--- description: The most accurate films about World War II, the home front and life after the war, selected by a historian. title: A Historian Picks 4 World War II Movies That Got It Right image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb3da5322764b25b/698a0d460116821aca97f4c2/casablanca.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 4 Movies That Got World War II Right, According to a Historian  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer May 7, 2020 6:00 PM CUT  Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in movie art for the film 'Casablanca', 1942. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in movie art for the film 'Casablanca', 1942.Warner Brothers—Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer May 7, 2020 6:00 PM CUT With the 75th anniversary of end of World War II approaching — May 8 marks V-E Day, the end of the war in Europe, and Aug. 15 marks V-J Day, for the Japanese surrender — a cycle of remembering that era-shaping conflict will also come to an end. But the war’s presence in everyday life won’t disappear when the anniversary passes, thanks in part to its large impact not only on world events, but also on popular culture — including cinema. World War II was depicted on screen while it was still being fought, and continues to inspire Hollywood to this day. But not every movie does an equally good job of capturing what that period was really like. Here are four films that accurately depict life during and after the war, according to Rob Citino, Senior Historian at the National World War II Museum. Citino has talked about World War II films on [_Turner Classic Movies_](http://www.tcm.com/wwii "undefined")and [the _Service on Celluloid_ podcast](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/podcasts/service-celluloid-podcast "undefined"), and weighed in on the [most accurate films about D-Day](https://time.com/5600203/d-day-movies/ "undefined") for the 75th anniversary last summer. Here are his choices for the top movies that accurately reflect the impact and experience of World War II, for the troops as well as those on the home front. _Warning: This post contains spoilers for the selected films_ ## _Casablanca_ (1942) --- > “” --- **Watch:** [AmazonPrime](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.bea9f788-9f58-006d-11a6-ef9c9e955e72?autoplay=1 "undefined"), [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=0KGOB1WIjRs "undefined"), [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/casablanca/id282640192 "undefined"), [vudu](https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Casablanca/10969 "undefined"), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KGOB1WIjRs "undefined") ## _The More the Merrier_ (1943)  Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn), Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), and Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) sunbathe and socialize on the roof of their apartment house, in the 1943 film The More the Merrier. John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis—Getty Images --- > “” --- **Watch:** [Amazon Prime](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.42a9f72e-bfc7-9597-5243-b82304dfeac2/ref=dv%5Fweb%5Fauth%5Fno%5Fre%5Fsig?ie=UTF8&autoplay=1& "undefined"), [Criterion Channel](https://www.criterionchannel.com/the-more-the-merrier "undefined"), [Google Play,](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=zBvTy7j2jx8 "undefined") [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-more-the-merrier/id871913156 "undefined"), [vudu](https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/The-More-the-Merrier/43583 "undefined"), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBvTy7j2jx8 "undefined") ## _The Best Years of Our Lives_ (1946) --- > “” --- **Watch:** [Amazon Prime](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.cca9f77b-f76e-8758-dff4-138c380b4877?autoplay=1 "undefined"), [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-best-years-of-our-lives-1946/id596022479 "undefined") ## _Stalag 17_ (1953) --- > “” --- **Watch:** [Amazon Prime](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.a8a9f733-ceb7-4835-46e1-3e57eea5e68b?autoplay=1 "undefined"), [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=SydOxzJiIoE "undefined"), [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/stalag-17/id361339194 "undefined"), [Kanopy](https://www.kanopy.com/product/stalag-17-0 "undefined"), [vudu](https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/#!content/14911/Stalag-17 "undefined"), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SydOxzJiIoE "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5826591/accurate-world-war-ii-movies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5826591/accurate-world-war-ii-movies/"},"headline":"4 Movies That Got World War II Right, According to a Historian","datePublished":"2020-05-07T18:00:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:56:03.117Z","description":"Picked by Rob Citino, Senior Historian at the National World War II Museum","url":"https://time.com/5826591/accurate-world-war-ii-movies/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb3da5322764b25b/698a0d460116821aca97f4c2/casablanca.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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