Since today is the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory day, I've decided to remember great films about war. (BTW, we made a marvellous program about war in Moscow Cinema Museum). Of course, this topic is really hard to cover, that's why I've chosen Soviet cinema. Any answers and additions are welcome!

IVAN'S CHILDHOOD (Andrey Tarkovsky, 1962)
In my opinion the most daring and the most overwhelming anti-war movie ever! Tarkovsky expressionist technique makes you feel (not understand - really feel!) the horros of war; and the breaking of child soul is so obvious and understandable (but both so terrible!) that you will never forget this local tragedy of one kid.

THE CRANES ARE FLYING (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957)
Almost certainly the most famous Soviet film about war (apparently due to its victory in Cannes) tells very simple but nonetheless really tragic story about the girl whose lover has perished in the war. Acclaimed as one of the best examples of perfect cinematography (great Sergei Urusevsky is maybe at his best here) this movie depicts the main war tragedy - tragedy of the lost love - with incredible honesty. 

BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (Grigori Chukhraj, 1959)
Undoubtedly the most heartbreaking movie among the great Soviet series of films about war. The story about a young brave soldier who returns home to see his mother is as simple as eternal. Chukhraj was also a soldier of that war and he put all his emotional experience into this picture. No wonder it turned out to be one of the most impressive films about war.

TWENTY DAYS WITHOUT WAR (Alexei German, 1976)
Filmed on the base of Simonov's novel "From the notes of Lopatin" this movie tells about the war journalist who arrived to the rear town to take part in the shooting of the film based on his screenplay. It's German's first real success: he convincingly depicts rear - the underside of the war. He's also succeded in the researching of the problems of a soldier who has to get used to peaceful life.

COME AND SEE (Elem Klimov, 1985)
One of the most honest and terrible films about WWII. It depicts real brutality (at both sides of barricades) of the war. One of the most covincing attempts to understand origins of the human cruelty. 

The list is to be continued...