Humanity experienced, in the first two decades of the 20th century, one of the darkest periods in its history: the First World War. Initiated from the assassination of the prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Francisco Ferdinando, during his visit to Saravejo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the conflict lasted from 1914 to 1918 with Central Europe as the main stage.
However, the shrapnel of war spread across the world, affecting countries that, in some ways, were involved in the conflict. The balance was the death of approximately 9 million people, between civilians and military. The number of injuries, however, reached approximately 30 million. So much horror would not go unnoticed through the lens of cinema that, to this day, seek to portray the conflict from different angles.
Some features, however, deserve to be highlighted both for illustrating, in a real way, what life was like on the front, and for involving characters often forgotten by the books. Check out the 29 best movies about WWI to learn a little more about this period.
Index
- Glory made of blood
- Monty Python – The Meaning of Life
- the grand parade
- The Twelve Monkeys
- The Fields Will Return
- nothing new on the front
- Eternal love
- Lawrence of Arabia
- Passion Legends
- War Horse
- wings
- The great dictator
- The Dawn Patrol
- Gallipoli
- Merry Christmas
- an adventure in africa
- Carlitos in the Trenches
- Angels from Hell
- Hugo Cabret's invention
- Jaccus
- The Lost Patrol
- Path of Glory
- The Great Illusion
- sergeant york
- the great war
- The King and the Citizen
- twilight of the eagles
- This World Is Crazy
- Oh! What a beautiful war!
Glory made of blood
Stanley Kubrick's film takes the viewer through the physical and psychological terrors present in trench warfare. To get an idea of the intensity, the film was censored until 1970 by the Swiss army for the presence of practical information about the conflict.
Monty Python – The Meaning of Life
The third feature produced by the English comedy group Monty Python to try to explain the meaning of life. The film features sketches about the stages of life, from birth to death, including what life was like during a First World War battle.
the grand parade
The film tells the story of the son of a wealthy American businessman who enlists in World War I, being sent to France. There, he falls in love and befriends soldiers belonging to the working class.
The Twelve Monkeys
The science fiction feature features the story of James Cole, an inmate who participates in an experiment that does so go back in time to alert past generations to the devastation Earth would suffer from a virus mortal. On one of these trips, Cole stops at a World War I battle.
The Fields Will Return
The 2014 film is set at the end of the conflict and was inspired by historical facts of the Italian army. The objective is to show who survived the war and not who won.
nothing new on the front
The 1930 film tells about the disillusionment of a group of young people when they discovered the horrors of war. Inspired by the eponymous book by Erich Maria Remarque and directed by Lewis Milestone.
Eternal love
This French film tells the story of a young woman whose fiance was fighting in World War I. Starring Audrey Tautou, from The Fabulous Destino by Amélie Poulain.
Lawrence of Arabia
Winner of seven Oscars, it is considered one of the best historical films in history. In the narrative, a British officer is part of the campaigns of the Arabian Peninsula in World War I.
Passion Legends
The film is set over a period of ten years from the start of World War I until the mid-1930s. The film portrays the conflict through different scenarios, from a funeral to a dinner table.
War Horse
The feature film directed by Steven Spielberg, too, begins before the conflict and ends after World War I, having as its initial setting a rural England. Telling the story of the friendship between a boy and a horse sold to the war, the film shows the battlefields and the relationships between the soldiers themselves.
wings
The background is the love triangle formed by two boys from different economic classes and a girl. Young people become pilots during World War I and, therefore, the film impresses with the aviation scenes created at the time.
The great dictator
This is the first talking film by Charles Chaplin and, of course, it brings a satire on the rise of Adolf Hitler, in Germany, from the end of the First World War until the explosion of the second conflict.
The Dawn Patrol
Another feature that focuses on pilots who worked in the great conflict. The protagonists are two British Air Force airmen who dislike the commander for sending novice pilots into combat. However, what they didn't know is that their superior, in fact, was trying to stop the practice in a tension which increases when the Red Baron and the elite German squad take the front line of the English.
Gallipoli
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Unlike other productions, the film highlights the importance of Australians during the First World War period. It portrays how soldiers lost their innocence due to armed conflict.
Merry Christmas
The differential of this film is that it shows the few moments of humanity experienced during the First War. Narrating a fact that actually happened, the film tells the moment when, on the eve of Christmas, 1914, French, German and Belgian troops establish a truce from the war and decide to commemorate the date between themselves. Obviously, the commanders disagreed with the attitude and ordered the men to return to war.
an adventure in africa
Another feature set outside the European battlefields, this time in Africa. The plot revolves around an adventurous boat owner who is convinced by an Englishwoman to destroy a German ship in the Belgian Congo. But for that, they need to navigate the turbulent waters of the Congo River, of course, facing all kinds of adversity
Carlitos in the Trenches
Another one by Charles Chaplin having conflict as a theme. Set in Great War France, the actor plays a recruit transformed into a hero who is then summoned to a risky mission in enemy lines.
Angels from Hell
Two brothers enlist at the start of World War I. The two volunteer for a difficult bombing mission, and while one risks losing his cowardly reputation, the other is always protecting him.
Hugo Cabret's invention
Little Hugo Cabret is orphaned after the tragic death of his father and goes to live in a train station in Paris, in the 1930s. Living adventures alongside a friend and a broken robot, the boy stars in a critique of European society between the wars.
Jaccus
In a sad irony of fate, two men involved with the same woman (husband and lover) meet in the trenches of World War I and share its horrors.
The Lost Patrol
A British Cavalry troop is isolated in the Mesopotamian desert. The sergeant is forced to take command upon the officer's death as he watches each of his entourages being caught and killed by the Arabs.
Path of Glory
One of the most expressive works on the horrors of war, the film tells the story of a French lieutenant who fights against the German advance during the First World War. However, he doesn't realize that his obsession with victory is making him his worst enemy.
The Great Illusion
The classic sets World War I around a group of French soldiers imprisoned in a German camp in 1916. With this, he makes an analysis of conflict and human behavior in the face of its horrors.
sergeant york
A pacifist soldier must abandon his Christian beliefs when he is called to the front in World War I.
the great war
In Italy in 1916, two young men are called up to join the army and thus fight in World War I. Even doing everything to escape, they end up at the front and see themselves responsible for a decisive mission.
The King and the Citizen
An officer is assigned to designate a soldier accused of desertion and, during the investigation, notices numerous obscure facts.
twilight of the eagles
The drama set in Germany at the end of World War I tells the story of a peasant who is promoted to the elite of the German air force. He then has to fight not only his enemies but the prejudice of fellow aviation born into the wealthier classes. Engaged to save his honor, he proves that he will do anything to win the Blue Max, the most coveted medal for aviation in his country. However, for this, he will need to get a higher price than he imagined.
This World Is Crazy
Mistaken for an explosives specialist, an ornithologist is sent to a small French town during the First World War. His mission is to investigate an obscure report by the resistance regarding a bomb planted by the Germans to destroy an arms depot. However, he ends up chased by enemy soldiers and takes refuge in an asylum. As if the situation was not enough, the inmates believe they are being visited by the King of Hearts.
Oh! What a beautiful war!
The musical addresses, ironically, the way Europe dealt with the First War. Using songs from the time, he ridicules events such as the Christmas celebration itself, turning the trenches into a stage for music and dance.
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