7 Great World War 1 Movies Every History Fan Should Watch

There are 7 Great World War One movies you should watch!! There’s certainly more, but these should be good for a rainy day. They are listed in no particular order, but are great example of art imitating life, and also that this conflict, one of the most significant events in real life.

There are a lot of great movies about the scourge of war. It is a dramatic phenomenon and as such makes for great script writing and cinematic views. It is also the case that the scenes of war are best depicted on the big screen, in a movie theater, ideally with popcorn.

Do you agree that warfare makes a good movie topic?

7 Great World War One Movies

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

This is one of three film adaptions of the classic book about World War I. Lewis Milestone’s 1930 version, easily one of the 7 great films about World War I, that relies upon Erich Maria Remarque’s novel is first film adaption of the book and it is probably the best. While this list is not presented in any order. This movie, specifically this version, is probably the first movie about the war that you should see. This movie is based on the classic book by the same name. The book sold millions of copies and tracks the story of a German infantry fighter, and his young friends.

Grand Illusion (1937)

Staying in that same time period, the somewhat less well-known, ‘The Grand Illusion’ is directed by Jean Renoir and makes the list of 7 great movies about World War I. This movie follows a group of French prisoners-of-war who escape from a German camp. The film is an adaption of the 1909 Norman Angell book, which argued that war is futile because of the economic interests of the nations who are fighting. Indeed, economic reason for war are among the most important singled out by scholars who study war.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

This is a David Lean product that might be one of the greatest movies ever made. It follows the life of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who unites the Arabs (mainly in Hejaz region under Ottoman rule) in their fight for liberation from the Ottoman Empire. Peter O’Toole plays Lawrence and gives one of the best performances ever on film. This one is a must-see, is easily one of the 7 great films about World War I, though it is long and has an intermission.

Paths of Glory (1957)

This is a movie by Stanley Kubrick that stars Kirk Douglas. The movie takes its name from aa single line from Thomas Gray’s 1751 poem “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” which says ‘the paths of glory lead but to the grave.’ Humphrey Cobb wrote a novel of the same name. The story follows a French colonel who defends three soldiers who are accused of cowardice. This is a classic movie, and few would argue with the points Kubrick made in it.

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

Some modern movies make the list. This on is by ‘The Lord of the Rings’ producer, Peter Jackson. This documentary is the best of the bunch made by Jackson. The movie shows a lot of colorized archival footage from the British Imperial War Museum. The footage shows the daily reality of soldiers in the war. It does a good job of weaving together footage with a compelling story.

1917 (2019)

Another modern movie is the 2019 cinematographic masterpiece 1917. The Directors of this movie was Sam Mendes. He oversees a film with sweeping visuals that are worth the investment of your time. The film follows two British soldiers racing to tell a fellow battalion that it’s walking into a trap. The film received 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. The cinematography alone makes these one of the 7 great movies about the first world war.

Wings (1927)

Wings is the seventh in our list of 7 great movies about World War I. This film is the answer to a trivia question; it was the first-ever Best Picture Oscar winner. Wings follows two American pilots (Jack and David) in the U.S. Army Air Service. This is a silent film, and it is the only one that has ever won the Oscar for Best Picture.

These are 7 great movies about World War I. There are without doubt many more. One of the most significant events in human history makes for great movie fodder. The war also makes for sweeping visuals, as evidenced by the great cinematographic achievements on this list.