Ulsterman

What are your must see movies based on the Great War era, and does anyone know of film/tv projects to coincide with upcoming centenary?

Nemowork

Ignore war horse and other modern comedy movies.

Theres a good australian movie 'beneath hill 6o'

Stanley Kubricks 'Pathes of Glory' is essential just for the attack on the ant hill.

Avoid most British war movies, Journeys end is quite decent but after 1930 they tend to descend into a predictable farce with champagne quaffing officers sending working class plebs over the top then everybody dies in the last reel.

Gudenrath

Interesting question. For some reason WWI doesn't seem to have the fraction of the attention amongst movieproducers as WWII does.

Personally I always remember the WWI season of Black Adder. Despite its obvious satire it actually did manage to convey a serious tone and the final episode was very touching.

Another tv-series I remember was the Young Indiana Jones series that was set in WWI and subsequently in the Russian Revolution. Probably not 100% reliable historically (sadly I haven't seen them since they first aired), but they did manage to leave an impression on my younger self and make me aware of a period in history that until then had been very much neglected in tv dramatisation.

We watched Gallipolli with Mel Gibson at school, that was also a movie that made an impression on me regarding WWI.

And of course, as already mentioned, Paths of Glory is a masterpiece.

Lawnmowerman

"All Quiet on the Western Front" is always good, no matter which version you watch.

"The Lost Batalion" About an American Batalion who get lost is queit good as well.

"The Blue Max" Cheesey film about a German pilot trying desperatly to be awarded the Blue Max medal for shooting down allied planes (A bit like an earlier version of Iron Cross)

Legends of the Fall, Has some good WWI scenes in it.

GalataTurk

The Lost Battalion and Gallipoli.
Red Baron is interesting too.

Ulsterman

A definitive list of Great War era films would appear not to be a lengthy one then. Why has it been so sadly neglected ?

Kevinmeath

Yep --Beneath Hill 60 is good-- but there are not that many good movies made about WWI, All Quiet on the Western Front is a must see for anyone with any interest in film let alone War movies.

Many films were made post WWI but they would be silent, 'Talkies' came in but then another war came along and cornered the market.

WWI is also dirty, nasty its not easy to see 'Good guys and bad guys'. If there are 'bad guys' it can often (quite wrongly) be --especially in Britain-- your own officers which is uncomfortable.

Passchendale is ok (but not that accurate) and there have been some good TV series -- remember one with David Jason about a lost battalion but its name escapes me.

Blackadder is funny but owes more to the 1960's than WWI

Lawnmowerman

All the Kings Men

bartieboy

Best French War Films - Films de Guerre

Kevinmeath

Thanks if I recall its quite good