[Lancey Howard]

Although it may not qualify, exactly, as a “World War I movie”, the 1926 film, ‘Tell it to the Marines’, starring Lon Chaney (in his only starring role where he didn’t wear sophisticated makeup), is truly a great movie. I got to watch it on TCM last summer and was floored.

By the way, Lon Chaney was a huge star a real long time ago but is, hands down, one of the greatest actors of all time. He pioneered the art of makeup and starred in many of the most enduring movies of the era (’The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, for example). He was a very private family man who once proclaimed, “Between movies, there is no Lon Chaney.” He built a cabin high in the Sierra Nevada wilderness as a retreat. A read of his Wiki bio is highly recommended if you are not familiar with the great Lon Chaney. He died young, in 1930, at age 47.

(Yes, Chaney’s son, Lon Chaney, Jr. later found fame as ‘The Wolfman’, Larry Talbot.)

[decal]

“J’Accuse”, "Hearts of the World" and “Shoulder Arms” could also be mentioned.

[El Cid]

King of Hearts?
Not one of the top three, but I liked it...

[eartrumpet]

Sgt York, then the rest. I never miss that movie.

I found an old book once called Legion of the Condemned. Pretty standard war love story but in the back was a glossy picture of Gary Cooper and Faye Wray and it said it was a soon to be released Hollywood movie.

I checked IMDB to see if I could view the movie and found this quote: “This movie is presumed lost. Please check your attic.”

[Swede Girl]

Good ones have been listed, but I also liked a movie that centered around WWI in the beginning of the movie, and progressed to WWII in the story line. The movie was “To Each His Own” with Olivia DeHavilland. Kind of a chick movie, I guess, but a great story and a tear jerker ending.

[jmacusa]

“All Quiet On The Western front’’(1930). Front-line horrors told from the German perspective.

[T Minus Four]

Gone With the Wind”

[pjd]

Dawn Patrol.

[Argus]

Grand Illusion by Renoir.

The Lost Patrol by John Ford (set in Iraq!)

Wings - first Oscar winner.

The Big Parade

The Fighting 69th.

[MasterGunner01]

The Lost Battalion starring Rick Schroeder [as Major C. W. Whittlesey] is an excellent movie. The movie itself was done on a very tight budget, but it is a quality production. This is one of the few movies showing the US Army troops using the M1917 Enfield rifles vice the M1903 Springfield. [Sidebar: Remington, Winchester, and Eddystone built 2.5 million M1917 rifles; Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal produced about 1.5 million.]

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

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I'll nominate of my favorite WWI movies, The Blue Max, for an honorable mention.

[emotionalcripple]

“The Fighting 69th” with Pat O’Brien as a Catholic Priest with balls and Jimmy Cagney, a coward turned hero.

[Rashputin]

ANZACS. If you can find it you’ll see exactly why it’s the best or among the best.

[left that other site]

Grand Illusions
Sergeant York
Lawrence of Arabia
All Quiet on the Western Front
Dr. Zhivago
Blue Max

Just a few of my Favorites, in no particular order

[GingisK]

They forgot “The Lost Battalion”

[Mashood]

Colonel Redl

[Gay State Conservative]

I've seen one documentary/film on WWI and I saw it recently.It must have been by an Australian or New Zealand company because it focused almost entirely on ANZAC forces.Can't recall the name but it was *outstanding*.I'm almost certain it was on a PBS station.

[Gay State Conservative]

On second thought there's another thing,apart from the previously mentioned “Blackadder”,that I've seen...one of the series of Upstairs/Downstairs was set in England during WWI and,while fictional,was still quite informative and *very* well done.

[Zionist Conspirator]

It's good to see this list. It's hard to find a WWI picture on TV, saturated as it is with WWII pics. I suppose it's due to WWI taking place in the silent era, WWII coming during the sound era and just as television was about to burst onto the scene, and the nature of the villains we fought in the latter. I imagine there are lots of decaying old silent propaganda films made during the war that no one has seen for ages.

Why isn't The African Queen on the list? Not even an honorable mention?

[Conan the Librarian]

Shout at the Devil with Lee Marvin and Roger Moore.