LogFAQs > #965529196

I hope the war list doesn't end up too 'samey'. It's important to pick a variety of countries, decades, and scenarios, or else you end up with a bunch of Americanized 'war hero overcomes the odds' and 'war is bad' in every single movie, which would get repetitive if you are marathonning them. I know you are aiming for all the most famous ones, but all the most famous will end up repetitive. There are still a ton of famous films that fit the category.

Some that were only mentioned once or not at all that would freshen up a list include:

The General (1926) - One of the most famous silent films of all time, featuring the biggest star of the era. The budget was huge, and it was a mix of genres.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - The most famous straight up war film for many many years after its release.
The Great Dictator (1940) - Charlie Chaplin comedy about war.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - One of the most famous civilian life war films.
Stalag 17 (1953) - One of the most known POW films. Directed by legend Billy Wilder.
Paths of Glory (1957) - One of Kubrick's movies, about scapegoats during war.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - Courtroom war drama.
The Great Escape (1963) - The iconic POW film.
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - One of the most well received foreign language war films. Set in a north African war setting.
MASH (1970) - The movie that started one of the most successful TV shows.
Johnny Got His Gun (1971) - A guy who wakes up after getting shelled with no arms, legs, eyes, tongue, or hearing. It inspired Metallica's One.
Das Boot (1981) - Claustrophobic German submarine film.
Come and See (1985) - One of the most famous foreign war films of all time. Soviet setting.
When the Wind Blows (1986) - Animated film about an old couple attempting to survive the potential for a nuclear war.
Men Behind the Sun (1988) - One of the most infamous exploitation films. About medical experiments on prisoners.
Incendies (2010) - More skewed toward drama, it's still a war film, and the movie that put Denis Villeneuve on the map.
Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020) - About the often overlooked Bosnia war in the 1990s, and the UN's notorious fuckups.

It also depends on what are you aiming for with "war movies". Does it actually require them to all be about soldiers marching into a fight? Or can war movie be about civilians dealing with wartime without actually fighting? I think seeing all sides of a war can make it more interesting.