Watching movies is a great way to learn, review content, and understand how certain historical events happened.
Thinking about it, we selected 12 movies about the First World War to prepare you for the exams or simply to deepen your knowledge.
Good study!
1. Merry Christmas, by Christian Carion (2005)
The French film portrays the lives of soldiers and their officers who are part of a French, Scottish and German troops who meet at the front on Christmas Eve.
Faced with such an important date, the commanders decide to make a truce and fraternize.
2. Gallipoli, by Peter Weir (1981)
Two young Australian friends enlist in British troops and go to fight in the bloodiest of WWI battles on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.
The story shows the youth's enthusiasm for fighting the enemy and also the madness of the attacks that delivered soldiers to their death.
3. Nothing New on the Front, by Lewis Milestone (1930)
The trajectory of seven childhood friends who enlist in German troops to fight for their homeland.
The film paints a portrait of the lost generation that went to the battlefield and did not return or return with devastating physical and psychological sequelae.
4. Lawrence of Arabia, by David Lean (1962)
Historical drama that recounts the deeds and performance of T.E Lawrence, an English lieutenant who would be the bridge between the Arab and British rebels against the Ottoman Turks.
The film is considered one of the best cinematographic works of all time.
5. Glory Made of Blood, by Stanley Kubrick (1957)
One of the classics of world cinematography, the film narrates a useless attack by allied troops against the Germans and shows the differences between the officers who commanded the platoon.
Excellent for understanding the hardship of battles and the terrible combat conditions to which soldiers were subjected.
6. Red Baron, by Nikolai Müllerschön (2008)
In World War I, aviation was still an incipient weapon of war and pilots had few resources. This way, the dexterity of each one was fundamental for the success of the aerial attacks.
“Red Baron” is the biography of German pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen, in aviation, admired and respected even by his opponents.
7. War Horse, by Steven Spielberg (2011)
The relationship of a horse and its owner comes to an end when the Great War breaks out and the animals are required for the war effort.
It is important to remember that the 1914-1918 conflict was the last occasion on which cavalry was used by armies.
8. Farewell to Arms, by Charles Vidor (1957)
Based on the homonymous work by writer Ernest Hemingway, the film shows the romance between an American lieutenant and an English nurse on the Italian front.
The backdrop is the Battle of Caporetto, which took place in October and November 1917, when Austrians and Germans attacked Italian troops.
9. The Battle of Passchendaele, by Paul Gross (2008)
The Battle of Passchendaele, which took place in the Belgian city of Ypres, was one of the bloodiest of the First World War.
The film portrays the despair of Canadian soldiers in one of the most complicated military maneuvers in history.
10. The Promise, by Terry George (2017)
During World War I, Turkey took the opportunity to expel and massacre the Armenians who lived in its territory.
The film tells the saga of an Armenian family that is persecuted by the Turkish authorities and has to flee the country, while waiting for help from the allied countries.
11. Nicholas and Alessandra, by Franklin J. Schaffner (1971)
The film chronicles in great detail the fall of the Russian monarchy through the lives of Tsars Nicholas I and Alessandra.
From the 1905 uprisings, through Russia's entry into the conflict and the 1917 Russian Revolution that deposed and murdered the Russian royal family.
12. Carlitos in the Trenches, by Charles Chaplin (1918)
After so many dramas, nothing like a comedy to relax. With his usual genius, Charles Chaplin ironizes in this short film various aspects of military life in World War I, such as training, trench battles and the surrender of enemies.
How about continuing your research?
- Treaty of Versailles
- League of Nations
- World War II movies
- 6 Films about Hitler, the Nazi dictator
- Questions about the First World War
