Warfilms changed significantly during the 1970s, as the Vietnam War soured moviegoers' appetites for the genre. As a result, fewer World War II films were released at the time, particularly later in the decade, when blockbusters took over theaters.Vietnam was the subjectof many of the better war films the 1970s produced, particularlyApocalypse NowandThe Deer Hunter. WhenWorld War II was the subject, Hollywood seemed to prefer military biographies and historical accounts of famous battles.
As ’70s films became more realistic and gritty, a handful of lower-budget and independent films took on a somber, more cynical approach to World War II. In many instances, a 1970s film about World War II used the war to comment upon the depressing situation in Vietnam. It was a stark departure from the films of the 1950s and 1960s when war films were largely patriotic and gravitated toward happier endings. The John Wayne era was over, andthe directors of America’s New Wavesaw war very differently.
The 1970s may not have been the most prolific decade for World War II films, but its cinematic legacy continues to influence how filmmakers interpret and present the war to a younger generation. We’ve ranked some of the best World War II films of the 1970s.
Update August 25, 2025: This list has been updated with more great World War II movies from the 1970s.
20Mr. Klein (1976)
French film icon Alain Delon starred as the eponymous dishonest art dealer who sets out to capitalize on World War II by taking advantage of French Jews in a hurry to sell their artwork in order to flee the country as it becomes occupied by the Nazis inMr. Klein.Enjoying a life of extravagance and luxury, Robert Klein finds his cushy existence upended when he is mistaken for a Jewish man of the same name and falls under the suspicion of the authorities, and he races against the clock to clear his name before he becomes targeted in the Holocaust.
The haunting and poignant picture is an understated thriller that garnered widespread critical acclaim upon its release, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where it participated for the prestigious Palme d’Or.Mr. Kleinwas also the recipient of three César Awards, including Best Film, and touts a phenomenal performance by Delon as the icy titular character.
191941 (1979)
Steven Spielberg directed the underappreciated war comedy1941, centering on a group of anxiety-ridden California residents as they fearfully prepare for a Japanese invasion following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. John Belushi headlines the film as Captain Wild Bill Kelso, a frenzied National Guard pilot searching for Japanese forces and Hollywood legends like Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, and Christopher Lee as soldiers on high-alert as they get ready to officially enter World War II.
1941was initially regarded as a box office flop and was unfavorably compared to the director’s other releases of the decade likeJawsandClose Encounters of the Third Kind, but the comedy actually went on to earn $90 million worldwide. Though it failed to make a splash with critics during its original release,1941has gone on to acquire a newfound appreciation and is now a celebrated cult classic.
18Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name,Slaughterhouse-Fivetells the spellbinding story of how Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) became “unstuck in time” as the New York optometrist finds himself traveling through time and reliving his past experience as a soldier fighting behind enemy lines in Belgium at the height of World War II. The engrossing sci-fi dramedy is a faithful adaptation of its subject source and chronicles Pilgrim’s experiences as a prisoner of war and the atrocities he witnessed during the firebombing of Dresden.
Slaughterhouse-Fivewon the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was also nominated for the Palme d’Or, andVonnegut himself was thoroughly impressedwith director George Roy Hill’s riveting interpretation, stating that the filmmaker “made a flawless translation of my novelSlaughterhouse-Fiveto the silver screen. I drool and cackle every time I watch that film, because it is so harmonious with what I felt when I wrote the book.”
17Overlord (1975)
Set during the Battle of France and Normandy Landings, the black-and-white war dramaOverlordfocuses on young British soldier Thomas Beddows (Brian Stirner) and chronicles the horrors the sensitive everyman witnessed while on the battlefield, depicting his struggles during training camp and subsequent involvement in the deadly D-Day invasion. DirectorStuart Cooper declared,“Overlord is not about military heroics; on the contrary, it is about the bleakness of sacrifice.”
