Suggested movies to understand the conflict in Korea

View these movies to better understand the situation during the period of the conflict in Korea,
especially how that generation saw the war and reacted to it. Some of these movies were
released during the war under conditions of censorship and before all facts were known, so our
understanding of events since then may have changed. A few look back on events and
sometimes comment more on the values and perspectives of when the film was made rather
than when the events occurred, while others help to put events into context. Some of these
movies are available on the internet, others at the library, and some from commercial sources.
Contemporary View of the War:
- This is Korea!. 1951, Documentary, 50 min, directed by John Ford and John Irish as narrator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_dLez1g9k
- Acclaimed World War II director John Fords documentary explains how the war started and
why the United States was involved. This is a rare, for the time, color film that uses combat
footage to show an authentic realism about Korea, its people, and the fighting.
- The Steel Helmet. 1951, Drama, 85 min, with Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie
- A rag tag group of American stragglers fight Communist forces, and shelter in a Buddhist
temple helped by an orphan boy. A stark portrayal of the bleak opening days of the war.
- Korea Patrol. 1951, Drama, 59 min, with Richard Emory, Sung Li, Benson Fong, Al Eben
- One of the first movies about the war released in which a mixed American-South Korean
patrol blows up a critical bridge to delay the North Korean advance, a realistic portrayal.
- Retreat, Hell. 1952, Drama, 95 min with Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise
- Filmed early during the Korean War, about a Marine battalion forced to cross frozen
territory to escape Chosin Reservoir and an overwhelming force of Chinese soldiers.
- One Minute to Zero. 1952, Drama-Romance, 105 min, with Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth
- A story of an idealistic UN official at the start of the Korean War who learns the horrors of
war when she falls in love with an Air Force officer in charge of evacuating citizens.
- Battle Circus. 1953, Drama-Romance, 90 min, with Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson
- This is a story of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) on the front lines overwhelmed
by casualties and emergency evacuations, and threatened by weather and the enemy.
- Cease Fire! 1953, Documentary, 75 min, with each actor a combat veteran playing himself
- Actual American soldiers re-enact a real Korean War operation with real battle footage,
filmed before the actual truce. Portrays a 13-man platoon on a deep scouting patrol.
- The Bridges at Toko-Ri. 1954, Drama-Romance, 102 min, 1 Oscar and 1 more nomination,
with Grace Kelly, William Holden, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, written by James Michner
- The personal side of fighting the Korean War through naval aviation is revealed, as a fighter
pilot and his family agonizes over the war. Excellent flying scenes of F-9F Panther jets
undertaking a dangerous mission, and the hazards of war.
- The McConnell Story. 1955, Drama, 106 min, Alan Ladd, June Allyson, James Whitmore

- True story of World War II navigator and then the U.S. Air Forces jet-fighter first triple ace
in the Korean War and his family on the home front.
- Men in War. 1957, Drama, 102 min, with Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Vic Morrow
- On September 6th, 1950 a platoon is found itself trapped behind enemy lines. Despite
conflicts in personality the men must set aside differences and make it to their division.
- Battle Hymn. 1957, Drama, 108 min, with Rock Hudson, Anna Kashfi, Richard Loo
- A remorseful WWII bomber pilot, turned Christian minister, rejoins the Air Force to fight in
Korea. He helps build an orphanage with a Korean teacher, and then must help defend it.
- The Hunters. 1958, Drama Romance, 108 min, with Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner,
Richard Egan, and May Britt
- Realistic flying scenes depict US Air Force F-86 Sabre jets against North Korean MiGs.
Shows a motley group of fighter pilots against a North Korean ace and tensions that follow.
- Pork Chop Hill. 1959, Drama, 97 min with Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, George
Peppard, and written by S. L. A. Marshall
- This is a classic film, realistic in its depiction of the closing days of the war. With peace
negotiations under way, an army unit must attack and retake Pork Chop Hill, against a
Chinese counterattack.
- Korea the Forgotten War. 1987, Documentary, 120 min with Ed Herlihy, narrator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsjAYpw9S3g
- A history of the Korean War as seen through newsreels of the day showing historic figures.
- Korean War Stories. 2001, Documentary, 56 min
- A history of the "Forgotten War", the Korean War, as told by the American veterans, both
famous and unknown, who fought there.
- Finnegans War. 2011, Documentary, with Mark Hamill, Connor Timmis, Kurt Chew-Een Lee
- A documentary that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, and is meant
to educate future generations. Includes oral histories of veterans from the war.
Retrospective View of the War:
- M * A * S * H. 1970, Comedy-Drama, 112 min, 1 Oscar and 4 more nominations, with Donald
Sutherland, Eliot Gould, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff
- This iconic film was set during the Korean War in a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH),
and is really a caustic commentary on the Vietnam War that followed. Its dark humor about
two surgeons who rebel against Army life, was controversial. Became a hit TV comedy.
- The Brotherhood of War (Tae Guk Gi). 2004, Drama, 140 min (subtitles), with Dong-gun Jang,
Bin Won. Best selling Korean movie of all time.
- Two South Korean brothers are forced to fight in the army against North Korean invaders.
This story follows them through the war, and tells of their relationship and the wars violence
- Operation Chromite. 2016, 155 min, Thiller with Liam Neeson, Jung-jae Lee, Beom-su Lee
- This is a different take on the crucial invasion of Inchon, which changed the course of the
war, under GEN Douglas McArthur. This version portrays a key spy South Korean spy

units contribution to the success of this invasion.

Compiled in 2011, updated in 2012 and 2016 for the Silver Spring Veterans Memorial, PA. Comments to
bouchatc@hotmail.com