Topic: 1940s

Direction Francis Ford Coppola

Cast Marlon Brando · Al Pacino · James Caan · Robert Duvall

Synopsis The Godfather (1972) chronicles the saga of a powerful 1940s New York crime family as they navigate the challenges of maintaining their criminal empire amidst shifting leadership. Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the patriarch and head of the family, faces a...

Direction Frank Darabont

Cast Tim Robbins · Morgan Freeman · Bob Gunton · James Whitmore

Synopsis The Shawshank Redemption (1994) follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is convicted and sentenced to two back-to-back life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover in the late 1940s, despite his innocence. Andy, a reserved...

Direction Roberto Benigni

Cast Roberto Benigni · Nicoletta Braschi · Giorgio Cantarini · Marisa Paredes

Synopsis Life Is Beautiful (1997) follows the story of Guido, a lovable and imaginative waiter with a knack for making people laugh. He has captured the heart of his beloved and built a wonderful life for his young family. However, their...

Direction Masaki Kobayashi

Cast Tatsuya Nakadai · Michiyo Aratama · Yusuke Kawazu · Tamao Nakamura

Synopsis The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961) follows the journey of Kaji, a man with a deep-seated aversion to violence, who is coerced into serving in the Japanese military during World War II. Despite his pacifistic nature, Kaji is...

Direction Bernardo Bertolucci

Cast Gérard Depardieu · Robert De Niro · Dominique Sanda · Stefania Sandrelli

Synopsis 1900 (Novecento) (1976) unfolds in the early 20th century in the rural landscapes of northern Italy. On the day Giuseppe Verdi passes away, two boys are born: one to a wealthy landowner and the other to a humble farmworker. Their...

Direction William Wyler

Cast Dana Andrews · Fredric March · Myrna Loy · Harold Russell

Synopsis The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) follows the journey of three World War II veterans as they return home to a changed America. Fred Derry, a former sailor, struggles to find his place in a society that initially celebrates...

Direction Stanley Kramer

Cast Spencer Tracy · Burt Lancaster · Richard Widmark · Marlene Dietrich

Synopsis Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) unfolds three years after the major Nazi leaders faced justice. This legal drama centers around four judges who exploited their positions to enforce Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies. The formidable task of presiding over this trial...

Direction Masaki Kobayashi

Cast Tatsuya Nakadai · Michiyo Aratama · Ineko Arima · Chikage Awashima

Synopsis The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) follows the journey of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist, who attempts to evade military duty during World War II by taking on a role as a supervisor in the mines of Manchuria, a...

Direction Masaki Kobayashi

Cast Tatsuya Nakadai · Michiyo Aratama · Kei Sato · Minoru Chiaki

Synopsis The Human Condition II: The Road to Eternity (1959) unfolds during the tumultuous period of the Second World War, where Kaji, a reluctant recruit, is compelled to serve in the Japanese army and is dispatched to Manchuria. In this foreign...

Direction Zhang Yimou

Cast Gong Li · Ge You · Jiang Wu · Niu Ben

Synopsis To Live (1994) follows the journey of Fugui, a man from a once-affluent family whose life takes a dramatic turn due to his gambling addiction and a streak of misfortune. He loses his family home in a dice game with...

Direction Andrei Tarkovsky

Cast Margarita Terekhova · Philip Yankovsky · Ignat Daniltsev · Oleg Yankovskiy

Synopsis The Mirror (1975) is a deeply introspective film that masterfully blends flashbacks, historical footage, and original poetry to delve into the memories of a man reflecting on his childhood during World War II, his adolescence, and the painful divorce that...

Direction Ján Kadár · Elmar Klos

Cast Josef Kroner · Frantisek Zvarik · Ida Kaminska · Hana Slivkova

Synopsis The Shop on Main Street (1965) follows the story of Tono Briko, a lazy carpenter living in Czechoslovakia during World War II. The Nazis are seizing Jewish-owned businesses, and Tono sees an opportunity to please his family by taking over...

Direction Louis Malle

Cast Gaspard Manesse · Raphaël Fetjo · Francine Racette · Stanislas Carré de Malberg

Synopsis Goodbye Children (1987) unfolds during the harsh winter of 1943, focusing on Julien Quentin, a young boy from Paris who, despite his tough exterior, is a sensitive soul dealing with bed-wetting issues. Julien reluctantly returns to his boarding school after...

Direction Fred Zinnemann

Cast Burt Lancaster · Montgomery Clift · Deborah Kerr · Frank Sinatra

Synopsis From Here to Eternity (1953) follows the story of Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift), who is reassigned to a military base in Hawaii. Captain Holmes (Philip Ober), aware of Prewitt's boxing prowess, attempts to persuade him to join the boxing team,...

Direction Víctor Erice

Cast Ana Torrent · Fernando Fernán Gómez · Isabel Tellería · Laly Soldevila

Synopsis The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) unfolds in a quiet Castilian village during the early 1940s, in the aftermath of the devastating Spanish Civil War. The story revolves around two young sisters, Ana and her sibling, who, after witnessing a...

Direction Roberto Rossellini

Cast Vittorio De Sica · Hannes Messemer · Sandra Milo · Giovanna Ralli

Synopsis General della Rovere (1959) is set in Genoa, 1943, where a con artist named Grimaldi poses as a colonel in the Italian army to extort money from families of those imprisoned by the Nazis. When his deception is uncovered, the...

Direction Tôya Satô

Cast Hoshi Ishida · Mao Sasaki · Yasunori Danda · Mayuko Fukuda

Synopsis Grave of the Fireflies (TV) (2005) is a poignant and heart-wrenching television adaptation that delves into the harrowing experiences of an aunt as she battles to endure the hardships of World War II in Japan. The narrative centers around her...

Direction Fernando Fernán Gómez

Cast José Sacristán · Fernando Fernán Gómez · Juan Diego · María Luisa Ponte

Synopsis Voyage to Nowhere (1986) follows the journey of a family of entertainers who ply their trade in the rural landscapes of Spain during the 1940s and 1950s. The narrative delves into their struggles and triumphs as they navigate the challenges...

Direction Bernhard Wicki

Cast Folker Bohnet · Fritz Wepper · Michael Hinz · Frank Glaubrecht

Synopsis The Bridge (1959) follows a young group of German boys who are tasked with safeguarding a modest bridge in their hometown as the Second World War nears its end. While weary and disillusioned Wehrmacht soldiers retreat from the advancing American...

Direction Shôhei Imamura

Cast Yoshiko Tanaka · Kazuo Kitamura · Etsuko Ichihara · Shoichi Ozawa

Synopsis Black Rain (1989) delves into the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, focusing on the radioactive fallout known as "black rain." Yoshiko Tanaka, a young woman set to be married, finds herself in Hiroshima on the fateful day....