10 Essential WW1 Best Movies for Your Watchlist

The First World War, ignited on July 28, 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, irrevocably reshaped the global landscape. Lasting four devastating years, “the war to end all wars” resulted in nearly 17 million casualties and cast a long shadow over the 20th century. As British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey somberly noted on the eve of Britain’s declaration of war, “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Cinema has grappled with the scale, horror, and human cost of this conflict ever since. Finding the Ww1 Best Movies involves exploring films that capture the multifaceted experiences of this era, from the trenches to the home front, from acts of heroism to the depths of despair.

The British Film Institute (BFI) notably marked the WWI centenary (2014-2018) with extensive programs, including a re-release of Frank Borzage’s A Farewell to Arms (1932). This early adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novel, though perhaps less famous than the 1957 version, offers a distinct, romantically expressionistic take. Gary Cooper stars as an American soldier entangled with Helen Hayes’s nurse, a portrayal enhanced by Charles Lang’s cinematography, making it a poignant reflection on the lost generation. While Borzage’s vision diverges from Hemingway’s prose, its emotional power remains undeniable. Inspired by such cinematic explorations, here is a curated list of ten essential films set during the dark years of World War I.

1. Shoulder Arms (1918)

Director: Charles Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin as a soldier peeks over a trench in Shoulder Arms (1918)

Facing pressure for his next picture, Charlie Chaplin daringly chose to make a comedy about the war, despite warnings from contemporaries like Cecil B. De Mille. Though initially hesitant about the final product, Shoulder Arms became a massive success. Its extended dream sequence features the Little Tramp as an unlikely hero in France, saving Edna Purviance and capturing the Kaiser. When asked how he captured 13 enemy soldiers, Charlie’s Private famously replies, “I surrounded them.” This early foray into wartime satire likely emboldened Chaplin for his later masterpiece, The Great Dictator (1940).

2. The Big Parade (1925)

Director: King Vidor

Soldiers marching through a stark, war-torn landscape in The Big Parade (1925)

King Vidor’s The Big Parade was the silent era’s biggest box office hit, an epic built from intimate moments. Its influence echoes in later war films, yet its unhurried pacing and structural complexity remain fresh. The film dedicates significant time to character development and romance before the soldiers reach the front lines. The transition to combat is marked by a heart-wrenching farewell sequence. The subsequent march through a forest under enemy fire is presented with unnerving simplicity, framed by charred trees that evoke a powerful image of the gateway to hell.

3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Director: Lewis Milestone

A harrowing battlefield scene with soldiers amid craters in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Often considered the quintessential WWI picture, Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front retains immense emotional power through its forceful anti-war stance. Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, it follows idealistic German schoolboys confronting the brutal realities of trench warfare. Technically innovative for its time, the film’s unflinching depiction of both the horror and monotony of the front line remains potent. It made history as the first film to win Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Director. G.W. Pabst’s Westfront 1918, released the same year, offered another stark German perspective, noted for its visceral portrayal of trench life.

4. Hell’s Angels (1930)

Director: Howard Hughes

Vintage black and yellow poster art for the WWI aviation epic Hell's Angels (1930)

Inspired by the success of Wings (1927), the first Best Picture Oscar winner, Howard Hughes poured unprecedented resources into Hell’s Angels, aiming to surpass its aerial spectacle. As the most expensive film of its era, its primary focus was airborne action, particularly the breathtaking Zeppelin sequence. While Hughes delegated dialogue scenes (to James Whale), the film’s ambition and technical prowess, famously chronicled in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004), remain impressive. Even decades later, this independent blockbuster continues to dazzle with its scale and intensity.

5. The Lost Patrol (1934)

Director: John Ford

Victor McLaglen and Boris Karloff looking tense in the desert setting of The Lost Patrol (1934)

Despite its vast desert setting (Arizona standing in for Mesopotamia), John Ford’s The Lost Patrol cultivates a claustrophobic tension. Victor McLaglen plays a sergeant leading British soldiers stranded after their officer is killed by an unseen sniper. Trapped in an oasis, the men succumb to paranoia and fear as they are picked off one by one. Ford finds little glory in their plight, instead highlighting the irony of empty heroism and religious fervor, embodied by Boris Karloff’s zealous character marching towards death with a makeshift crucifix.

6. The Road to Glory (1936)

Director: Howard Hawks

A wounded soldier being nursed in a scene from the WWI drama The Road to Glory (1936)

While perhaps not reaching the heights of Howard Hawks’s unavailable aviation film The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Road to Glory is a significant improvement over his earlier WWI collaboration with William Faulkner, Today We Live (1933). Shot by Gregg Toland, it presents a darker vision, though Hawksian elements like camaraderie and a central love triangle (reminiscent of Tiger Shark, 1932) are present. The film punctuates its somber mood with humour, but stark images linger: a soldier mercy-killed in barbed wire, the chilling aftermath of escaping a mine detonation. The ever-present shadow of death lends a nervous edge to the film’s humour and romance.

