The movies made during the war, even the classics, emphasized patriotism. The perspective of time introduced more realism.
Wprld War II clearly inspired some of the greatest productions in the checkered history of Hollywood. The enduring classics which were back-to-back Oscar winners for 1942 and 1943 did much to tap the patriotic spirit of the American people while they entertained. The same could be said for many of the films released through the middle of 1945. By contrast, movies made about the war over the ensuing decades introduced more realism into the perception of the conflict and its consequences.
During the War
With Great Britain battling for survival for more than two years before Pearl Harbor, establishment movie producers moved cautiously in an atmosphere of isolationism. Alfred Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent" (1940) explored espionage and a taste of the war without explicitly identifying the evil forces. Charlie Chaplin's bolder independent production of "The Great Dictator" the same year was an obvious spoof of Hitler with thinly veiled aliases.
Soon after America's December 1941entry into the war, Hollywood was ready with "Flying Tigers," about Americans in air combat for China against the Japanese invaders before Pearl Harbor, and "Wake Island," about a heroic but doomed defense of another Pacific outpost. The top movie of 1942, however, chronicled the rallying of the British people against the blitz in the multiple-Oscar winning "Mrs. Miniver." By this time, isolationism was discredited and our bond with England was a keystone of war strategy.
The following year, Americans flocked to "Casablanca," which unsubtlely villified the Nazis and glorified the resistance of European conquered peoples as a backdrop to the now immortal love triangle of Rick, Ilsa, and Victor. The film was also a multiple Academy Award winner and assured superstardom for Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It grew even more into a cult classic and then an all time favorite.
There was little to cheer about on the battlefield through most of 1942 as the Axis powers continued to advance and then gave ground only at great cost. Movies in 1943, 1944, and 1945 continued to highlight the cruelty and deviousness of the Germans and Japanese while glorifying American and allied heroism and sacrifice. It was only toward the end that actual victories could be documented.
After the War
By the end of the 1940's, Hollywood producers felt comfortable enough to explore some of the complexities and unsavory sides of the war. "Command Decision" (1949) and "Twelve O'Clock High" (1950) both revealed the more and less obvious human costs of the strategic bombing campaigns against Germany and the imperfections of the decision makers. "Home of the Brave" (1949) revealed racism in the prosecution of the war.
Another step was to portray a renowned German general, Erwin Rommel, as courageous and likable in "The Desert Fox" (1951). By 1970, the attack on Pearl Harbor was being examined from both sides in "Tora, Tora, Tora" with the Japanese looking not only human but much smarter than we did.
Realism reached a new plateau with 1993's Academy Award-winning "Schindler's List," which told the true story of the rescue of over 1,000 Jews from the Nazi war machine by a German industrialist of unabashedly unsterling character. The same producer, Steven Spielberg, took on two other dilemmas by uncovering D-Day in all its gore and questioning the morality of risking many lives to preserve one in "Saving Private Ryan" (1998).
It's Not Over
It takes the magic of search engines and library catalogues to appreciate the full dimensions of film-making about World War II. There are highs and lows, but many rewards in store for movie fans.
