by them, some only watch certain types and still others are indifferent. I fall in the certain type classification. I do not like the blood and guts Stallone war film genre. The ones I will watch are the mote realistic ones that deal with one or more issues of was, either for the soldiers or the civilians. Here is a short list of my favorite ones, in no certain order, besides 'The Best Year's of our Lives'.

* Saving Private Ryan ( 1998)- a realistic look at the horrors of combat
* The Dirty Dozen (1967) A silly unrealistic film loaded with stars who hammed it up and made it a fun watch.
* Schindler’s List ( 1993)- Shows in graphic and realistic format the Nazi Holocaust
* Full Metal Jacket ( 1987)- I hated the second half of the film, the combat portion. But the first half depiction of boot camp is dead on target
* All Quiet on the Western Front ( 1930) - Maybe the best. A look at the horror of World War I, this time, from a German perspective. The ending is shocking and realistic
* The Longest Day (1962)- An all-star re-creation of the D-Day invasion with the dialect in both German and English, the original locations were utilized, and an all-star international cast impersonates the people involved, from high ranking officials to ordinary GIs. Each actor speaks in his or her native language with subtitles.  At 3 hours long it is also a candidate for "longest film'".

That's it. There are many war films I have not seen, given I am not a fan of movies. So this is just one perspective of the Hollywood view of war. May your day be a peaceful one!