Holiday movie-watching is a popular pastime on joyful holidays throughout the calendar. Remembrance Day, however, is a commemorative day that deserves a different approach. Instead of jubilant celebration, it's a day of learning, respect, and of commemorating the efforts of those who make us proud to be Canadians because of the efforts and sacrifices they have made.
Filmmaking can be an excellent tool for teaching and engaging audiences. While some are documentaries, some are fictitious. Others are glamourized productions of true stories, and some are marvellous, authentic works that are as close drama can get to being the real thing.
Another genre of film contains movies that explore both the benefit and dangers of war, and as masterpieces of filmmaking. But Remembrance Day is primarily about showcasing what the experience of war throughout Canadian and world history, and the movies on my list reflect that.
It's hard to describe the "appropriateness" for specifically today, but these ten films are ones that have been made with care, research, insight and great attention to detail that honour the heroes of war while also minimizing the controversy.
Whether learning about these stories for the first time or sharing the experience with new audiences, here are my choices for the best movies to watch today for commemorating, celebrating, but above all: remembering.
Ten Movies to Honour Heroes on Remembrance Day
Among the movies I considered, a noticeable trend was how timeless war films still are, but also how modern technology and efforts have created dynamic, spectacular movies. While all these choices are from the last 30 years, there are dozens more great choices as early as 1920.
- Schindler’s List (1993)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- The Pianist (2002)
- Passchendaele (2008)
- The Hurt Locker (2009)
- Fury (2014)
- Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
- 1917 (2019)
First, if you are only going to choose one, Peter Jackson's documentary They Shall Not Grow Old is unquestionably the best choice. The film is a colour restoration of rare video footage from the WW1, seen by few but should be by all. It's an astounding achievement that feels like a museum truly coming to life. It can be streamed on Crave for subscribers and bought on streaming services for $7-25.
Next among the list are best picture winners and nominees. Three of them won Oscars for their directors, including Steven Spielburg's Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, Roman Polanski's The Pianist and Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, winning in 1993, 2002 and 2009 respectively. Of these, Schindler's List and Hurt Locker also won Best Picture.
Next are three other films that were nominated for the top Oscar prize: Hacksaw Ridge, Dunkirk and 1917. All of them are clever dramatic recreations of true stories, and 1917 is particularly spectacular. (You can also read Oakville News' original review of Dunkirk here.)
But of these, Hacksaw Ridge remains my favourite. It's the true story of Desmond Doss, a WWII medic and conscientious objector; he refused to ever handle a gun. But when you learn about what he did, it will amaze you. "Help me get one more" is still one of my favourite war scenes ever made and the whole cast is dynamite. It's available to watch on Netflix for subscribers.
Rounding out the list are two gems unseen by most audiences: David Ayer's Fury, starring Brad Pitt leading a tank crew in a desperate situation, and the Canadian-made Passchendaele, directed by and starring Paul Gross. Both are available to rent, while the latter is also on CBC Gem for free.
One more detail: there are cinemas that are open in Oakville and very safe to visit. There have been zero cases in Canada traced back to cinemas, and it's a great way to see some of these films. Of the films on this list, Dunkirk and 1917 can be seen in IMAX both today and tomorrow.