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As modern audiences, we tend to take for granted the power of the cinematic experience. We look to movies as a form of escape or transportation, using film as a means by which to forget our problems and take us to places we only dreamed of (or, in some cases, could never dream of). But cinema has the power to inform—not just our knowledge, but our worldviews and perspectives. Perhaps more than any other art, film has the ability to change minds, to color experiences, and to create the zeitgeist.
Over the decades, this power has been wielded by artists to inspire and provoke. The finest films in cinematic history have often been films that changed the conversation and set the stage for new paradigms of thought, spearheading sea changes in cultural acceptability and inclusion. It’s an awesome power, one that can also be used to begin the tides of war.
From our vantage point, here in the present, we like to look back on World War II has a clear and necessary war; perhaps the last “good” war, one that speaks to our innate desire to see the forces of evil toppled by armies of righteousness. But the build up to war is never easy, and back then Americans weren’t quite convinced that entering yet another conflagration in Europe was necessary. It was, in no small way, partly due to the power of film that the minds of Americans were made up.
Netflix’s latest documentary, Five Came Back, explores Americans involvement in WWII from the perspective of film and filmmaking. Based on the book by Mark Harris, the three-part film takes a look at five filmmakers—some of the greatest in cinematic history—and how they used their work to inspire the resilience of Americans, as well as booster morale in troubling times.
John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), John Ford (Stagecoach), William Wyler (Ben-Hur), George Stevens (Shane), and Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) were among the most prolific and influential filmmakers of all time. Even in their era, this quintet of directors were respected as masters of their craft. Faced with the looming threat of fascism in Europe, these fives served their country in the best way they knew how: filmmaking. In special cooperation with American military forces, each produced documentaries and films that opened the windows to the horrors of Europe, giving America audiences a glimpse at what we were facing and bolstering the unstoppable resolve of their people.
As easy as it might be dismiss propaganda films as artless endeavors, the works produced by these five during WWII offer a masterclass in documentary filmmaking, and solidified their standing with audiences. Their works (which are also available to watch on Netflix) informed and inspired audiences, showing us just exactly what it was we were fighting for.
Like the book before it, Five Came Back is an informative look at how filmmaking was used to drum up the march to war, and reinforce our resolve. At the time, the American cinematic propaganda efforts were lagging considerably behind the forces of Germany. Under Joseph Goebbels, the Nazis produced films that were terrifying in their intensity, projecting an awe-inspiring look at Hitler’s regime that shook the people of Europe (indeed, the world) to its foundations. Even today, watching Triumph of the Will, Leni Riefenstahl’s infamous work of Nazi aggrandizement, is a core shaking film, and a new weapon in psychological warfare.
Five Came Back explores, on the surface, how these American filmmakers fired back. Beyond being mere propaganda films, the films produced by these five directors were counterattacks to Nazi propaganda. Pushing their medium to the limits of the day, they were the war cries of a people, screaming in the night as a warning of American power.
As interesting as it is to see that story unfold, Five Came Back is also a loving homage to the history of film, and a study in the raw power of the medium. Featuring interviews with directors Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Greengrass, and others, what ultimately unravels is a class on filmmaking and film itself.
The five subjects of Five Came Back influenced generations of filmmakers; the films you see today exist as they do thanks to the words of Huston, Ford, Capra, Wyler, and Stevens. Each modern filmmaker interviewed for the film was indelibly touched and inspired by their works, and certainly that’s true of just about any director working today. By the end, what you’re left with is a sense of connection between past and present, understanding deeply the thread of history that binds film as a medium and artform.
Different audiences will get different things from this beautiful series. War buffs will find untold stories of American heroism and sacrifice. Film buffs will be taken deep into the works of history’s greatest directors. Each of the work’s threads are tied together, showing how the wheels of creation move in concert with the wheel of progress. No film has quite examined the impact of filmmaking and film quite like Five Came Back, and it’s an absolute must see.
Five Came Back is now streaming on Netflix.
