*Will Britain’s second world war obsession ever end?
Tbh, there are some epic stories from WW2. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Film helps people engage with the humanity of wartime. As long as the films aren’t jingoistic bollocks, then I think long may it continue.
We must never forget the tragedy of war, once we do, we might start killing each other all over again.
Edit: some very constructive comments. Chamberlain took a lot of time to not engage in war with the Nazi regime at the beginning (due to a fear of a repeat of WW1). The outcome was a war that was much worse. A lot to think about!
>Airfix Lancaster Bombers
I will have you know its Gecko Models A9 and A10 cruisers thank you very much along with an IBG Marmon Herrington kind of forced together with tears and begging!
Both movies sound like they could be very interesting to watch. Personally I dont get why people whine about WW2 movies with Brits in them, as the article states plenty of countries make movies about their own nations exploits/defeats, just so long as they dont steal them from others (cough USA style cough). If you want to see other nations stuff go for it, theres actually a fair few cold war USSR movies which are worth watching, a recent Chinese attempt to show the last stand of some of their troops against the Japanese (forget the name, they also kind of downplay foreign help and protection in the movie but overall a very good movie anyway).
Of course not, they make films that people will watch and people like hearing new stories of what happened, or retelling of known stories. Some people may hate it but people are proud and interested in the history and its constantly in our lives because of the remembrance messaging.
Hopefully not. It’s a fascinating period when good historical records were being kept, as well as many peoples’ personal accounts and new stories keep being uncovered which make for superb films.
I can confirm that Operation Mincemeat is a phenomenal film
There’s obviously still a market for it so until that dips it won’t change, I expect. But personally, I would like some more actual kitchen sink dramas, just for a change. Some good films of that type came out of the fifties and sixties and a diversion into that realm might inspire a return to bolder and action orientated stories later on. That’s not to mean necessarily there should be just word for word stories about people either, not strictly literal or hampered by melodrama, but stories that explore more metaphor that deal with real life characters and situations.
Because a war isn’t the only situation where people face and have to encounter fear or bravery. And some of the finer points of those two subjects aren’t always satisfactorily explored.
I know there are some good ww2 movies out there already. And they’re rightly appreciated. But I think it becomes a little hackneyed if it’s just explored near constantly without much intrigue and enquiry into larger questions. Such as authority and the illusory aspects of honour in the bridge over the river Kwai.
And stories that claim to tell the real life situation already aren’t nearly as accurate as is said. There’s nothing wrong with such a thing, but the question before going off the script should be – why? And the answer needn’t always be for the expediency of writing or a production schedule.
Rather more WW2 films released than some new superhero, rehashed sequels, cliche zombie apocalypses, dreary romcoms, and action movie bollocks. Such a weird genre for The Guardian to hone in on and complain about.
What?
We had a few ww2 movies after a few decades of basically nothing and Guardian call it obsession?
There are so many amazing stories to tell still as well.
The only WW2 film I need is a good adaptation of Catch 22.
British comedian Al Murray and German comedian Henning Wehn talked about this obsession in one of Murray’s funny history shows. They agreed that WW2 is about the only part of British history we can be proud of, when there’s “no flies” on us.
Usually, when the British show up in history books, it’s followed by words like “colonised”, “executed”, “looted”, “piracy”, or “cricket” (sorry).
But in WW2, there was a clear bad guy, and we actually stood up to them, despite not having the advantage. We helped liberate France (and whoever thought THAT would ever happen), and for once in our long bloody history we were actually the good guys!
Hope not people need reminding of a just war..probably the last just war.
We had to fight them.
Someone needs to do a ww2 movie about mad Jack Churchill btw.
Depends on the quality of the film and the story tbh.
Don’t mind a good war film that tells an interesting story.
If it’s just bullet porn then nah.
So long as they keep making good war movies I’ll keep watching them.
Another post typical of this sub. Hands up anyone in here who has ever sacrificed anything for the greater good?? Let alone your life?! Pathetic.
To be fair it was a pretty big event which still influences things today. The films also highlights what happens when some current political thinking gets a free reign. Young people need to understand how fragile this nation is, how close we were to going out, and not to take our freedom and democracy for granted. Accurate films about the likes of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain serve as important history lessons and it’s important that the making of them continues. They are also a lot more engaging than the average history period in school.
I think it’s time we got really good remakes of The Dambusters and The Battle of Britain. The former is very old and the latter has a ridiculous romance shoehorned into it. They should keep the music however.
I actually met a real member of the Dambusters. I would have probably not known anything about the mission if it hadn’t been for the film. I was absolutely in awe of him. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been. For me it was like meeting a superhero.
Young people need to know that the was they live today, and the simple freedoms they enjoy came at terrible price, and any assault on them needs to be resisted at all costs.
