History films

I find the problem with most modern films about historical events - & especially war - is that they tend to be too gory and scary. So we've been dipping into the oldies but goodies & found two good films about WW2.

The Longest Day and Tora, Tora, Tora

The Longest Day, which clocks in at almost 3 hours long, tells the story of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. There are tons of characters and story lines, and they show the five beach sectors as well as the aerial assault, paratroopers, and the coordination with the French resistance. The film also portrays the German response (or lack thereof, in some cases). It's black & white and has a bit of an old fashioned feel, but the 3 hours fly by. Obviously there is death and some very sad scenes of the carnage, esp on the beaches, but it is sanitized enough for kids to watch.

Tora, Tora, Tora (2h10min) deals with the attack on Pearl Harbour. It is from 1970 and is in color but again, most scenes of death are portrayed from a distance, and there is no gore.

I'd say both are ok for 10+, so iffy for kids on their first rotation through the moderns, but fine on your second rotation.

Always seems kind of strange to be trying to learn about war. On one hand, you don't want it to be so sanitized that it becomes meaningless. On the other hand, esp. with kids, surely we don't need to see all the gore and guts until they get into their teen years. In the younger years, I stuck with stories, and some limited images in books. We're just now delving into film depictions of war and combat, so we're easing in gently.

Seems to me there was someone who did a long list of movies arranged the WTM chronology but I've lost the link. Anyone?

And if you have recommendations for historical films from any period which are not as gory or intense as the modern fare, please share!

I did find this link: http://www.historyinfilm.com/ but right off the bat, I can see it's not what I'm looking for now. Spartacus? Nope. Maybe in another year. Saving Private Ryan? Are you kidding? I agree with commonsense media that it's a 16+. Commonsense Media btw is my new go-to place for reviews; I think I like it even better than Parent Previews.