Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific filmmakers of the latter half of the 20th and 21st centuries. Behind amazing projects like Jaws and Jurassic Park, which changed how people talk about blockbusters and theatrical releases forever, Spielberg has also been deeply interested in stories about World War II. Spielberg’s early upbringing was colored by the impact of WWII, like most Americans during these years. This was because he was born in 1946. It makes sense that this experience colored his later projects, as many filmmakers attempt to bring large parts of their childhood to life onscreen.
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There are many great movies Spielberg produced but didn’t direct within multiple genres, but he helmed almost every film project involving World War II. In recent years, he’s continued moving into the producer role in television as well as cinema. Spielberg co-created the hit miniseries Band of Brothers with Tom Hanks, which was an enormous hit with critics and audiences. Though Spielberg hasn’t made a movie about World War II in many years, the impact of these films hasn’t faded with time, as several are some of the best stories ever brought to life about the period.
4 1941 (1979)
Spielberg’s first WWII movie that strikes a satirical tone
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7.3/10 1941 PGActionComedyWar
1941 is a war comedy directed by Steven Spielberg that depicts Los Angeles during the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as members of a misfit group of soldiers and civilians who panic over a potential Japanese invasion. 1941 explores the ensuing chaos and hijinks as the characters try to defend the city.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 14, 1979 Runtime 118 Minutes Cast Dan Aykroyd , Ned Beatty , John Belushi , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton Director Steven Spielberg Writers Robert Zemeckis , Bob Gale , John Milius
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Consistently ranked as one of Spielberg’s worst movies, 1941 is the kind of movie that most audiences don’t associate with Spielberg.1941 is satirical, using elements of slapstick comedy and featuring some of the best comedic actors of the period. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, and John Belushi as three of the major players in the story, 1941 follows a large ensemble cast and isn’t afraid to make fun of the American people, even though this was the audience base it was hoping to appeal to. The biggest issue with 1941 is that it doesn’t go far enough.
It makes sense that Spielberg made some missteps in trying to tackle both a critique of wartime extremism and the themes of a screwball comedy.
The film pokes fun at the American panic after the attack on Pearl Harbor and is in conversation with other movies about the home front in WWII. It makes sense that Spielberg made some missteps in trying to tackle both a critique of wartime extremism and the themes of a screwball comedy. However, if the filmmaker had pulled this off, it’s likely that 1941 would be much better remembered today. Regardless, it’s an interesting study to see what the director’s initial thoughts and feelings about WWII looked like onscreen. Additionally, the action sequences are still as exciting as Spielberg’s best.
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After the smashing success of movies like Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind a few years before, it makes sense that Spielberg wanted to take a risk with a more off-beat project like 1941. However, 1941 made plenty of money at the box office and was nowhere close to a career-killer for Spielberg despite the negative reception. Today, 1941 is thought of as something of a cult classic and is an example of a side of Spielberg that he rarely shows in his work, hinting at a darker, more tongue-in-cheek style seldom seen in his work again.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
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1941 (1979) |
39% |
48% |
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You are watching: Steven Spielberg’s 4 WWII Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
3 Empire Of The Sun (1987)
Christian Bale leads this coming-of-age wartime drama
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Empire of the Sun PGDramaHistoryWar
Empire of the Sun follows the story of young Jamie “Jim” Graham, played by Christian Bale, as he faces the challenges of internment in a Japanese prison camp in World War II-era China. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, the film explores Jim’s journey from a privileged British expatriate child to a resourceful and resilient survivor of the conflict.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 25, 1987 Cast Christian Bale , John Malkovich , Miranda Richardson , Nigel Havers , Joe Pantoliano , Leslie Phillips , Masatô Ibu , Emily Richard , Rupert Frazer , Peter Gale , Takatarô Kataoka , Ben Stiller Director Steven Spielberg Writers Tom Stoppard , J.G. Ballard , Menno Meyjes
A young Christian Bale stars in Empire of the Sun alongside John Malkovich as Jim and Basie, two expatriates living in Shanghai when the Japanese invasion of China commences. Though he’s just a child, the story revolves around Jim and his ingenuity, allowing him to survive the horrors of being separated from his parents, living in an internment camp, and seeing his friends die around him. It’s clear from the start that Bale is a unique talent, as, despite his youth, the actor already demonstrates a complex understanding of his character. He tackles the heightened coming-of-age story with determination.
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Each of Spielberg’s works tackles a different part of the world and is told from the perspective of unique characters trying to overcome their impossible situations. Though Empire of the Sun is far from one of Spielberg’s biggest hits, it was ahead of its time in looking at one of the smaller, more intimate stories within the larger impact of such a devastating conflict. While there are many movies that touch upon the experience of children during war, Empire of the Sun puts an adventurous twist on the story, which confuses the tone from time to time.