I miss when war films used extras and practical effects. We’ll never get a film on the scale of a bridge too far ever again.
I give Nolan some credit for avoiding CGI when making dunkirk, but seems like they skimped on the budget and it instead looked like about 12 boats and 100 men standing in orderly queues on a beach for 2 weeks.
What a strange article, studios try to make movies people want to see. These films look a lot better than yet another flick about the Krays or more Essex boy’s gangster rubbish. I’d like to see some films about 2000ad characters, but if it doesn’t pay they don’t get made.
World War Two was a pretty big deal. I have a feeling that its not going anywhere even long after everyone who lived and fought in it has died.
Personally, in the spirit of “U-571”, I think there should be a film of the British Army bravely ‘clearing’ all those Japanese-occupied islands of the enemy or a movie about how The Royal Navy ‘triumphed’ at the Battle of Midway. 😀
Fairly lazy, clickbaity headline and the cynicism of the author is undermined by their own argument in a few places. The author acknowledges there is a spread of ways how the war is represented in these films.
While I’m personally rather sick of some people appealing to bLiTz SpIrIt one moment for dumb things like Brexit and then failing to show an ounce of tenacity in the face of a couple of shit Christmasses and having to wear masks in public, the British tendency to over-valorise that period of history doesn’t mean WW2 movies should be discarded.
The lessons of the war are still very relevant today. A spike in the odds of Ukraine being invaded further by Russia has drawn quite a few Munich comparisons with the inaction of the west, which would make a film about it rather timely – and apart from anything else, Robert Harris writes damn good stories (seriously, go read Fatherland if you haven’t yet). You’d think given the readiness at which certain wings of the political spectrum exhort how important it is to stand up to authoritarians, this would be welcome. Additionally, given the increase in forgetfulness over key aspects of the war like the Holocaust and the rise in neofascism, there should be more and a greater variety of war movies, not less.
No. It’s the only war where Britain weren’t the instigators.
The propaganda, continuous on the BBC, even in docs that have nothing to do with war, makes me puke.
WWII movies are good for younger generations to learn. WWII wasn’t that long ago, I met and became good friends caring for some old veterans before they died. Incredible stories.
Don’t forget that today’s modern geopolitical stage is shaped directly after WWII and nothing is certain that if we do not learn from these mistakes another world war can’t happen.
We want to move on from slavery and the racism of yesterday, but we can’t move on from the war. Perhaps there is money to be made still, or maybe we should …. never forget
Because it was the single biggest world event in living memory, that cost more members of people’s families and friends than any other period in modern history, and affected the entire world in ways that are still being defined today. And the UK played a pivotal role as one of the biggest players in it, up to and including an attempt at subjugation of our home soil, the only time in history that has happened since the Napoleonic Era. (And even that was never really only the cards.)
Why **wouldn’t** it be a big thing in people’s memories?
Add to that, there are still dozens and dozens of new stories coming out about it from historians. The scale of the conflict invites newer tales to be discovered, to let us understand the lives people led at the time.
It’s big and well known and regularly invoked because it simply is **the** biggest subject out there in regards to this nation in its modern era.
Not to mention it helps reinforce and remember what happens when one lets far right cults go too far.
I understand people being bored of it being used as some sort of national or personal identity but there are so many amazing true stories from that time I would rather see get made rather than superhero crap.
There’s a war memorial near me with 20,000 missing air force names up on the wall. Last time I went they had little posters telling some of the stories of the names up and they were all amazing true life tales of young 20’s from all over the world let alone commonwealth. One that stuck with me was an American who made his own way over to fight and could have been done for treason in the USA at the time.
By my house there’s a grave of a 17 year old kid who died in a routine training crash. His mother died in the 80s and is buried with him. It’s still so recent. He’ll possibly have siblings still remembering him now.
It will endlessly fascinate me.
It’s really simple people like milatary films WW2 and WW1 the easiest wars to make Milatary films from
We can and should continue to learn from WW2 even if we do glorify elements of the war in TV/Film.
I’d rather we move to different eras frankly. Why not some Napoleonic stuff? Back in the 20th century I’d understand the hesitancy, Waterloo took using a huge amount of extras from the Soviet Union. Now though with CGI we could have hordes of redcoats storming the Peninsular or battling the French in Egypt
Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. Why *shouldn’t* the British be obsessed about one of the few modern wars in which they were the good guys?
I’m as keen to remember it as the Guardian is to forget it.
Just wish they’d do a WW2 reboot film and find a new main villain – getting really tired of Hitler now.
34 comments
*Will Britain’s second world war obsession ever end?
Tbh, there are some epic stories from WW2. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Film helps people engage with the humanity of wartime. As long as the films aren’t jingoistic bollocks, then I think long may it continue.
