Regrettably, war doesn’t seem to discriminate when it comes to countries that find themselves impacted by it. Throughout the 20th century, people from almost every country on Earth were wrapped up in conflict to some extent, primarily thanks to the existence of two World Wars. Outside World War I and World War II lay plenty of other conflicts that took countless lives and impacted many others, and that’s to say nothing of new wars that began in the 21st century, or 20th-century conflicts that continued past the year 2000.
Global conflicts and the waywar machines keep turninghave led to war documentaries being produced in all corners of the Earth, and exploring such movies serves to emphasize the scale of the devastation that endless wars have caused. For as great as some American-produced documentaries can be, there are a host of others that should be viewed, owing to their unique perspectives and differing styles. Below are some of the best war documentaries that were produced outside the U.S.
10’Night and Fog' (1956)
Even though it only runs for about half an hour,Night and Fogis easily one of the most devastating and harrowing films of all time. It’s a French documentary that aims to depict - in unflinching detail - what happened inside the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, mostly through the use of archival footage, as well as images that were captured when the camps were liberated.
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It understandably pulls no punches when covering such a horrific period in history, which makes it a tough yet essential watch. Equally powerful and somewhat comparable is another French documentary about the same subject,Shoah(1985), though the presentation is remarkably different, givenShoahruns for over nine hoursand is made up entirely of interviews conducted decades after the war finished.
9’Waltz with Bashir' (2008)
One of themost acclaimed animated movies of the 21st centuryso far,Waltz with Bashirworks as an autobiographical psychological drama, a war film, and a documentary all in one. It’s an Israeli film that follows directorAri Folmantrying to recover memories from his involvement in the 1982 Lebanon War, which involves interviewing psychologists and other ex-soldiers.
It doesn’t shy away from a particularly messy conflict that Western audiences might not be familiar with, ultimately painting both sides as victims of the concept of war itself. Its animation is spectacular and surreal, with its condemnation of war and exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder proving impactful and insightful.
8’Lessons of Darkness' (1992)
Werner Herzogis a German filmmaker whospecializes in making unconventional documentaries, withLessons of Darknessbeing one film of his that demonstrates this well. It runs for just under an hour and plays out without narration and with little by way of interviews, instead letting the images of oil fields in Kuwait after the Gulf War speak for themselves.
It aims to present the devastation of war in a unique way, and though the end result is unusual, it is undeniably effective and haunting. It’s likely to stick with viewers long after they’ve finished the film, even if the process of actually watching it can feel alienating or even obtuse (though the provocation of such feelings is likely by design).
7’Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie' (1988)
Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbiehas a long title and a long runtime, as it clocks in at almost 4.5 hours long. It was directed by French documentarianMarcel Ophüls, and is about the notoriousKlaus Barbie, a member of the Gestapo who took thousands of lives during World War II before escaping to South America after the war ended.
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Due to the complex story of its subject, and the amount of time covered by the documentary (Barbie himself wasn’t located and put on trial until the 1980s),Hôtel Terminuscertainly earns its runtime. It’s a dense and emotionally intense watch, but tells an important post-WW2 story while raising questions surrounding war crimes and justice that gets enacted once conflict ends.
6’Far from Vietnam' (1967)
InFar from Vietnam, sevenwell-known French filmmakerscollaborated to make an unusual yet compelling documentary about the Vietnam War. It was produced while the conflict was very much still ongoing, and features seven segments that portray the North Vietnamese Army (the one U.S. forces were against) in a sympathetic manner.
It’s interesting to watch an anthology film that’s also a documentary, and it’s the main factor that makesFar from Vietnama unique and valuable war documentary. Of course, like any anthology film, not all segments are created equal (the divisiveJean-Luc Godarddirects an expectedly out-there segment), but as a whole, it’s certainly impactful and effective.
5’The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On' (1987)
A Japanese film that explores the aftermath of World War II,The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches Onis a documentary that’s as unusual and attention-grabbing as its title. It followsKenzo Okuzaki, a WW2 veteran in his 60s who interviews a series of people, determinedly seeking answers surrounding atrocities that he was impacted by during the war.
Okuzaki makes for a fascinating and challenging central figure to base a documentary around, and the film as a whole also deals with some very disturbing historical events. It’s a passionate and sometimes overwhelming film, but there’s not much else out there like it, with it serving as a valuable document for how Japan was impacted and reshaped in the decades following the Second World War’s conclusion.
4’For Sama' (2019)
AsFor Samademonstrates with confronting efficiency, one way to makea truly impactful anti-war filmis to focus on civilian life during a time of intense conflict. It’s a Syrian documentary directed by journalist/filmmakerWaad Al-Kateab, and shows her covering the 2011 Syrian uprising and its aftermath throughout the subsequent years while living in Aleppo.
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It’s a very personal and intense viewing experience, owing to the fact that those involved in making it were effectively living in a warzone while capturing some harrowing footage. It covers a recent war in unflinching detail, proving to be an emotional and relentlessly intense watch.
3’The Sorrow and the Pity' (1969)
LikeHôtel Terminus,The Sorrow and the Pityis another French documentary directed by Marcel Ophüls that covers World War II while having a runtime that exceeds four hours. This one has a broader scope, however, using archival footage and interviews to showcase life in France during the period of Nazi occupation in the Second World War, which lasted throughout the first half of the 1940s.
It’s presented in two parts, and is overall an exhaustive and comprehensive look at the monumental subject it intends to cover. It’s probably better not to try and watch it all in one go, but it is absolutely worth experiencing overall, justifiably standing as one of the best documentaries of the 1960s, and one of the most acclaimed war documentaries of all time.
2’Triumph Over Violence' (1965)
The USSR-produced documentaryTriumph Over Violenceis appropriately angry and passionate, and perhaps one of the most biting documentaries of all time. It presents a look at World War II from a Russian perspective, looking at the rise of Fascism in Germany throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and the devastation ultimately caused by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Its footage - and the way said footage is edited - is already powerful enough, but it’s the anger present inTriumph Over Violence’snarration that proves most memorable. The voiceover is almost constant, and always expertly written and delivered, making for an appropriately ferocious dissection of Nazi Germany that also serves as a warning against Fascism as a whole, and an examination of how it can slowly and insidiously take over an entire nation.
1’They Shall Not Grow Old' (2018)
Few documentaries about World War I are as impressive asThey Shall Not Grow Old, which is a New Zealand film directed byPeter Jackson. It takes archival footage and audio from WW1 and remasters it all to stunning effect, clearing up both the footage and audio (as well as colorizing the former) to present the First World War with more detail than ever seen before.
It was released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the war ending, and it can’t be overstated how impressive it is to see theusually black-and-white footage become colorizedand so viscerally lifelike. It’s an intense and immersive film, and easily one of the best war documentaries released in recent memory.
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