Tag Archives: wwii

Windtalkers

IMDB Rating: 5.80
10912 votes

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Storyline
In the close quarters and brutal fighting of the World War II Pacific Theater, the U.S. Intelligence services desperately seek a fool-proof encryption code, immune to the code breakers of the Japanese. The answer is soon discovered in the ancient language of the Navajo. Enlisted into the Marine Corps are several "Windtalkers" who are deployed to frontline areas in the Pacific, to use their language as an impossible-to-crack secret code. A drawback, however, is that the U.S. military soon puts forth a directive that the Windtalkers must never be captured alive by the enemy, so additional Marines are assigned to make certian that this directive is carried out to the letter.
Actors
Sergeant Joe EndersNicolas Cage
Private Ben YahzeeAdam Beach
Gunnery Sergeant HjelmstadPeter Stormare

The Pianist

IMDB Rating: 8.50
39269 votes

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Storyline
The true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman who, in the 1930s, was known as the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland, if not Europe. At the outbreak of the Second World War, however, Szpilman becomes subject to the anti-Jewish laws imposed by the conquering Germans. By the start of the 1940s, Szpilman has seen his world go from piano concert halls to the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw and then must suffer the tragedy of his family deported to a death camp, while Szpilman is conscripted into a forced German Labor Compound. At last deciding to escape, Szpilman goes into hiding as a Jewish refugee where he is witness to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and the Warsaw City Revolt in August/October 1944.
Actors
Wladyslaw SzpilmanAdrien Brody
Captain Wilm Hosenfeld
FatherFrank Finlay

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

IMDB Rating: 5.70
8120 votes

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Storyline
The idyllic beauty of Greece's Mediterranean coast has been invaded by Italy, bringing legions of soldiers to the once tranquil island of Cephallonia. Captain Antonio Corelli, an officer with an irrepressibly jovial personality and passion for the mandolin, initially alienates a number of the villagers, including Pelagia. The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier's behavior, she slowly warms to his certain charms as they are forced to share her father's home. When Pelagia's fiancee, a local fisherman, heads off to war, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows even stronger. Her beauty and intelligence have captured his heart, and his fondness for the village's vibrant community causes him to question his reasons for fighting. Antonio becomes a part of the lives of the villagers, but the moment is fleeting. As the war grows ever closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiance to their countries and the love they feel for one another-a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies eternal devotion.
Actors
Captain Antonio CorelliNicolas Cage
PelagiaPenélope Cruz
Dr. IannisJohn Hurt

The Believer

IMDB Rating: 7.30
5611 votes

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Storyline
"The Believer" explores a Jewish student's private journey to understand the meaning of Judaism in his life. Set in New York City, the Plot follows a morally confused young adult struggling with the conflict between his beliefs and his heritage. "The Believer" examines themes of religion, family, and self-loathing. It is a psychological examination into the forces of intolerance, both on the individual and society as a whole.
Actors
Danny BalintRyan Gosling
Carla MoebiusSummer Phoenix
Lina MoebiusTheresa Russell

Pearl Harbor

IMDB Rating: 5.30
52048 votes

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Storyline
The above summaries do a great job of describing the dynamics of the love triangle that develops between the two pilots that fall in love with the same nurse. The movie also does a credible job of displaying the war from the American side with FDR and our side. It also shows the strategy of Japan as they plan for and execute all facets of the attack on Pearl Harbor. While all details may not be historically correct, I believe that they do the job well - all things considered. Historic events that were altered were probably done so in an attempt to also make this movie the entertaining epic that it is.
Actors
Capt. Rafe McCawleyBen Affleck
Capt. Danny WalkerJosh Hartnett
Nurse Lt. Evelyn JohnsonKate Beckinsale

Enemy at the Gates

IMDB Rating: 7.30
30850 votes

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Storyline
During the WWII battle of Stalingrad, two snipers, a Russian (Law), and a German (Harris), are locked in a battle of wills and marksmenship, while the Russian is boosted to the status of hero by a political official (Fiennes).
Actors
Vassili ZaitsevJude Law
Maj. KönigEd Harris
Tania ChernovaRachel Weisz

U-571

IMDB Rating: 6.40
21464 votes

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Storyline
In the midst of World War II, the battle below the seas rages. The Nazi's have the upper edge as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. That is, until a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, and the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'. But masquerading as Nazi's and taking over the U-boat is the smallest of their problems. The action really begins when they get stranded on the U-boat.
Actors
Lt. Andrew Tyler, Executive OfficerMatthew McConaughey
Lt. Cmdr. Mike DahlgrenBill Paxton
CPO Henry KloughHarvey Keitel

The Thin Red Line

IMDB Rating: 7.20
29413 votes

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Storyline
In World War II, the outcome of the battle of Guadalcanal will strongly influence the Japanese's advance into the pacific. A group of young soldiers is brought in as a relief for the battle-weary Marine units. The exhausting fight for a key-positioned airfield that allows control over a 1000-mile radius puts the men of the Army Rifle company C-for-Charlie through hell. The horrors of war forms the soldiers into a tight-knit group, their emotions develop into bonds of love and even family. The reasons for this war get further away as the world for the men gets smaller and smaller until their fighting is for mere survival and the life of the other men with them.
Actors
First Sergeant Edward WelshSean Penn
Corporal FifeAdrien Brody
Private WittJames Caviezel

The English Patient

IMDB Rating: 7.10
27970 votes

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Storyline
Beginning in the 1930's, "The English Patient" tells the story of Count Almasy who is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almasy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics that is later revealed in a series of flashbacks while Almasy is on his death bed after being horribly burned in a plane crash.
Actors
Count Laszlo de AlmásyRalph Fiennes
HanaJuliette Binoche
David CaravaggioWillem Dafoe

The Last Emperor

IMDB Rating: 7.80
14067 votes

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Storyline
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
Actors
Pu Yi (Adult)John Lone
Wan JungJoan Chen
Reginald Johnston (R.J.)Peter O'Toole