Posted on 07/30/2012 7:53:45 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Without question, more movies have been made about World War II than any other, but before World War II there was World War I, and some of the best — if not the best — war films ever made were inspired by that conflict. Most movies about the Great War incorporate strong anti-war messages, and to be fair, I can think of few other conflicts (except perhaps the Crimean War or the Thirty Years War) in which this attitude is more appropriate.
You’ll see this thread running through almost every one of my picks — it’s just the way it is. With the exception of movies made as propaganda during WWI and WWII, a good hunk of the First World War films were turned out in the 1920s and ’30s, when the nations of the world were licking their wounds and realizing what a grim, useless affair the whole mess really had been. World War I also proved to be an excellent analogy for Vietnam, so a number of First World War movies were also produced during that period. Anyway, without further ado, here are my particular favorites (and some runners-up) in chronological order.
(Excerpt) Read more at gunsandammo.com ...
Gone With the Wind”
The Battle of Roukes Drift, Jan. 22, 1879, saw the most Victoria Crosses ever awarded in the British Army.
Dawn Patrol.
And maybe the best war movie ever made IMNSHO.
How long have you waited for the right moment to tell that one? LOL
And here I thought I was the only one who'd ever watched it.
That’s it: “Sgt. Alvin York”
No you weren’t the only one. I thought it was the best of all the Black Adders. Funny as heck and an ending you don’t see coming.
Grand Illusion by Renoir.
The Lost Patrol by John Ford (set in Iraq!)
Wings - first Oscar winner.
The Big Parade
The Fighting 69th.
Seven Medals of Honor were awarded along with 30 Distinguished Service Crosses in this horrific fight. Major Charles W. Whittlesey (1/308/77), Capt. George G. McMurtry (2/308/77), and Capt. Nelson M. Holderman (K Co./307/77) — ground unit commanders — were awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions. This fight began 2 October 1918 in the Meuse-Argonne Forrest.
Nine companies of the 77th Infantry Division, roughly 554 men made the attack. They were opposed by 3,000-5,000 Germans. Whittlesey did not know that Allied troops on his flanks were stymied by the German's resistance and he was soon cutoff and surrounded. After five days of fighting, units of the 77th Division broke through and rescued the survivors on the evening of 7 October 1918. The Americans lost 197 killed, 150 captured or missing, and 194 survivors walked out under their own power. The Germans lost between 600 to 800 killed in action with an unknown number of wounded.
Sadly, Major Whittlesey did not live long after the war ended. Whittlesey was a pallbearer at the ceremony interring the remains of the Unknown Soldier. However, wartime experiences weighed heavily on him. Whittlesey disappeared from a ship, a suicide, in 1921
“that is a very depressing war.”
I agree, it is almost beyond comprehension how these soldiers continued to perform even when they were almost assured of being a casualty in some battles (Somme).
“Zulu”
One of my all time best movies, and it follows the history rather well.
“...I used to tell people and friends that when they got down and felt that life was getting to be too hard or demanding, to read about the front during WWI and that it would help get them back into the proper perspective...”
I felt that way when I was reading “Lust for Life” a (fictionalized, I think) bio of Vincent Van Gogh. It was a huge best seller back when it first came out, and I think it was made into a movie.
At one point Van Gogh is serving as a pastor to a coal mining community (what country? I’m not sure, I sort of think France, but that seems wrong now). The people are dirt poor, and they don’t even get coal for their own fires, they have to scramble for and burn the, what? slag? Just the coal garbage.
Even the little children work in the mines, and it is so hot that the people work NAKED.
Oh my goodness. I have no idea how accurate any of this was, but I said to myself as I was reading it: no matter how terrible my life may become I will always be grateful to not be one of these poor coal miners!
Of course Van Gogh tries to stick up for them, of course the bosses and finally even the miners don’t appreciate his efforts.
I think I read through one or two more disappointments/failures of his and then I just gave up! His brother Theo really loved him though, that I will say.
And....back on topic, I thought Paths of Glory was one of the most powerful movies I’ve ever seen. And I only saw it once, on like the 4:30 movie, or something like that.
Someday I’ll watch it again, it was brutal but absolutely riveting.
But let’s hope they spelled “Baron” correctly! ;^)
The best WWI movie for aviation was Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels, worth it alone for great footage of vintage planes in action. But even beyond that, it exceeded my expectations. The special effects, especially for the Zeppelin scene, were way, way, WAY ahead of their time. It is an absolutely great movie, and Jean Harlow is timeless in it. When filming began, it was to be a silent movie, but Hughes took so long and went so overbudget that talkies hit the scene before he finished it, so he re-did quite a lot of it as a talkie. Harlow epecially you can see was still incorporating a lot of silent movie techniques even though it was a talkie.
Flyboys was enjoyable ... fairly accurate (except for the all-red German planes!!!{^) and ol' James Franco was surprisingly good in it. And The Blue Max is always good, even if it DOES star George Peppard! *ducking* But Hell's Angels beats them both hands-down, IMO.
Incidentally, anyone reading this thread who is looking for a really excellent though little-known book about WWI aviation, look for "Horses Don't Fly" by Frederick Libby. Very informative and entertaining read. Anyone intrigued by WWI aviation will love the book. You can get it on Amazon.
“The Fighting 69th” with Pat O’Brien as a Catholic Priest with balls and Jimmy Cagney, a coward turned hero.
Spielberg ruined War Horse. If you ever get a chance to see the play, which is touring all over the world, don’t miss it. Packs quite a punch and turned me into a WWI junkie!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.