Ive never seen a world war 1 movie

[jtisch]

"Gallipoli", anyone?
Don't forget there are two "All Quiet on the Western Front" movies. The original and the Hallmark made for TV version (Good night, Johnboy!). I also picked up "A Farewell to Arms" at the 99cent store. The books are always better, though.

J

[crankcase]

I am truly amazed that no one mentioned "Sergeant York" who captured a whole german division single-handedly (ok, a bit exaggerated but not much)

[crankcase]

i forgot to add "Johnny get your gun" which is one of the most powerful anti-war films, along with "gallipoli" and "all quiet..."

[Gregvan]

Hi,

Sorry, Breguet, but the 1927 epic "Wings" did not star Fred MacMurray, but the 1938 movie "Men with Wings" did, along with Ray Milland and Andy Devine. "Men with Wings" was also directed by William 'Wild Bill' Wellman, and has the advantages of early technicolor and sound ("Wings" is silent and b/w). "Men with Wings" attempts to tell a fictitious story of the entire development of aviation, and has only a short WWI dogfight sequence. "Wings" has much more air combat footage, and is really quite amazing for its time. It includes an attack on a big German "Gotha" (really a Martin Bomber, IIRC) and a German balloon, along with terrific strafing scenes, etc etc.

By the way, Fred MacMurray climbed back into a WWI fighter plane as Rickenbacker in the 1945 film "Captain Eddie", which I saw once on late-night TV and is a real disappointment. It concentrates on his experiences on the life raft in WW2, and his WWI story is told in a very brief flashback with no original footage.

A personal favorite of mine is "Eagle and the Hawk" (1933), which starred Fredric March as a troubled American pilot in a British two-seater squadron (flying a big DH 4) who gets lots of medals but keeps coming back with dead observers. He also has a quarrel with observer Cary Grant, who he had washed out of pilot training when he was an instructor. Some of the combat scenes include footage lifted from "Wings" and "Dawn Patrol". The script was co-written by Bogart Rogers, who was a real honest-to-goodness fighter ace who had flown SE5a's in NO 32 Squadron. Rogers had been instructed by McCudden while he was in training at Ayr, and obviously greatly impressed by him (see "A Yankee Ace in the RAF", a compilation of his letters). The movie includes encounters with a great German ace called "Greentail", and when March finally shoots him down, they find out the dead pilot is "Voss" !!

There was a whole slew of WWI aviation-related movies in the 30's, many of which simply used leftover footage from "Hell's Angels" and other earlier flicks. One of these is "A Crimson Romance", which has Erich von Stroheim doing his patented portrayal of a nasty German aristocratic officer. Another decent one is "Ace of Aces" - not for the terrible acting by Richard Dix, but some pretty good flying scenes. "Suzy" (1936) is pretty good and available on VHS, I think; it starred Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, with Cary Grant as a cad of a French air ace. "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" (1939) stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as the famous dance team, and includes a little on Castle's career in WWI (he takes photos of the enemy trenches from an SE5a!) and his death while training pilots.

There was a silent film entitled "Lilac Time" which starred Gary Cooper, and is also one of my favorites.

Don't forget that the 1938 "Dawn Patrol" was a virtual scene-for-scene remake of the original 1930 version. The original starred Richard Barthelmes and Douglas Fairbanks, Jnr, and was directed by Howard Hawks. The remake used all of the aerial footage shot for the original, and is better known because it had the star power of Errol Flynn, David Niven and Basil Rathbone.

[margaret smith]

Hey guys, I also forgot to mention "Zeppelin" with Michael York!

[Regulus]

A little list I made some time ago for the Dutch Wiki :


- Aces High - 1976

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 8 - Trenches of Hell - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 10 - The Phantom Train of Doom - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 11 - Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 12 - Attack of the Hawkmen - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 13 - Adventures in the Secret Service - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 15 - Daredevils of the Desert - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 16 - Tales of Innocence - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 17 - Masks of Evil - 1999

- Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Chapter 18 - Treasure of the Peacock's Eye - 1999

- African Queen - 1952

- All quiet at the Western Front - 1930

- All Quiet at the Western Front - 1979

- All the King's Men - 1999

- Anzacs - 1982

- Behind the Lines - 1997

- The Big Parade - 1925

- Biggles - 1986

- Blackadder IV - Blackadder goes Forth

- The Blue Max - 1966

- British Intelligence - 1940

- Britannic - 2000

- Capitaine Conan - 1997

- The case of Sergeant Grischa - 1930

- Colonel Redl - 1985

- Crimson Romance - ?

- Les croix de bois - 1932

- Cuore - 1985

- D III 88 - 1930's

- The Dark Angel - 1934

- Dark Journey - 1937

- Dawn Patrol - 1938

- Deathwatch - 2002

- Dishonered - 1931

- Distant Bridges - 1999

- Doughboys - 1930

- The Eagle and the Hawk - 1933

- Eternal City - 1930's

- A Farewell to Arms - 1932

- A Farewell to Arms - 1957

- The Fighting 69th - 1940

- Flyboys - 2006

- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - 1921

- Gallipoli - 1981

- Gelibolu - 2005

- La Grande Guerra - 1959

- La Grande Illusion - 1937

- Half Shot at Sunrise - 1930

- Hearts of the World - ?

- Hedd Wynn - 1997

- Hell's Angels - 1930

- I was a Spy - 1933

- J'accuse - 1919

- Johnny got his gun - 1971

- Journeys End - 1930

- Lafayette Escadrille - 1958

- The Last Command - 1928

- Lawrence of Arabia - 1962

- Un long dimanche de fiancailles - 2004

- The Lost Battalion - 2001

- The Lost Patrol - 1934

- In Love and War - 1996

- Kanki - 2006

- The Lighthorsemen - 1988

- March or Die - 1977

- Mata Hari - 1932

- Mata Hari - 1985

- Merry Christmas - 2005

- Noirs et Blancs en Couleur -1976

- Nurse Edith Cavell - 1939

- Paths of Glory - 1957

- Pour le Mérite - 1930's

- The Red Baron - 1971

- The Red Baron - 2006

- Sergeant York - 1941

- Shout at the Devil - 1976

- Son Kale : Çanakkale - 2003

- Tell it to the Marines - 1926

- The Trench - 1999

- Uomini Contro - 1970

- Westfront 1918 - 1930

- Wings - 1927

- Zeppelin - 1971

[David_Layton]

In college, I majored in English and had to read the war poets. One film I strongly recommend is a film called 'Regeneration' and in the US, 'Behind The Lines'. It is based on Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. It takes place at Craiglockhart, a hospital for Officers with Shell Shock. Actual persons depicted include psychologist and antropoligist, W.R. Rivers, Siegfried Sassoon, Willfred Owen, a fictious captain which is principal plot line. Very interesting depiction of the psychological effects of the war, the social structure of the time and the attitudes of the time.

No modern dudes in costume! But again, this was a Canadian, British and Scottish production!

[rabu]

I didn't see, or maybe missed it listed on this thread... A Very Long Engagement, excellent movie.

Ace of Aces with Richard Dix

[bshatzer]

Someone (me?) should at least mention the truly dreadful WWI aviation movies - "von Richthofen and Brown" and "Zeppelin".

I've not seen it but "Lafayette Escadrille" is reputedly a stinker as well.

Cheers,