5 great British WWII movies and TV shows you need to watch now
World War II was one of the most dramatic events in history, and it’s been memorialized in countless works of fiction, including the just-released film Blitz. These various works tackle every aspect of the war, from what life was like at home to what was happening on every front in the war.
The U.K. was on the fron line of the war for basically its entire duration, so while there have been plenty of American takes on World War II, the war meant something different for those living closer to the conflict. We’ve pulled together five movies and TV shows that the British made about the war for your viewing pleasure.
Need more recommendations? Then read our guides on 5 Netflix war movies that are perfect to stream in the fall and 25 years ago, the angriest war movie ever made was released.
World on Fire (2019)
Most World War II stories focus on the war itself, but World on Fire focuses on the many people who had to live their lives amid the turmoil of Europe’s upheaval. World on Fire focuses on an American war correspondent who faces censorship in Germany, and a man living on a farm who tries to smuggle his Polish lover to Manchester.
World on Fire is a reminder that when the entire world goes to war, there’s no such thing as going on with your life as if nothing happened.
You can watch World on Fire on Amazon Prime Video.
Life After Life (2022)
Adapted from one of the most acclaimed novels of the 21st century, Life After Life tells the story of Ursula, a woman who slowly discovers that she’s living her life over and over again.
Born in 1910, she lives through the events of World War II, and slowly becomes convinced that her repeated lives should give her the chance to change the course of history. It’s a delicate examination of life’s meaning at a particularly pivotal time in the history of the nation that she is perpetually born into.
You can watch Life After Life on Amazon Prime Video.
Dunkirk (2017)
A brilliant war movie that dramatizes the British evacuation from Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan‘s war epic is the rare war movie about a losing battle. Thanks to Nolan’s singular ability to manipulate time, the movie is remarkably tense, simultaneously following soldiers on the ground, a pilot flying over the battle, and the civilian boaters who crossed the channel to save their soldiers.
Dunkirk was about fleeing for safety, but it’s also a movie about the triumph of regular people working to save one another from one of the most horrific wars in the history of the world. In Nolan’s hands, it feels like an utter triumph.
You can watch Dunkirk on Amazon Prime Video.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
A great epic that focuses on a single slice of World War II, The Bridge on the River Kwai tells the story of a group of British POWs who are instructed by their Japanese captors to build a strategically important bridge.
While the soldiers initially delay the work, they eventually agree to give it their all, and their commanding officer slowly becomes more and more attached to the project. A masterful film about honor, duty, and striving to be excellent, The Bridge on the River Kwai is an absolute classic.
You can rent The Bridge on the River Kwai on Amazon Prime Video.
Atonement (2007)
A bleak reminder of how hard it was to find happiness during World War II, Atonement concerns itself first and foremost with events that take place before the war, but features unforgettable battle scenes later on that still astound to this day.
When a young girl falsely accuses her older sister’s boyfriend of rape, she sets both he and her sister on an inexorable course that intersects with the tragedies of the war. Atonement is a wistful, lyrical movie about what it means to find peace, and whether the brutal realities of our world will ever allow us to find it. It also made a star out of Saoirse Ronan, who is the lead actress in Blitz.
You can rent Atonement on Amazon Prime Video.
