# War movies about lesser known conflicts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528 "2016-07-10T03:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/81 "2016-07-11T01:31:39Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > **Land and Freedom** , based on Orwell’s _Homage to Catalonia_, is about the Spanish Civil War. Excellent movie. I love Ken Loach’s politics, and many scenes in the movie stick very closely to Orwell’s descriptions, especially the debates over collectivism. Loach also did _The Wind that Shakes the Barley_, about the Irish Republican Army in the 1920s. Other Spanish Civil War movies include _Libertarias_ (sometimes marketed as _Juegos de Guerra_) and _For Whom the Bell Tolls_. And while it’s not a war movie, _per se_, _Pan’s Labyrinth_ is set during the war and its fantasy is based, in considerable measure, on war-time fears and attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/82 "2016-07-11T01:43:32Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Has anyone done a good Falklands (1982) movie? (Other than documentaries, which, I’m assuming, we’re not counting here.) There appears to be one theatrical release: [Resurrected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrected_(film)). Several BBC movies for television as well. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/83 "2016-07-11T02:32:00Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > And while it’s not a war movie, _per se_, _Pan’s Labyrinth_ is set during the war and its fantasy is based, in considerable measure, on war-time fears and attitudes. Likewise _The Devil’s Backbone_, also directed by Guillermo del Toro. ---
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/84 "2016-07-11T03:53:01Z")
HBO’s 2003 movie “And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself” takes place during the Mexican Revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/85 "2016-07-11T04:32:53Z")
[_The Year of Living Dangerously_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Year_of_Living_Dangerously_(film)) takes place during the coup again Indonesian President Sukarno in 1965. [_The 300 Spartans_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_300_Spartans) and _300_ depict the Greco-Persian Wars. [_Black Robe_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Robe_(film)) is set during the [Beaver Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Wars) between the Iroquois and the French. Nearly all movies about the Indian Wars in the US involve either the Apache or the Sioux. A couple that don’t are[_Seminole_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_(film)) and [_Cheyenne Autumn_.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_Autumn) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/86 "2016-07-11T12:17:55Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > _The Three Musketeers_ in its various incarnations takes place during the Thirty Years War. Also _Cyrano de Bergerac_, and \*The Last Valley \*mentioned previously. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/87 "2016-07-11T13:22:46Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > There’s a Kirk Douglas movie about the 1949 Arab/Israeli war) _Cast a Giant Shadow_, starring Kirk Douglas and Yul Brynner. (Also with weird cameos by John Wayne and Frank Sinatra.) _Exodus_, starring Paul Newman. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/88 "2016-07-11T14:58:08Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Yeah, but it’s not _about_ the Crusades - _Kingdom of Heaven_ is. Technically inter-Crusades, taking place in 1184 between the Second and Third Crusades, in the Crusader Kingdoms. I was coming into the thread to mention **Breaker Morant** , actually. There’s also that “Attila” miniseries with Gerard Butler that covers the Hunnic invasion of Rome in the 5th Century, with Powers Boothe as Flavius Aetius. Here’s a good list of movies that probably cover any war you might choose: > **[Lists of historical films](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_period_drama_films)** > > This is an index of lists of historical films. > **[List of war films and TV specials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_films_and_TV_specials)** > > War depictions in film and television include documentaries, TV mini-series, and drama serials depicting aspects of historical wars. > Note: From World War I to World War II > Note: From the start of the Cold War until the end in 1990s ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/89 "2016-07-11T16:09:11Z")
_Richard III_ (1955) covers part of the Wars of the Roses. (I wouldn’t count the 1995 version, which is set in a fascistic version of 1930s Britain.) The various movies about Elizabeth I often feature the attempted invasion of England by the Spanish Armada. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/90 "2016-07-11T17:09:47Z")
