Foreign WWII Movies Worth A Damn Trifecta

City of Life and Death takes place in 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The Imperial Japanese Army has just captured the then-capital of the Republic of China, Nanjing. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a period of several weeks where over two-hundred thousand Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed and an estimated 20,000 chinese girls and women of all ages were raped.

Shot predominantly in Black and White with English Subtitles, this is an epic WW2 Movie that needed to be made to chronicle one of the worst wartime massacres of the 20th century.

You can watch City of Life and Death for free HERE

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Just when you thought you had seen all the worthwhile Foreign WW2 Movies, one pops up that surprises you.

This one comes out of Italy and chronicles the life of a young Italian infantry solider on the front in North Africa in 1942.

A poignant, thoughtful war movie that shows both the human and absurd side of war.

On the one hand, the Italian soldiers on the front lines were made to starve and die of thirst because the Italian High Command were sending boot polish and horses for the “triumphant entry into Alexandria” instead of sending bullets, water, medicine, replacements and rations to run Montgomery out of North Africa!

Read the full Movie Summary HERE.

For all you fellow World War Two historians, here is a LIST of the weapons shown in the movie.

El Alamein – The Line of Fire  can be seen HERE.

(Italian with English Subs)

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A harrowing tale of survival in Post World War Two Poland.

The story centers on Rose, a Masurian woman, whose husband, a German soldier, was killed in the war, leaving her alone on their farm. A single woman had no defense against Russian soldiers who raped as a form of revenge, nor against plundering Poles who found themselves in desperate straits. The law of the jungle had replaced the rule of law. Help arrives for Rose in the form of Tadeusz, a former officer in the Polish Home Army who survived the Warsaw uprising and is attempting to hide his identity.

This is a gritty, realistic story of how the Soviet’s raped and plundered all across Eastern Europe after World War Two.

Few historians will admit that this is exactly what Hitler was trying to stop in invading Russia in 1941.

You can watch Rose on Amazon Prime.

 

Foreign War Movies Worth a Damn: The Eight Hundred (2020)

During the early days of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and on a greater scale World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Shanghai in what became known as the Battle of Shanghai. After holding back the Japanese for over 3 months, and suffering heavy losses, the Chinese army was forced to retreat due to the danger of being encircled. Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan of the 524th Regiment of the under-equipped 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, led 452 young officers and soldiers to defend Sihang Warehouse against the 3rd Imperial Japanese Division consisting of around 20,000 troops on a heroic suicidal last stand against the Japanese under an order by Generalissimo of Nationalist China, Chiang Kai-shek. The decision was made to provide a morale boost to the Chinese people after the losses of Beijing and Shanghai, and helped spur support from the Western powers, who were in full view of the battle from the International Settlement in Shanghai just across the Suzhou Creek.

This movie is based on an earlier film from 1975 called The Eight Hundred Heroes.

 

The Best War Films You Have Never Seen

THE BEST WAR FILMS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN

 

This is a good starter list.

If you want to dive a little deeper however, here are some realistic foreign war movies (w/english subtitles) definitely worth your time:

 

1. Fortress of War (2010)

2. Assembly (2007)

3. Back to 1942 (2012)

4. The East (2020)

5. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (2021)

6. Dara of Jasenovac (2020)

7. 1944 (2015)

8. Land of Mine (2015)

9. Katyn (2007)

10. As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me (2001)

 

Finland Winter/Continuation War Movie Recommendations

 

Since my post on The Winter War I got to thinking about a couple of movies that are definitely worth watching on the subject of Finland’s fight against Communism and true independence in the 20th Century.

FYI: As is the case with finding QUALITY movies lately, both of these are foreign productions made out of the sphere of Hollyweird and are subtitled in English.

 

Talvisota (The Winter War)

Set during the early days of World War 2. After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Russia attacked Finland in November 1939. Finnish reservists leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on two farmers from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Ostrobothnia, brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala, serving in a Finnish platoon. Released in 1989.

 

 

Tuntematon Sotilas (Unknown Soldier)

Unknown Soldier tells the largely-ignored story of The Continuation War, a massive conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1941-1944.

Probably the most realistic depiction of WW2-era infantry combat ever filmed.

A film adaptation of Väinö Linna’s best selling novel The Unknown Soldier (1954) and the novel’s unedited manuscript version, Sotaromaani.

June, 1941: Trapped between two repressive regimes, Finland has little choice but to ally itself with Nazi Germany against its traditional foe, although it manages to remain a democracy throughout. Virtually unknown in the WW ll arena, a brutal war against Soviet occupation takes place in the Far North. As the men of a Finnish infantry unit march through the forests of Karelia to regain territory lost to Russia in the Winter War of 1939, each of them soon realizes the horror and pointlessness of war. Except for their officers, more concerned about medals and personal glory than the lives of their men. A diverse group of men, all at odds with how they see themselves, each other, and the common cause–yet they are strengthened by a growing bond of camaraderie to each other and their loved ones. After huge personal sacrifice and a prolonged trench war, the outcome is inevitable, ending with a ceasefire in September 1944.

Joe Galloway – Ia Drang Valley

PROFILES IN COURAGE

Joe died last year at the age of 79.

Joseph Galloway was a civilian reporter at the Battle of Ia Drang. He co-authored the book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young with Hal Moore. The book was later adapted into the 2002 film We Were Soldiers. Although he was a civilian, Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star medal for helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the battle. He is most recently the co-author of the 2020 book They Were Soldiers: The Sacrifices and Contributions of Our Vietnam Veterans with Marvin J. Wolf.

This interview was recorded in November 2015.

Watch We Were Soldiers

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