Great War Fictional Movies

[dman]

I am starting a list of fictional movies with Great War  themes

 

Many of the movies are based on real incidents or people, albeit heavily fictionized

 

 Feel free to add your own favorites

 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT   (1930, TV remake 1979)

 

Based on classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque tells story of Idealistic young recruit, Paul Baumer,  his training and introduction to the brutal reality of trench warfare .

 

PATH OF GLORY (1957)

 

A French regiment is ordered to capture a formable German position called the ANT HILL by glory seeking generals

The attack fails with heavy casualties,  the general ordering artillery to fire on their men to drive them forward .  To cover up the failure, 1 man from  each battalion is ordered to be court martial and shot for cowardice.  They are defended by their commander, Colonel Dax, a lawyer in civilian life. 

 

ZEPPWLIN (1971)

 

Geoffrey Richter-Douglas , a young British officer of mixed German and Scottish ancestry, is approached bt German spy with offer to defect.  Reporting this to superior is ordered to go through with defection in order to gain intelligence on new Zeppelin, LZ36.  In Germany Richter-Douglas finds he was recruited to guide the LZ 36 to a remote castle in the Scottish highlands

housing valuable archives including  MAGNA CARTA /   Rousing action - one of my favorites

 

 Will add to this when have them 

 

 Happy viewing

 

 

[GreyC]

Hi,

in Germany "Im Westen nichts Neues" (All Quiet on the Western Front) sparked a lot of controversy and the NSDAP tried to break up screenings of the film so successfully, the film´s run was cut short. A publisher compiled a book with photos from the film which was widely distributed.

Here from my own collection vintage newspapers dealing with the film and the cover of the mentioned book.

GreyC

Edited 12 September , 2019 by GreyC

[Gareth Davies]

Aces High.

[DavidOwen]

African Queen

 

The Blue Max

 

The Trench

 

Flyboys

 

Passchendaele

 

...are just some of those I have enjoyed watching - not all factually correct but entertaining.

 

 

There is a very long list on Wikipedia, although some there may have very tenuous connections with the war itself.

[Moonraker]

There are already quite a few long lists on the Web (Google "world war one films"), such as

 

this

 

and

 

this

 

and several much shorter ones here on the GWF. How do you propose integrating all these titles with those suggested by others?

 

The films listed via my two links must  number some 200 (???) titles.

 

Good luck to you and don't mind me, but what will your list achieve that these don't? As rather more positive members of the GWF than I am  put forward more suggestions, this thread will quickly become cumbersome and difficult to navigate (as is the case with the thread listing UK hospitals), duplication will inevitably occur and the nature of contributions will vary greatly, as with the replies above. Inevitably discussions will start about particular titles (some of which we have already considered), adding to the untidiness.

 

Still, good luck and perhaps other members will respond by saying don't mind old Moonraker - he's always been a gloomy so-and-so.

 

Moonraker

[DavidOwen]

Moonraker does raise a valid point though.... as a search of the forum for "film" or "movie" both in content titles only will quickly make clear.

 

Still, good luck with your attempt.

[David Filsell]

Journey's End - now three versions available I think - of which Aces High was a rip off.

[Moonraker]

Don't forget the German version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Side_(1931_film)

 

(Interesting cast list:  British surnames retained, but with German ranks.)

Watch it here.

 

(We have several threads about the English versions.)

 

Moonraker

Edited 12 September , 2019 by Moonraker

[BIFFO]

Frankie Howard "up the front "a right stinker that should be thrown in the bin PDQ 

[Gunner Bailey]

I recommend a French film.

 

'A very long engagement' Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Top Star Audrey Tautou.

 

Super film, excellent trench scenes, 1920s Paris beautifully recreated. Good story too. Funny at times, very sad at other times.

 

One of the few French films that is up to the standard of a UK / US film.

[MikeyH]

I watched on T.V., probably about twelve years ago a French film set in WW1.

This was about a troop train, that had been caught in a tunnel.  The

tunnel was either bombed or mined.  The drama was about the

recovery of the train and the bodies of the unfortunates from their tomb.

Anyone recall this, or the title?

 

Mike.

[maxi]

40 minutes ago, Gunner Bailey said:

rI recommend a French film.

 

'A very long engagement' Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Top Star Audrey Tautou.

 

Super film, excellent trench scenes, 1920s Paris beautifully recreated. Good story too. Funny at times, very sad at other times.

 

One of the few French films that is up to the standard of a UK / US film.

I am with you on this film.

I loved it ( nothing to do with having a bit of a schoolboy crush on Audrey Tautou).

Highly recommended.

[josquin]

11 hours ago, MikeyH said:

I watched on T.V., probably about twelve years ago a French film set in WW1.

