War movie themes have changed drastically.
In the post-war era up to the early 1980s, WW2 movies generally had exciting, martial themes that sounded like military marches. In the 1990s to the present, WW2 movies have churchy, reverential downbeat dirges for themes.
How odd that the generation that actually fought WW2 would choose exciting upbeat music for war movies, while modern generations with no firsthand experience of WW2 choose downbeat and mournful music.
Is it because moviemakers of today are more enlightened and realize the horrors of war far more completely than the generation of moviemakers who actually lived through WW2?
Old style exciting WW2 movie themes
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgGp3kH2M84&list=OLAK5uy_kEoXaTWmDlE3GrKcOAKMP3DjgBd5jds8M&index=2
The Great Escape (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbsuAbTTsV8
The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMk5J4S7qu0
Patton (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg6MqWYyts0
The Big Red One (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyRv7UOHZes
Modern downbeat WW2 movie themes
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ejg-lPcFxU
Band of Brothers (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uTAIpU0sa0&t=16s
The Pacific (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P47yvI7SWM
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT9zG0g4HdA
Dunkirk (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dfQHcMeXVg
Midway (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dilkY6WuQtU&list=PLohYzz4btpaQImLlitsENFslKvtwaQY5i&index=2