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Though Empire of the Sun isn’t afraid to be bleak, it’s easy to find some fault in how determined Jim and the narrative are to find silver linings whenever possible. Spielberg’s reputation as a director who makes family-oriented movies can sometimes cloud his attempts to tackle more complex subject matter. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Empire of the Sun is a moving, emotional story. Despite this, it’s clear that Spielberg was looking at the narrative through a different lens than some of his darker additions to the WWII oeuvre, which pushed its characters to their limits.
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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
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Empire of the Sun (1987) |
77% |
90% |
2 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Tom Hanks and Spielberg began their longtime partnership on this historical film
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24 9.5/10 Saving Private Ryan RWarDrama
Tom Hanks stars as Captain John Miller in Steven Spielberg’s 1998 WWII film. Saving Private Ryan tells the story of Miller’s command of a company of soldiers who risk their lives in an attempt to extricate Private James Ryan from the fighting in Europe, in order to spare his family from losing all of their sons after Ryan’s brothers are killed in the war. Matt Damon, Edward Burns, and Tom Sizemore also star.
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*Availability in US Release Date July 24, 1998 Runtime 169 minutes Cast Tom Sizemore , Adam Goldberg , Vin Diesel , Tom Hanks , Edward Burns , Matt Damon Director Steven Spielberg Writers Robert Rodat Studio(s) DreamWorks Distribution Expand
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Not just a movie about World War II but a true war movie, Saving Private Ryan marks the first collaboration between Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Their long and illustrious partnership began with a film that has gone down in history as one of the best for each of them. Also featuring Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and many other phenomenal actors, Saving Private Ryan follows an epic journey that Hanks’ John H. Miller sets out on to find Damon’s Private Ryan. Ryan or his body must be returned to his parents as a consolation for the family’s wartime loss.
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Set in France during the Normandy invasion in 1944, Saving Private Ryan‘s action sequences are frequently described as being some of the most realistic and visceral depictions of this bloody invasion. As the group tasked with finding Ryan carve their way through France looking for any sign of the young man, they come face to face with the cost and disillusionment of war and grapple with the fact that they might be different than the people who they were before. It’s an intense and difficult movie that doesn’t shy away from showing the audience upsetting facts of conflict.
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Hanks’ performance was praised by critics and audiences, as he gives a tragically devastating turn as Miller, a man who doesn’t recognize himself anymore. The morality and just reasons behind the war fall away as Miller and his company of men lose sight of what they’re fighting for and witness people behave in ways they’ve never seen before. However, since it’s a Spielberg film, the movie concludes with a glimmer of hope and the chance at a life well lived for some of the characters, as long as they do what they can to ensure they earn it.
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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
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Saving Private Ryan (1998) |
94% |
95% |
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1 Schindler’s List (1993)
Spielberg’s most moving and dramatic contribution to narratives about the war
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13 9.8/10 Schindler’s List RDramaHistoryWar
Schindler’s List is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, chronicling the efforts of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust. Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, the film vividly portrays the atrocities committed during World War II while highlighting Schindler’s transformation from a profit-driven industrialist to a humanitarian savior.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 15, 1993 Runtime 195 Minutes Cast Liam Neeson , Ben Kingsley , Ralph Fiennes , Caroline Goodall , Jonathan Sagall Director Steven Spielberg Writers Thomas Keneally , Steven Zaillian Studio(s) Amblin Entertainment Expand
Spielberg has called Schindler’s List his best movie, and it’s not hard to see why the historical drama still hits so close to home for viewers today. Liam Neeson gives a career-defining performance as Oskar Schindler, the factory owner who saves the lives of over a thousand Jewish people during the Holocaust. Based on the book about the true story, Schindler’s Ark, the film takes some dramatic liberties, but it’s clear that Spielberg wanted to communicate the stakes and evil present in the story. This evil is brought to life by Ralph Fiennes as the despicable SS officer Amon Göth.
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Winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among others, Schindler’s List was immediately singled out as one of the most impactful films of the year in 1993. Unlike his later work, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List is less about action and the heat of battle than it is about small acts of bravery that lead to monumental change. Oskar is far from a perfect character, and Spielberg doesn’t shy away from demonstrating how he slowly developed from an apathetic businessman into the kind of person worth remembering.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
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Schindler’s List (1993) |
98% |
97% |
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Ben Kingsley brings his typical quiet gravitas to his role as Itzhak Stern, the Jewish man Schindler partners with to protect as many people as possible. Spielberg was particularly praised for his iconic use of color in the film, and the story is shot in black and white, except for the red coat of a young girl Schindler sees during the destruction of the Kraków Ghetto. One of the most popular and wide-reaching movies about the Holocaust, Schindler’s List retains its reputation as a vital piece of media that brings an important piece of history to the cultural forefront.
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment