List of films based on war books — peace

A list of films that are based on war books. If a book has been turned into both a film and a TV series (or TV film), then the TV series is included.

18th Century

British Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Royal Navy

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Frequently filmed: Mutiny on the Bounty

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

In the Wake of the Bounty

1933

Charles Chauvel

USA

Mutiny on the Bounty (uncredited)

Charles Nordhoff &
James Norman Hall (uncredited)

1932

Novel

-

-

-

2

Mutiny on the Bounty

1935

Frank Lloyd

USA

Mutiny on the Bounty

Charles Nordhoff &
James Norman Hall

1932

Novel

-

-

-

Imperial Russian Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Lieutenant Kijé
Поручик Киже

1934

Aleksandr Faintsimmer

Soviet Union

Poruchik Kizhe

Yury Tynyanov

1927

Novella

-

-

-

19th Century

Missions

African exploration

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Mountains of the Moon

1990

Bob Rafelson

USA

Burton and Speke

William Harrison

1984

Novel

-

-

-

British Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Conduct Unbecoming

1975

Michael Anderson

UK

Conduct Unbecoming

Barry England

1969

Play

-

-

-

Royal Navy

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

French Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Judge and the Assassin

1976

Bertrand Tavernier

France

Le juge et l'assassin

Henri Garet &
René Tavernier

1976

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

1

Vacher l'éventreur et les crimes sadiques

Alexandre Lacassagne

1899

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

Dreyfus Affair

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

L'Affaire Dreyfus

1930

Richard Oswald

Germany

Der Fall Dreyfus ?

Bruno Weil

19??

Novel

-

-

-

2

L'Affaire Dreyfus

1931

F.W. Kraemer &
Milton Rosmer

UK

Der Fall Dreyfus ?

Wilhelm Herzog &
Hans Rehfisch

19??

Play

-

-

-

3

The Life of Emile Zola

1937

William Dieterle

USA

Zola and His Time

Matthew Josephson

1928

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

4

I Accuse!

1958

José Ferrer

UK

Captain Dreyfus: The Story of a Mass Hysteria

Nicholas Halasz

1955

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

5

Affäre Dreyfus *

1959

Hanns Farenburg

West Germany

Der Fall Dreyfus ?

Wilhelm Herzog &
Hans Rehfisch

19??

Play

-

-

-

6

L'affaire Dreyfus *

1995

Yves Boisset

France & Germany

L'Affaire

Jean-Denis Bredin

1983/1993

Novel

-

-

-

  • * TV movie.
Frequently filmed: "J'accuse"

Zola (and Lazare) are assumed sources in these instances.

Bulletin ... film currently in development: The Dreyfus Affair by director unknown

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

L'Affaire Dreyfus

1899

Georges Méliès

France

"J'accuse"

Émile Zola

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

1

L’affaire Dreyfus
– Une erreur judiciaire

Bernard Lazare

1896

Pamphlet

-

-

-

2

Trial of Captain Dreyfus

1899

American Mutoscope

USA

"J'accuse"

Émile Zola

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

3

Dreyfus Receiving His Sentence

1899

American Mutoscope

USA

"J'accuse"

Émile Zola

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

4

L'Affaire Dreyfus,
partie 1

1902

Ferdinand Zecca

France

"J'accuse"

Émile Zola

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

5

L'Affaire Dreyfus,
partie 2

1908

Lucien Nonguet & Ferdinand Zecca

France

"J'accuse"

Émile Zola

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

6

Émile Zola ou La conscience humaine *

1978

Stellio Lorenzi

France

"J'accuse" (uncredited)

Émile Zola (uncredited)

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

7

Prisoner of Honor *

1991

Ken Russell

UK

"J'accuse" (uncredited)

Émile Zola (uncredited)

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

8

The Dreyfus Affair

2009

In Development

?

"J'accuse" (unconfirmed)

Émile Zola (unconfirmed)

1898

Open Letter

-

-

-

Prussian Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Der Hauptmann von Köpenick

1926

Siegfried Dessauer

Germany

Wie ich Hauptmann von Köpenick wurde: mein Lebensbild

Wilhelm Voigt ♠

1909

Memoir

-

-

-

  • ♠ There were also two immediate films made in 1906 based on Voigt's story, shortly after the incident occurred.

Frequently filmed: The Captain of Köpenick

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Der Hauptmann von Köpenick

1931

Richard Oswald

Germany

The Captain of Köpenick

Carl Zuckmayer

1931

Play

-

-

-

2

I Was a Criminal
aka Captain of Koepenick

1945

Richard Oswald

USA

The Captain of Köpenick

Carl Zuckmayer

1931

Play

-

-

-

3

Der Hauptmann von Köpenick

1956

Helmut Käutner

West Germany

The Captain of Köpenick

Carl Zuckmayer

1931

Play

-

-

-

4

Der Hauptmann von Köpenick *

1997

Frank Beyer

Germany, Austria, Switzerland

The Captain of Köpenick

Carl Zuckmayer

1931

Play

-

-

-

  • * TV movie.

