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It's a long way to Tipperary! (but not to the video store for great films)Oct 18 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Learn how life in the trenches and in the air became the standard by which all future wars would be fought. Until World War II came along, there was no other war that had ignited the earth so completely and fully as this one. So big, it was called "The Great War," and "The War to End All Wars." Little did our forefathers know it at the time, but this puppy was only the precursor to the horror that would arrive only 20 or so years later. This was the war in which mechanized weaponry became art. Never before had men been killed so horribly and in such great numbers so quickly and effortlessly. Since World War II movies began filling the silver screen, and Vietnam has grasped the world's consciousness, World War I movies have been pushed to the background. But there are many great ones. I have recognized my picks here. 10. A Farewell to Arms- (1932) This is the original version of the Hemingway book. How could any discussion of World War I not be complete without some Hemingway included? The author documented his experiences in the fighting around Caporetto and Gorizia, Italy in this book about the love affair between an American Lieutenant (called "Tenente" by the Italians), and a sweet English nurse. Helen Hayes is wonderful, and the very young Gary Cooper amazing in this adaptation. Hemingway didn't like the ending, but audiences were suitably impressed. Opt for this one instead of the remake with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones. Stars: Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes, Adolphe Menjou Director: Frank Borzage Oscars: '33 Best Cinematography, Best Sound 9. Wings- (1927) Not only a good story, but a silent memento of another time that just happens to be about the war. Two best friends go to war in the air corps and fight for the love of the same woman. Watch this one not as much for the thin plot as for the dogfight scenes, which are actual war footage of the time. This won the first Best Picture Oscar. Look for a young Gary Cooper. Stars: Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen, Clara Bow, Gary Cooper, Henry B Walthall, Roscoe Karns, William A. Wellman Director: William Wellman Oscars: '27 Best Picture 8. Mata Hari (1932) Garbo is sensuous and mysterious in this story of the famous double agent. They may have taken some liberties with the life of the Dutch spy Margaretha Gertruida Zelle, but Garbo fans won't mind. The production is first rate, and Garbo's quasi strip tease is a head turner! Stars: great Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley Director: George Fitzmaurice 7. Waterloo Bridge (1940) Call me sappy, but I love this film. Vivien Leigh falls in love with Robert Taylor. She's a ballet dancer, and he's from a rich family. They meet one night on Waterloo Bridge in London and fall in love. He has to go to war, and when he appears as dead on a soldiers' roster, she turns to prostitution out of desperation. Then she discovers her really is alive. I dare you not to bawl. Leigh is stunning as usual. Stars: Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucille Watson, C. Aubrey Smith, Maria Ouspenskaya, Virginai Field Director: Mervyn LeRoy Oscars: '40 Best B/W Cinematography, Best Original Score 6. Nicolas and Alexandra (1971) Based on the novel by Robert Massie, this movie is amazingly long, but worth the time. It does tend to drag a bit in the second half, but is a fine costume epic. I far preferred it to Reds, which covered some of the same subject matter. This is the story of the Tsar of Russia, who had royalty thrust upon him when his father, Tsar Alexander died suddenly while still relatively young. His wife, Empress Alexandra, was a German princess, and highly unpopular with her adopted countrymen. They had four beautiful daughters, and one very unhealthy son. If only the royals had let their subjects know that their son had hemophilia, they might have been able to explain why they fell so entirely under the sway of Grigori Rasputin (the mad monk). He was the only person who could stop the terrifying unpredictable bleeding of the Tsarevitch Alexei. This, combined with Russia's unwise involvement in the war led to revolution, first from the White Army, then from the Red Army. The Tsar, his family, and some of their staff were murdered in a farmhouse in Ekaterinburg, Siberia in 1918. This movie documents their story. Stars: Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Tom Baker, Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Jack Hawkins, Curt Jurgens Director: Franklin J. Schaffner Oscars: '71 Best Art Direction/Set Direction, Best Costume Design 5. Gallipoli- (1981) Two Australian friends become members of the fighting forces at Gallipoli, along the coast of Turkey in 1915. The forces were trying to allow allied forces access to the rich oil region along the Black Sea, and brutally fought the Turks(allied with the Germans) to gain control of the peninsula. Unknown at the time, Mel Gibson sines in one of his first major roles. Lee is equally as good. Composer Albinoni's "Adagio" is used to heartbreaking perfection, and Brian May (of Queen) wrote the rest of the score. Stars: Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr, David Argue Director: Peter Weir 4. Sergeant York- (1940) Also ranks in my Favorite films of the 1940s. I wouldn't have picked it if it didn't make such a strong statement. A peaceful Tennessee farmboy is taught that "to everything there is a season," when he realizes the great evil he is fighting in the Great War. Alvin York was recognized as one of the war's greatest heroes. And Cooper plays him to a "T." The battleground scenes are pretty intense for the time. Stars: Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, Waleter Brennan, Dickie Moore, Ward Bond Director: Abem Finkel Oscars: '41 Best Actor (Cooper), Best Film Editing 3. Paths of Glory- (1957) Probably the only Stanley Kubrick movie I've ever really liked. Kirk Douglas is amazing, and the story is frustrating and infuriating to watch. An ambitious general (Menjou) sends his French troops on an impossible mission. When they fail, he demands that three of them be selected, tried for cowardice and executed. this was actually based on a true story that was covered in a book by Humphrey Cobb. A real antiwar statement. Stars: Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, George MacReady, Ralph Meeker, Richard Anderson Director: Stanley Kubrick 2. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Not just one of the best World War I films made, but one of the best WAR films made, period. Taken from the book by Erich Maria Remarque about boys going from school to the horrors of the WWI battlefield. The main charter, Paul Baumer, changes from a flag waving enthusiast to an exhausted veteran over the course of the film. It is emotionally exhausting for the viewer as well. Unrelentingly depressing and haunting. Exactly like war. Stars: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Slim Summerville, Russell Gleason Director: Lewis Milestone Oscars: '30 Best Director, Best Picture 1. Grand Illusion (1937) A vehemently anti-war French film by one of the masters, Jean Renoir. French prisoners of war try to escape from their German guards. The German commander is actually quite a gentleman. Shows how the gentlemanly way of fighting was completely changed during the bloody, muddy struggles from 1914-1918. French with English subtitles. Stars: Jean Gabin,Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay, Marcel Dalio, Julian Carette Director: Jean Renoir Honorable Mentions: Nurse Edith Cavell- (1939) Wonderful true story of the Belgian nurse who was executed for helping the British. The Lost Patrol- (1934) British soldiers lost in the desert are picked off one by one by Arabs. African Queen (1951) Bogie and Kate pilot a riverboat through the wilds of Africa fighting German baddies. White Cliffs of Dover- (1944) American Irene Dunne loses a husband to WWI, and sees her son doing his duty for the boys in WWII. So incredibly sad. Legends of the Fall- (1994) Jim Harrison short story about 3 brothers loving the same woman in WWI era Montana.  |
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