Combat Films: American Realism, 1945-2010

by Steven Jay Rubin

This critical text offers a behind-the-scenes look at fifteen of the most important American war films of the last 60 years. Based on original interviews and archival research and featuring rare photographs, this book covers films considered unusually realistic for the genre. The original edition (1981) covered war films through World War II, while the present, expanded edition includes seven new chapters covering the Civil War, the American gunboat presence in China in the 1920s, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the fighting in Mogadishu in 1993 and the war in Iraq.

312 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[Rory Aylward · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book written by a film buff for other film buffs ... Rubin's second edition adds more recent films but continues with the same excellent, exploration of combat films as a genre as well as an in depth look at how these films were made. Well worth reading for film lovers in general and practically required reading for war film buff.

The following films are covered in this edition:

WALK IN THE SUN
BATTLEGROUND
TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH
BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
PORK CHOP HILL
LONGEST DAY
HELL IS FOR HEROES
THE GREAT ESCAPE
SAND PEBBLES
PATTON
PLATOON
GETTYSBURG
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
BLACK HAWK DOWN
THE HURT LOCKER.