• These films are set in Korea during the war of the early 1950s.Naturschutz in Korea image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
  
  Particularly following the events of World War I and II, the war film has become a genre in its own right, often featuring both the horror and the beauty of the human spirit at war. Each of the most famous wars--particularly those in which Americans were involved--has its own sub-category in the genre, and the Korean War is no exception.
  
  

This Is Korea

• This documentary film was released in 1951, two years before the Korean War would end. It documents the beginnings of the conflict, uses no stock footage, is in color, and features interviews with actual army officers and enlisted men. Notable perhaps because it is a precursor to the ways in which documentary film and photojournalism would be used in the coming Vietnam War, it was directed by famous American filmmaker John Ford ("The Grapes of Wrath," "The Quiet Man," "The Searchers").
  
  

Battle Circus

• This romantic drama was set and made during the Korean War. It was released in 1953 and stars American film giant Humphrey Bogart. The film avoids issues of morality regarding the war itself and instead seems to focus on the issues of starting and maintaining a relationship during the hardships presented by war. It was directed by Richard Brooks ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof").
  
  

Sayonara

• Released in 1957, this film stars Marlon Brando as an American Air Force pilot who falls in love with a Japanese singer during the war. Directed by Joshua Logan ("Camelot"), it is a romantic drama that deals directly with the issues of racism at the time. The movie was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 4 of them.
  
  

All the Young Men

• This Korean War film deals again with issues of racism that existed in the U.S. military. The story concerns a black platoon sergeant who is thrust in charge of white enlisted men when his superior dies. It came out in 1960 and was directed by Hall Bartlett ("Jonathan Livingston Seagull") and stars Sidney Poitier and Alan Ladd.
  
  

MASH

• Although it may be seen as a commentary on the Vietnam War, this famous 1970 film is about a group of army doctors in the Korean War who use humor to get through the horrors of war. The critically-acclaimed film was directed by Robert Altman ("Nashville") and stars Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Elliot Gould, and Robert Duvall. It won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and inspired the well-known and long-running television series.
  
  

MacArthur

• General Douglas MacArthur was in charge of the Korean War until 1952, at which time he was relieved of duty by President Truman for insubordination. This 1977 movie recounts the story of his life and was directed by Joseph Sargent. It stars Gregory Peck and was nominated for a Golden Globe.
  
  

Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo

• This South Korean film, whose title means "The Brotherhood of War" in English, was directed and co-written by Je-gyu Kang in 2004. It features the story of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War and won nine awards, including Best Film and Best Director at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.