We must never forget the tragedy of war, once we do, we might start killing each other all over again.
Edit: some very constructive comments. Chamberlain took a lot of time to not engage in war with the Nazi regime at the beginning (due to a fear of a repeat of WW1). The outcome was a war that was much worse. A lot to think about!
>Airfix Lancaster Bombers
I will have you know its Gecko Models A9 and A10 cruisers thank you very much along with an IBG Marmon Herrington kind of forced together with tears and begging!
Both movies sound like they could be very interesting to watch. Personally I dont get why people whine about WW2 movies with Brits in them, as the article states plenty of countries make movies about their own nations exploits/defeats, just so long as they dont steal them from others (cough USA style cough). If you want to see other nations stuff go for it, theres actually a fair few cold war USSR movies which are worth watching, a recent Chinese attempt to show the last stand of some of their troops against the Japanese (forget the name, they also kind of downplay foreign help and protection in the movie but overall a very good movie anyway).
Of course not, they make films that people will watch and people like hearing new stories of what happened, or retelling of known stories. Some people may hate it but people are proud and interested in the history and its constantly in our lives because of the remembrance messaging.
Hopefully not. It’s a fascinating period when good historical records were being kept, as well as many peoples’ personal accounts and new stories keep being uncovered which make for superb films.
I can confirm that Operation Mincemeat is a phenomenal film
There’s obviously still a market for it so until that dips it won’t change, I expect. But personally, I would like some more actual kitchen sink dramas, just for a change. Some good films of that type came out of the fifties and sixties and a diversion into that realm might inspire a return to bolder and action orientated stories later on. That’s not to mean necessarily there should be just word for word stories about people either, not strictly literal or hampered by melodrama, but stories that explore more metaphor that deal with real life characters and situations.
Because a war isn’t the only situation where people face and have to encounter fear or bravery. And some of the finer points of those two subjects aren’t always satisfactorily explored.
I know there are some good ww2 movies out there already. And they’re rightly appreciated. But I think it becomes a little hackneyed if it’s just explored near constantly without much intrigue and enquiry into larger questions. Such as authority and the illusory aspects of honour in the bridge over the river Kwai.
And stories that claim to tell the real life situation already aren’t nearly as accurate as is said. There’s nothing wrong with such a thing, but the question before going off the script should be – why? And the answer needn’t always be for the expediency of writing or a production schedule.
Rather more WW2 films released than some new superhero, rehashed sequels, cliche zombie apocalypses, dreary romcoms, and action movie bollocks. Such a weird genre for The Guardian to hone in on and complain about.
What?
We had a few ww2 movies after a few decades of basically nothing and Guardian call it obsession?
There are so many amazing stories to tell still as well.
The only WW2 film I need is a good adaptation of Catch 22.
British comedian Al Murray and German comedian Henning Wehn talked about this obsession in one of Murray’s funny history shows. They agreed that WW2 is about the only part of British history we can be proud of, when there’s “no flies” on us.
Usually, when the British show up in history books, it’s followed by words like “colonised”, “executed”, “looted”, “piracy”, or “cricket” (sorry).
But in WW2, there was a clear bad guy, and we actually stood up to them, despite not having the advantage. We helped liberate France (and whoever thought THAT would ever happen), and for once in our long bloody history we were actually the good guys!
Hope not people need reminding of a just war..probably the last just war.
We had to fight them.
Someone needs to do a ww2 movie about mad Jack Churchill btw.
Depends on the quality of the film and the story tbh.
Don’t mind a good war film that tells an interesting story.
If it’s just bullet porn then nah.
So long as they keep making good war movies I’ll keep watching them.
Another post typical of this sub. Hands up anyone in here who has ever sacrificed anything for the greater good?? Let alone your life?! Pathetic.
To be fair it was a pretty big event which still influences things today. The films also highlights what happens when some current political thinking gets a free reign. Young people need to understand how fragile this nation is, how close we were to going out, and not to take our freedom and democracy for granted. Accurate films about the likes of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain serve as important history lessons and it’s important that the making of them continues. They are also a lot more engaging than the average history period in school.
I think it’s time we got really good remakes of The Dambusters and The Battle of Britain. The former is very old and the latter has a ridiculous romance shoehorned into it. They should keep the music however.
I actually met a real member of the Dambusters. I would have probably not known anything about the mission if it hadn’t been for the film. I was absolutely in awe of him. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been. For me it was like meeting a superhero.
Young people need to know that the was they live today, and the simple freedoms they enjoy came at terrible price, and any assault on them needs to be resisted at all costs.
I miss when war films used extras and practical effects. We’ll never get a film on the scale of a bridge too far ever again.
