There is no better judge of a war film than a soldier. And with that in mind, a new survey by British Forces Broadcasting Service Television (BFBS TV) has revealed the favourite war films as voted for by members of the armed forces. The winner was Zulu, the classic 1964 film starring Michael Caine. The results are quite telling when compared with Channel 4’s recent poll of the greatest 100 war films – voted for, of course, by joe public. They only voted Zulu a lowly 8th, while The Cruel Sea (ranked 7th by the soldiers) only managed to scrape 41st.

Much of these differences can be put down to patriotic feelings amongst the forces (six of the top ten films are British). However, it’s also noticeable that ‘arty’ classics Apocalypse Now and Schindler’s List are down at 13th and 16th respectively. The implication is clearly that battlefield realism is paramount among the qualities appreciated by the soldiers, and certainly the appearances of Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket in the top 5 endorse this.

It’s also good to see The Longest Day make the top 10. Personally, I feel this to be one of the finest war-films ever made, both in terms of scope and execution, and rarely does it feature highly in critical polls. It’s testament to the lasting appeal of films such as this and Ice Cold in Alex that, even though most of those surveyed were not born when they were released, they still feature prominently in the consciences of today’s armed forces.