Imperial Russian Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Spanish Army

Frequently filmed: Carmen

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Carmen

2003

Vicente Aranda

Spain

Carmen

Prosper Mérimée

1845

Novella

-

-

-

20th Century

Missions

Arctic exploration

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Red Tent
Красная палатка

1969

Mikhail Kalatozov

Soviet Union & Italy

My Polar Flights

Gen. Umberto Nobile

1961

Memoir

-

-

-

Antarctic exploration

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Scott of the Antarctic

1948

Charles Frend

UK

Scott's Last Expedition: The Personal Journals of Captain R.F. Scott, CVO, RN

Capt. R.F. Scott

1913

Journals

-

-

-

Occupation of Japan

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Teahouse of the August Moon

1956

Daniel Mann

USA

The Teahouse of the August Moon

John Patrick

1953

Play

-

-

-

1

The Teahouse of the August Moon

Vern Sneider

1951

Novel

-

-

-

2

Sayonara

1957

Joshua Logan

USA

Sayonara

James Michener

1954

Novel

-

-

-

Space exploration

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Right Stuff

1983

Philip Kaufman

USA

The Right Stuff

Tom Wolfe

1979

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

2

Apollo 13

1995

Ron Howard

USA

Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13

Jim Lovell &
Jeffrey Kluger

1994

Memoir/
Non-Fiction

-

-

-

3

From the Earth to the Moon

1998

?

USA

A Man on the Moon

Andrew Chaikin

1994

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

Search and rescue

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Perfect Storm

2000

Wolfgang Petersen

USA

The Perfect Storm

Sebastian Junger

1997

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

US Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

At War with the Army

1950

Hal Walker

USA

At War with the Army

James B. Allardice

1949

Play

-

-

-

2

Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story *

1995

Jeff Bleckner

USA

Serving in Silence

Margarethe Cammermeyer

1994?

Memoir

-

-

-

3

The General's Daughter

1999

Simon West

USA

The General's Daughter

Nelson DeMille

1992

Novel

-

-

-

  • * TV movie.

Armour

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Pentagon Wars *

1998

Richard Benjamin

USA

The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard

Col. James G. Burton

1993

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

  • * TV movie.

Cavalry

Cadets

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Taps

1981

Harold Becker

USA

Father Sky

Devery Freeman

198?

Novel

-

-

-

US Navy

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

On the Town

1949

Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

USA

On the Town

Betty Comden & Adolph Green

1944

Musical

-

-

-

2

Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.

1966

Byron Paul

USA

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

1719

Novel

-

-

-

3

The Last Detail

1973

Hal Ashby

USA

The Last Detail

Daryl Ponicsan

1970

Novel

-

-

-

4

Cinderella Liberty

1973

Mark Rydell

USA

Cinderella Liberty

Daryl Ponicsan

1973

Novel

-

-

-

5

Grey Lady Down

1978

David Greene

USA

Event 1000

David Lavallee

1971

Novel

-

-

-

6

A Glimpse of Hell *

2001

Mikael Salomon

Canada

A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the USS Iowa and Its Cover-Up

Charles C. Thompson II

1999

Non-Fiction

-

-

-

  • * TV movie.

USMC

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

The Great Santini

1979

Lewis John Carlino

USA

The Great Santini

Pat Conroy

1976

Novel

-

-

-

2

A Few Good Men

1992

Rob Reiner

USA

A Few Good Men

Aaron Sorkin

1989

Play

-

-

-

USAF

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

British Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Another Dawn

1937

William Dieterle

USA

"The Ambassador's Wife" (uncredited)

W. Somerset Maugham (uncredited)

193?

Story

-

-

-

2

Tunes of Glory

1960

Ronald Neame

UK

Tunes of Glory

James Kennaway

1956

Novel

-

-

-

Armour

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Royal Navy

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Morning Departure

1950

Roy Ward Baker

UK

Morning Departure

Kenneth Woollard

195?

Play

-

-

-

2

The Baby and the Battleship

1956

Jay Lewis

UK

The Baby and the Battleship

Anthony Thorne

195?

Novel

-

-

-

Royal Marines

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

RAF

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Czechoslovak Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Tank Battalion
Tankový prapor

1991

Vít Olmer

Czechoslovakia

The Republic of Whores

Josef Škvorecký

198?

Novel

-

-

-

French Army

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Port of Shadows

1938

Marcel Carné

France

Le Quai des brumes

Pierre Mac Orlan

1927

Novel

-

-

-

Japan Coast Guard

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Umizaru aka
Sea Monkeys

2004

Eiichiro Hasumi

Japan

Umizaru

Satou Shuuhou

200?

Manga

Umizaru Evolution

200?

Japan

Red Army

(Красная Армия)

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

Red Fleet

#

Film

Date

Director

Country

Source
work

Author

Date

Type

TV

Date

Country

1

Baltiytsy
aka Men of the Sea

1938

Aleksandr Faintsimmer

Soviet Union

Mr Midshipman Easy

Captain Marryat

1836

Novel

-

-

-

  • ♠ This film may be a war film, rather than a peace-time military film.
    It has a listing at the IMDb, but no references in Russian Wikipedia (Википедия).

Red Air Force

21st Century

For current conflicts, see the List of films based on war books — post-1945.

Bibliography

  • Clarke, James. Virgin Film: War Films, Virgin Books, London, 2006.
  • 100 Greatest War Movies, special issue of Military History Magazine, Weider History Group, Leesburg, Virginia, 2007.

See also

  • List of films based on war books
  • List of films based on war books — pre-1775
  • List of films based on war books — 1775–1898
  • List of films based on war books — 1898–1926
  • List of films based on war books — 1927–1945
  • List of films based on war books — post-1945
  • List of films based on war books — modern
  • War film
  • War novel
  • List of war films
  • List of United States military books
  • Assassinations in fiction


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