I give Nolan some credit for avoiding CGI when making dunkirk, but seems like they skimped on the budget and it instead looked like about 12 boats and 100 men standing in orderly queues on a beach for 2 weeks.
What a strange article, studios try to make movies people want to see. These films look a lot better than yet another flick about the Krays or more Essex boy’s gangster rubbish. I’d like to see some films about 2000ad characters, but if it doesn’t pay they don’t get made.
World War Two was a pretty big deal. I have a feeling that its not going anywhere even long after everyone who lived and fought in it has died.
Personally, in the spirit of “U-571”, I think there should be a film of the British Army bravely ‘clearing’ all those Japanese-occupied islands of the enemy or a movie about how The Royal Navy ‘triumphed’ at the Battle of Midway. 😀
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_(film)
Fairly lazy, clickbaity headline and the cynicism of the author is undermined by their own argument in a few places. The author acknowledges there is a spread of ways how the war is represented in these films.
While I’m personally rather sick of some people appealing to bLiTz SpIrIt one moment for dumb things like Brexit and then failing to show an ounce of tenacity in the face of a couple of shit Christmasses and having to wear masks in public, the British tendency to over-valorise that period of history doesn’t mean WW2 movies should be discarded.
The lessons of the war are still very relevant today. A spike in the odds of Ukraine being invaded further by Russia has drawn quite a few Munich comparisons with the inaction of the west, which would make a film about it rather timely – and apart from anything else, Robert Harris writes damn good stories (seriously, go read Fatherland if you haven’t yet). You’d think given the readiness at which certain wings of the political spectrum exhort how important it is to stand up to authoritarians, this would be welcome. Additionally, given the increase in forgetfulness over key aspects of the war like the Holocaust and the rise in neofascism, there should be more and a greater variety of war movies, not less.
No. It’s the only war where Britain weren’t the instigators.
The propaganda, continuous on the BBC, even in docs that have nothing to do with war, makes me puke.
Step up
http://www.realityinfo.org 🙂
WWII movies are good for younger generations to learn. WWII wasn’t that long ago, I met and became good friends caring for some old veterans before they died. Incredible stories.
Don’t forget that today’s modern geopolitical stage is shaped directly after WWII and nothing is certain that if we do not learn from these mistakes another world war can’t happen.
We want to move on from slavery and the racism of yesterday, but we can’t move on from the war. Perhaps there is money to be made still, or maybe we should …. never forget
Because it was the single biggest world event in living memory, that cost more members of people’s families and friends than any other period in modern history, and affected the entire world in ways that are still being defined today. And the UK played a pivotal role as one of the biggest players in it, up to and including an attempt at subjugation of our home soil, the only time in history that has happened since the Napoleonic Era. (And even that was never really only the cards.)
Why **wouldn’t** it be a big thing in people’s memories?
Add to that, there are still dozens and dozens of new stories coming out about it from historians. The scale of the conflict invites newer tales to be discovered, to let us understand the lives people led at the time.
It’s big and well known and regularly invoked because it simply is **the** biggest subject out there in regards to this nation in its modern era.
Not to mention it helps reinforce and remember what happens when one lets far right cults go too far.
I understand people being bored of it being used as some sort of national or personal identity but there are so many amazing true stories from that time I would rather see get made rather than superhero crap.
There’s a war memorial near me with 20,000 missing air force names up on the wall. Last time I went they had little posters telling some of the stories of the names up and they were all amazing true life tales of young 20’s from all over the world let alone commonwealth. One that stuck with me was an American who made his own way over to fight and could have been done for treason in the USA at the time.
By my house there’s a grave of a 17 year old kid who died in a routine training crash. His mother died in the 80s and is buried with him. It’s still so recent. He’ll possibly have siblings still remembering him now.
It will endlessly fascinate me.
It’s really simple people like milatary films WW2 and WW1 the easiest wars to make Milatary films from
WW2 really fascinates me because it shapes the current system we live under, and is actually still relatively recent. https://twitter.com/KeyboardG/status/1474767287240511492
We can and should continue to learn from WW2 even if we do glorify elements of the war in TV/Film.
I’d rather we move to different eras frankly. Why not some Napoleonic stuff? Back in the 20th century I’d understand the hesitancy, Waterloo took using a huge amount of extras from the Soviet Union. Now though with CGI we could have hordes of redcoats storming the Peninsular or battling the French in Egypt
Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. Why *shouldn’t* the British be obsessed about one of the few modern wars in which they were the good guys?
I’m as keen to remember it as the Guardian is to forget it.
Just wish they’d do a WW2 reboot film and find a new main villain – getting really tired of Hitler now.
Britain: makes lots of WW2 movies
Russia/Soviet Union: *hold my vodka*