This was about a troop train, that had been caught in a tunnel.  The

tunnel was either bombed or mined.  The drama was about the

recovery of the train and the bodies of the unfortunates from their tomb.

Anyone recall this, or the title?

 

Mike.

 

The film is "Life and Nothing But" (or, its French title, "La Vie et Rien d'Autre").  Produced in 1989 and directed by Bertrand Tavernier,

it featured the incomparable Philippe Noiret and Sabine Azema, and won the 1989 BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language

(British Academy of Film and Television Arts). A great film, not least for standing among the few to present a profound portrayal of the

aftermath of the war and its impact on both veterans and civilians.

 

Josquin

Edited 13 September , 2019 by josquin

[MikeyH]

58 minutes ago, josquin said:

 

The film is "Life and Nothing But" (or, its French title, "La Vie et Rien d'Autre").  Produced in 1989 and directed by Bertrand Tavernier,

it featured the incomparable Philippe Noiret and Sabine Azema, and won the 1989 BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language

(British Academy of Film and Television Arts). A great film, not least for standing among the few to present a profound portrayal of the

aftermath of the war and its impact on both veterans and civilians.

 

Josquin

 

Josquin,

Many thanks, I can recall a chilling scene when the train is dragged from the tunnel.

Mike.

[Roger H]

15 hours ago, Gunner Bailey said:

I recommend a French film.

 

'A very long engagement' Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Top Star Audrey Tautou.

 

Super film, excellent trench scenes, 1920s Paris beautifully recreated. Good story too. Funny at times, very sad at other times.

 

One of the few French films that is up to the standard of a UK / US film.

I just love that film.  You describe it well

[Gunner Bailey]

On 12/09/2019 at 19:58, maxi said:

I am with you on this film.

I loved it ( nothing to do with having a bit of a schoolboy crush on Audrey Tautou).

Highly recommended.

 

22 hours ago, Roger H said:

I just love that film.  You describe it well

 

Thanks for agreeing with me. I've always thought it was a hidden gem of European cinema. And one of the best staged WW1 trench films there is. I'm not an expert on French field gear but it looked 100% accurate to me.

Edited 14 September , 2019 by Gunner Bailey

[Nick Beale]

If you're including stories based on the pre-war spy panics, then there's The 39 Steps (the Robert Powell version sticks with the novel's era) and The Riddle of the Sands.

 

A few years ago there was also the BFI re-release of the The Battle of Coronel and the Falklands. That one is based on real events obviously but also interesting for forerunners of the comedy elements typical of British war films. Conversely the nocurnal dry-dock scenes at Devonport are like something out of Eisenstein or Metropolis.

[Marilyne]

On ‎12‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 20:12, Gunner Bailey said:

I recommend a French film.

 

'A very long engagement' Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Top Star Audrey Tautou.

 

Super film, excellent trench scenes, 1920s Paris beautifully recreated. Good story too. Funny at times, very sad at other times.

 

One of the few French films that is up to the standard of a UK / US film.

 

I'm with you too!!! the book is also very good!!

 

In the same trend, there is "La Chambres des Officiers", based on the book by Marc Dugain and telling the story of an officer that gets his face blown off and then his long way to getting back healthy as a "gueulle cassée". The end is very good, when after the war, a little girl in the metro tells him "vous n'êtes pas un monstre"...

 

And another French movie: "Joyeux Noël" about the Christmas truces.... very very fictional but a great soundtrack featuring Rolando Villazón and Natalie Dessay.

 

and of course a girl cannot forget to mention War Horse (yes, I know... )

 

M.

 

 

 

[Gunner Bailey]

1 hour ago, Nick Beale said:

 and The Riddle of the Sands.

 

 

Must be the only film / book where the author was executed by the British Army.

 

Actually one of my favourite likes as well.

[Hedley Malloch]

2 hours ago, Gunner Bailey said:

 

Must be the only film / book where the author was executed by the British Army.

 

Actually one of my favourite likes as well.

 

Actually it was the Irish Free State Army that did for him.

[Hyacinth1326]

La Grande Illusion.  1937.  Influenced by the 'disenchantment school' ????

 

How about 'The Trench'

Edited 16 September , 2019 by Hyacinth1326

[Dust Jacket Collector]

The first winner of the Oscar for best picture ‘Wings’

[Marilyne]

There's also "Beneath Hill 60" and "The Wipers Times"

 

M.

[Gunner Bailey]

3 hours ago, Hedley Malloch said:

 

Actually it was the Irish Free State Army that did for him.

My error, thank you.

[Nick Beale]

For another with a French army setting (ableit starring the not-very-French Kirk Douglas) there's Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory".