Film Genre: WWII
A compelling look at the portrayal of World War II, this program reveals the myths, propaganda & the rise of realism in the war film. British wartime films were made as propaganda but also drew on a strong documentary tradition. In Italy, Roberto Rossellini filmed Roma citta' aperta during the war, using real soldiers and amateur actors. The film became a classic of neo-realism, symbolic of heroic resistance in Italy. In Japan after the war a powerful strand of anti-war films developed, such as Nobi, that stressed the horrors rather than the heroism of war. Germany's Das Boot showed war not as heroic action, but as days of tedium in cramped conditions, interspersed with terrifying action. More recently Hollywood's Saving Private Ryan shows a realistic and harrowing portrayal of the D-Day landings.