After the end of World War II, war films saw a massive boom as the accounts of battlefield heroics began to emerge. In the 1950s, the industry became obsessed with the genre, as well over 200 films were produced over the decade. A lot of those films have now become classics with some even being considered historically significant. Here are the best war films of the 1950s.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Malta Story (1953)
United Artists
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory is one of the best Stanley Kubrick films and a great anti-war film. The 1957 movie is set during World War I and stars Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, and Adolphe Menjou. The film is about a group of French soldiers who refuse to continue on a suicide mission. Although Paths of Glory did not receive any Academy Award nominations, it did receive a British Academy Film Awards nomination for Best Film, ultimately losing to The Bridge on the River Kwai. However, it’s today considered one of the best war films of all time.
7 From Here to Eternity (1953)
Columbia Pictures
From Here to Eternity is a great romance war film starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Deborah Kerr. The 1953 film was directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on James Jones’ 1951 novel about three U.S. soldiers who are stationed in Hawaii and the three months leading up to Pearl Harbor. This film also features one of the most iconic movie kisses of all time. From Here to Eternity was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning eight including Best Picture.
6 Dunkirk (1958)
MGM
5 The Steel Helmet (1951)
Lippert Pictures
The Steel Helmet was written, directed, and produced by Samuel Fuller. The 1951 film was the first American film to come out about the Korean War (the Korean War ended in 1953) and the first of many war films by Fuller, including Merrill’s Marauders and The Big Red One. The Steel Helmet has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score and is highly praised, especially for Fuller’s directing.
4 Flying Leathernecks (1951)
RKO Radio Pictures
Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 film directed by the iconic Nicholas Ray and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The film is about a unit of World War II U.S. Marine Corps aviators who receive a new strict commander (Wayne), who is determined to get the unit battle ready. The film features footage of aerial combat blended with studio shots which gives the film an authentic feel.
3 The Caine Mutiny (1954)
The Caine Mutiny is probably one of Humphrey Bogart’s best movies. The 1954 film is based on Herman Wouk’s 1951 Pulitzer Prizing-winning novel about a mutiny on a fictitious U.S. Naval destroyer and the court-martial hearing that followed. The Caine Mutiny was directed by Edward Dmytryk and was well-received by critics, becoming the second-highest-grossing U.S. film in 1954.
2 Operation Pacific (1951)
Warner Bros.
Operation Pacific is a World War II submarine drama, written and directed by George Waggner. The 1951 film stars John Wayne, who is terrific as submarine officer Duke Gifford whose crew, the “Thunderfish,” are attacked by the Japanese during a rescue mission. Due to the fact much of Operation Pacific is set aboard a submarine, the film had World War II Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, who was a commander of submarine forces in the Pacific theater as a technical advisor.
1 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai is an adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s 1952 novel and was directed by David Lean (the visual genius behind Lawrence of Arabia). The 1957 film is about British POWs in a Japanese camp that are ordered to build a strategically important bridge and stars William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. The Bridge on the River Kwai is considered one of the best World War II films ever made and went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations and won seven of them including Best Picture and Best Actor for Alec Guinness’s role as Lt. Colonel Nicholson. The Bridge on the River Kwai is currently streaming on HBO Max.