7. La Grande Illusion (1937)

Director: Jean Renoir

Soldiers in a POW camp inspect a comrade in drag during a performance in La Grande Illusion (1937)

Universally hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion is a supreme anti-war statement. Set in a German prisoner-of-war camp, it explores themes of class, nationality, and shared humanity among French officers and their German captors, particularly the aristocratic Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and Commandant von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim). Deemed “Cinematic Public Enemy Number One” by Goebbels and later banned by French authorities during WWII, Renoir’s humanist masterpiece critiques the artificial divisions of society and war, suggesting the “grand illusion” is the persistence of outdated social orders rather than the bonds formed by common decency.

8. Paths of Glory (1957)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax navigates the trenches with a pistol in Paths of Glory (1957)

Stanley Kubrick’s searing indictment of military hypocrisy stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, a French officer defending three soldiers arbitrarily chosen to be court-martialed for cowardice during a suicidal attack. While seemingly a star vehicle, Kubrick subverts expectations, exposing the callousness and ambition of the high command. Douglas delivers an impassioned defense against the “mockery of all human justice,” but his efforts are ultimately futile against the entrenched cynicism of generals like Adolphe Menjou’s Broulard. Kubrick’s signature tracking shots masterfully capture the trenches, while the film’s pitch-black humour and devastating final scene deliver an unforgettable critique.

9. La grande guerra (1959)

Director: Mario Monicelli

Italian soldiers on parade in a wide shot from Mario Monicelli's La grande guerra (1959)

Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice, Mario Monicelli’s La grande guerra is a masterful blend of comedy and tragedy, ripe for rediscovery. Following two Italian slackers (Vittorio Gassman and Alberto Sordi) trying to avoid danger on the Austrian Front, the film initially relies on their cynical banter. However, it gradually darkens, culminating in a powerfully emotional finale. Monicelli uses sweeping takes and extraordinary battle scenes but excels in capturing small details – from hollow morale-boosting efforts to vividly drawn minor characters – bringing the absurdity and tragedy of the war front vividly to life. Its critique of patriotism made it controversial upon release.

10. King and Country (1964)

Director: Joseph Losey

Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay in a tense courtroom scene from King and Country (1964)

Perhaps the bleakest film on this list, Joseph Losey’s King and Country focuses on the court-martial of Private Hamp (Tom Courtenay), a young soldier who simply walked away from the Western Front, potentially suffering from shell-shock. Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde) is assigned to defend him against charges of desertion. Losey fills the frame with the rot and decay of the trenches, portraying them as a cesspit mirroring the moral decay surrounding the trial. Despite Hargreaves’s arguments about the limits of human endurance amidst “so much blood, so much filth, so much dying,” the film moves inexorably towards its harrowing and botched conclusion, questioning duty, class, and sanity in the face of industrialized warfare.

More Acclaimed WW1 Movies: Reader Picks

Beyond these ten, numerous other films offer compelling perspectives on the Great War. Based on audience feedback often seen in discussions like those held by the BFI, here are other frequently cited titles:

Clara Bow tends to pilots played by Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Richard Arlen in Wings (1927)

1. Wings (William A. Wellman, 1927) – The first-ever Best Picture Oscar winner, celebrated for its stunning aerial combat sequences.
2. Oh! What a Lovely War (Richard Attenborough, 1969) – A satirical musical adaptation offering a unique take on the conflict.
3. Les Croix de bois (Wooden Crosses) (Raymond Bernard, 1932) – A respected French film known for its realistic depiction of trench life.
4. Gallipoli (Peter Weir, 1981) – A poignant Australian drama focusing on the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.
5. J’accuse (Abel Gance, 1919) – An early, epic, and powerfully anti-war statement from France, using actual soldiers as extras.
6. A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiançailles) (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2004) – A visually rich mystery romance set against the backdrop of the war.
7. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943) – While spanning decades, its early sections powerfully reflect on WWI friendships and ideals.
8. The Spy in Black (Michael Powell, 1939) – A WWI espionage thriller.
9. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) – Though focusing on the Arab Revolt, WWI serves as the crucial backdrop to its epic narrative.
10. The Dawn Patrol (Howard Hawks, 1930) – Hawks’s earlier, highly regarded WWI aviation drama.

Many consider Wings superior to Hell’s Angels, while others champion the unique approach of Oh! What a Lovely War. Several key titles like The Dawn Patrol, Les Croix de bois, and J’accuse remain less accessible but are essential parts of WWI cinema history.

Exploring the Ww1 Best Movies reveals a rich tapestry of cinematic responses to a conflict that reshaped the world. From intimate dramas to epic spectacles, these films continue to resonate, offering insights into the human condition under extreme duress and reminding us of the profound costs of war. Whether depicting the mud and horror of the trenches, the anxieties of the home front, or the complex moral choices faced by individuals, these motion pictures stand as enduring testaments to a pivotal moment in history.