I'd argue LoA does, but TGTBTU and the Pianist don't, as war is mostly a backdrop there. All great movies, in any case - petr_stv
I disagree about
The Pianist. Władysław Szpilman (portrayed by Adrien Brody) may not have been a combatant, but war is not merely backdrop to his story--it is integral to his experience.
In fact, Roman Polanski does a terrific job of depicting the effect that World War Two had on civilian populations, particularly captive populations such as the Poles, and most especially specific events such as the Warsaw Uprisings of 1943 and 1944, the latter of which was not only particularly brutal but the biggest resistance operation of the war.
Civilian deaths during the war were much, much higher than combatant deaths during World War Two. Any film that depicts that, such as
The Pianist, is a war movie in my book.
Otherwise, I agree with you on everything else:
Lawrence of Arabia is a war film;
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, despite its (American) Civil War backdrop, is too caper- and individual-focused to be one; and all three films are excellent.
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"We hear very little, and we understand even less." - Refugee in Casablanca
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KingCobra686
10 years ago
If you can cut out the war element of the story and it still makes sense, its not a war movie. LoA is highly dependent on the war conflicts for the story. Pianist would just be a crazy homeless man hiding in peoples houses if it didnt have the WWII backdrop. TGTBTU could have easily cut the civil war aspect and been a generic western and it still would have worked just as well.
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darryl-tahirali
10 years ago
If you can cut out the war element of the story and it still makes sense, its not a war movie. - mjdaudish
Your definition. I don't agree.
Pianist would just be a crazy homeless man hiding in peoples houses if it didnt have the WWII backdrop.
Nonsense. He wouldn't be a "crazy homeless man" if his life had not been disrupted by Germany's invasion and occupation of Poland, which started World War Two.
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"Death is an old joke but it's new to everyone." - Ivan Turgenev
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