Overlordgarnered widespread critical acclaim for its jarring and intimate look at the brutality the soldiers experienced during World War II, and the drama featured actual archive footage of the invasion that it paired with its stunning and sobering cinematography.
16Hell Boats (1970)
InHell Boats, James Franciscus (Beneath the Planet of the Apes) stars as an American attack boat commander serving with the British Royal Navy in the Mediterranean in 1942. He is assigned to a secret mission to destroy a Nazi submarine base in nearby Sicily, only to discover the woman he has fallen in love with (Elizabeth Shepherd) is the wife of his superior officer (Ronald Allen).
It’s more than a little melodramatic, but combat involving “motor torpedo boats” were rarely featured in World War II films, giving this film an original feel. Plus, any James Franciscus film is worth watching.The Valley of Gwangistar was a great leading man who died far too young, at age 57.
15Jacob the Liar (1975)
Adapted from Jurek Becker’s bestselling novel,Jacob the Liartakes place during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland and follows Polish Jew Jakob Heym (Vlastimil Brodský) as he attempts to survive in a Jewish ghetto, following the man’s efforts to boost the morale of his neighbors and friends after overhearing news through the German officers that Russian forces are closing in on the Nazis. Jacob decides to embellish the details and lies about having a radio (a major crime in the ghetto) and makes up stories to try and keep his fellow survivor’s hopes alive, escalating his deception along the way.
Jacob the Liarbecame the only East Germany picture to be nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film and competed for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.Hans-Christoph Blumenbergof the German newspaper Die Zeit commended the Frank Beyer drama, writing, “Gently, softly, without cheap pathos and sentimentality, Beyer tells a story about people in the middle of horror… The remarkable quality of this quiet film is achieved not least due to superb acting by the cast.”
14The McKenzie Break (1970)
There have been plenty of movies about Allied POWs escaping their imprisonment, butThe McKenzie Breakflips the script. In this 1970 drama, Brian Keith plays an Irish officer in the British army who must stop German prisoners suspected of planning an escape from an Allied POW camp in Scotland.
Related:The Best War Movies of the 1970s, Ranked
Keith must outwit the Germans' highest-ranking prisoner, a U-boat commander (Helmut Griem) who seems to be planning the break. The film is directed by Lamont Johnson, who also directed the 1980s cult classicSpacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.
13Too Late the Hero (1970)
Too Late the Herois directed by the great Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?), who also co-wrote the film. Cliff Robertson plays an American translator who joins Michael Caine and a British strike team on a mission to destroy a Japanese communications station.
While there are some definiteDirty Dozenvibes here, the second half of the film is more of an expanded chase sequence. It’s an underrated,gritty, and action-packed war filmthat’s definitely worth a watch. Keep an eye out for Denholm Elliott (Raiders of the Lost Ark) in a key supporting role.
12Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
It’s hard to follow up a classic, as 1978’sForce 10 from Navaroneproves. The film is a sequel to 1961’sThe Guns of Navarone, which starred Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Richard Harris. Rather than remake the film or introduce new characters, producers chose to recast characters. Peck was recast withthe great Robert Shaw(Jaws), Harris was replaced with Harrison Ford, and Niven was replaced with Edward Fox.
Despite the star power of Ford and Shaw, audiences and critics of the time found them poor substitutes for the Hollywood legends. But whileForce 10 from Navaroneisn’t as good as its predecessor, but it’s a very solid war film thhat benefits from nostalgia, and centers on Ford and Shaw blowing up a dam to take out a German bridge. While the script is a bit formulaic, the cast involved makes it a much better film than it should be.
11MacArthur (1977)
In 1977’sMacArthur,Gregory Peck gives a superb performanceas the legendary general, although the script is somewhat bland, a by-the-numbers affair that isn’t as insightful as it should have been. The film, from director Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three), follows the career of Douglas MacArthur from the triumph of World War II through to the Korean War and his unceremonious firing by President Harry Truman. Peck earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor, and the film works best as a visual history lesson.