> **[Walker (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_(film))** > > Walker is a 1987 American-Mexican historical, hybrid/weird western film directed by Alex Cox and starring: Ed Harris, Richard Masur, René Auberjonois, Peter Boyle, Miguel Sandoval and Marlee Matlin. The film is based on the life story of William Walker, the American filibuster who invaded and made himself president of Nicaragua. It was written by Rudy Wurlitzer and scored by Joe Strummer, who has a small role as a member of Walker's army. > The film is intentionally full of postmodern anachronisms... Movie from 1987 about the war in Nicaragua. No, not the Contra War, the war from the 1850s. Alex Cox deliberately added anachronisms like helicopters, Time magazine, and cars to draw comparisons to the then-current conflict there. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/91 "2016-07-11T18:11:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > When it comes to crusades, I’m a _[pluralist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades#Terminology)_. Yeah, but with Muslims in the Holy Land you can stick in Morgan Freeman too! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/92 "2016-07-11T18:14:18Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The various movies about Elizabeth I often feature the attempted invasion of England by the Spanish Armada. \*\*\*The Sea Hawk \*\*\*with Errol Flynn. One of my all-time favorites! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/93 "2016-07-11T18:18:14Z")
_ **Captain from Castile** _; Tyrone Power, Cesar Romero, Jay Silverheels. Cortez vs Montezuma. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/94 "2016-07-11T18:31:15Z")
[_ **Guns at Batasi** _](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_at_Batasi) is about an English Battalion stationed in a fictional African nation at the moment of it’s independence and the military turmoil that involves. Originally a book called The Siege of Battersea by Robert Holles, the author spent a career in the military, fought in Korea, and grew up under the stern eye of his father a sergeant major. While it is fictitious, the movie is fantastic and probably presents a more accurate portrayal of military service than many other war movies. I mean, this is [how it starts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzKTOUkroU0). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/95 "2016-07-11T18:51:12Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > And what’s the biggest war which doesn’t have a movie set in it? The 1935 war between Italy and Ethiopia? Though I bet there are some in Italian… ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/96 "2016-07-12T01:57:31Z")
[Red Cliff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_(film)), based on the [Battle of Red Cliffs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Red_Cliffs). Which is probably the biggest naval battle you’ve never heard of, and a candidate for the [biggest one in history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_naval_battle_in_history). (Although [Cape Ecnomus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Ecnomus) is also in with a shout for those crowns. There’s no movie featuring that one, though, as far as I know.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/97 "2016-07-12T09:59:50Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The 1935 war between Italy and Ethiopia? Though I bet there are some in Italian… [Sentinels of Bronze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinels_of_Bronze), made a year later. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/98 "2016-07-12T13:14:06Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > [_ **Guns at Batasi** _](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_at_Batasi) is about an English Battalion stationed in a fictional African nation at the moment of it’s independence and the military turmoil that involves. And it’s on Film4 today at 16:40 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/99 "2016-07-13T11:38:22Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > And what’s the biggest war which doesn’t have a movie set in it? I’m not aware of any movies about the [Konfrontasi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia%E2%80%93Malaysia_confrontation#Legacy) (Malaysia feat. The British Commonwealth vs Indonesia), the [Mau Mau Uprising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mau_Mau_Uprising) or the [Russo-Turkish War from 1877-1878](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877%E2%80%9378)). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528/100 "2016-07-13T18:06:31Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m not aware of any movies about the [Konfrontasi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia%E2%80%93Malaysia_confrontation#Legacy) (Malaysia feat. The British Commonwealth vs Indonesia), the [Mau Mau Uprising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mau_Mau_Uprising) or the [Russo-Turkish War from 1877-1878](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877%E2%80%9378)). The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 is also a candidate, depending on how you define “biggest.” It had more deaths than these three put together. No-one’s listed a movie about this war, i don’t think, although i’ll bet that some have been made in Japan, given the (rather surprising, to many people at the time) Japanese victory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-movies-about-lesser-known-conflicts/759528.md?page=6)