WW2 Propaganda films and film makers

Okay, so I know a fair deal about American propaganda movies, somewhat less but still a bit about British, less about German, and next to nothing about Italian and Japanese. Are there any iconic film makers from those countries whose work is worth watching? Anyone on the level of Ford or Huston or Riefenstahl or, for the British, Leslie Howard?

Now, I have my favorites among the bunch -- Sahara, Casablanca, and Action in the North Atlantic being three of them.

Can anyone recommend some films for me to take a look at? My library is REALLY good at getting films from all over, and, as I am a grad student and very close friends with the librarian at the college, I can get movies from all over the world on inter-library loan. What I am saying is that pretty much anything goes in terms of getting my hands on the films.

Finally, do any readers have favorites to share? I am only talking about movies made DURING the war, from, say, 1936 (the Spanish Civil War element of WW2, through 1937, the Japanese invasion of China, to the signing of the surrender in 1945. Remember, the theme is PROPAGANDA!

Thanks! I look forward to responses (not to mention watching some films!).

 

went the day well (1942)# here's a good old B/W one, and a forerunner to "The Eagle has Landed" which starred michael caine..

 

Two of the finest British ones ( and there were a lot ) are San Demetrio-London and Western Approaches which were made to highlight the sacrifices being made by the Merchant Navy in the Atlantic......

 

Images - Alfred Hitchcock's WWII French Films and the Limits of Propaganda just a few others of interest...

 

Another classic is Millions Like Us which dealt with the Home Front....

Millions Like Us (1943) - IMDb

 

great film martin, as were many, made during the war period...

 

There are so many-try most of the War Movies that warner Brother Studios churned out during the war. Some like: Objective Burma--Errol Flynn, Edge OF Darkness-Flynn, Northern Persuit-again-Flynn, Desperate Journey-Flynn, They Were Expendable-with Duke--John Ford was the Director, Bataan with Robert Taylor, lloyd Nolan, Desi Arnez & Robert Walker, Purple Heart w/ Dana Andrews, Marshall Thompson, Airforce w/ John Garfield and Harry Carey Sr, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo w/ Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Mitchum & Don DeFore. An excellent Korean War "propaganda" War Movie is: Prisoner of War w/ Ronald Reagan, Harry Morgan and Steve Forrest.

 

Dammit, I cant "see" Rays last reply to this thread.

 

? another blip carl...

 

Hi Ray, yessir and I still cannot see it.