The World War One On Film Blogathon Begins

When the clock strikes 11am on this Sunday morning, it will be 100 years since World War One finally came to an end. To mark this important centenary, I decided that I would host a blogathon about films which focus on this war.

I want to thank you all so much for joining me for this special blogathon. In addition to reading through all the posts in this blogathon, I would like us all to take a moment to remember all of the people and animals(their deaths and injuries all too often get overlooked) who lost their lives in this brutal and senseless war.

This war is an event that we should never forget. Sadly war is still present in our lives today, and it would seem that our species has learnt nothing from the horrors and pain of all those past wars. I hope that one day war can be a thing of the past, something that is found only in the pages of history books.

Check back to this post over the next two days to read all of the entries. I’ll update this post as often as I can over the weekend. Thanks again for joining me for this.

Day 2 Entries

Pop Culture Reverie tells us about Wonder Woman and her time in the trenches.

 

Silver Screen Classics writes about Peter Weir’s classic war film Gallipoli.

 

The Wonderful World Of Cinema discusses See You Up There.

 

18 Cinema Lane shares her impressions of watching Lawrence Of Arabia 

 

Movie Rob discusses The Fighting 69th.

 

Critica Retro discusses the powerful film J’Accuse.

 

Movie Rob takes a look at the war fought in the air, in his review of The Blue Max.

 

Thoughts All Sorts writes about a biopic of the Red Baron.

 

Caftan Woman discusses the deeply moving Broken Lullaby. 

 

Dubism looks at the sports analogies hidden in the film Sergeant York.

 

Sat In Your Lap writes about the 1933 WW1 film Heroes For Sale.

 

 

Day 1 Entries

Silver Screenings tells us all about Charlie Chaplin’s WW1 set film Shoulder Arms.

 

Cinematic Scribblings discusses The Spy In Black, which was the first film jointly made by Powell and Pressburger.

 

Realweegiemidgetreviews writes about the deeply moving film My Boy Jack.

 

Down These Mean Streets discusses the romantic weepie Waterloo Bridge.

 

Movie Movie Blog Blog takes to the skies to tell us all about Wings. 

 

Silentology tells us all about Harry Langdon’s time in the trenches, in the film Soldier Man. 

 

Wads Words discusses The Big Parade.

 

Dubism tells us about the hidden sports analogies in Paths Of Glory.

 

The Stop Button tells us all about The Life And Death of Colonel Blimp.

 

I share my five favourite films about WW1.

The WW1 On Film Blogathon: Maddy’s Five Favourite WW1 Films

World War One has been depicted on screen so many times over the years, both on the big and on the small screen.

There have been many films on this subject that have horrified and moved us. These films have been able to give us a little more understanding of the horror, the pain and the terror endured by the soldiers fighting on all sides in that senseless mass slaughter. 

The following five films focus on different aspects of the war – some focus on the fighting, while others take a look at what happens when soldiers return home. These five have become my favourite films about this conflict. I’m not saying that these are the five best films out there about WW1, but they are all very good, and I recommend each and every one of them.

King And Country(1964)

This is one of the grimmest films about this war ever made. The trench sequences are so realistic and they are very difficult to forget. This film really gives you a good sense of the hellish conditions that the soldiers faced and endured throughout the war.

The young soldier on trial. Screenshot by me.

The film focuses on a shell shocked soldier(Tom Courtney) who is on trial for cowardice after he leaves the battlefield. The soldier’s fate lies in the hands of the lawyer (Dirk Bogarde) defending him. 

Regeneration (1997)

Based on Pat Barker’s 1991 novel of the same name, this seriously underrated film focuses on a group of soldiers being treated for shell shock and psychological trauma at a private hospital in Britain. It is a grim and deeply moving look at the damage done to so many who fought.

The doctor comforts one of his patients. Screenshot by me.

I don’t think those who survived this horror were the lucky ones, because they had to live on with the horror they had witnessed, and so many were psychologically damaged beyond repair. Jonathan Pryce is excellent as the doctor trying desperately to heal the damaged men, while he himself is struggling to deal with the horrendous stories and disclosures that he is hearing from his patients. Strong performances from the entire cast.

All Quiet On The Western Front(1930)

This is not only a must see for its realistic recreations of the fights and the battlefields of WW1, but also for its depiction of the brutal realities of war. The film begins with idealistic young German men being encouraged to fight for their country. They go off expecting to be embarking upon a great adventure that they will enjoy.

The famous hand scene. Screenshot by me.

When the boys arrive at the front, they quickly discover that there is nothing exciting about war at all. War is ugly, war is terrifying, and war is the greatest horror imaginable. This is one of the best WW1 films ever made. I highly recommend it to anyone who has never seen it before. 

The film is based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The book, it’s sequel, and the film itself, were all banned by the Nazi’s when Hitler and his party came to power. Many of Remarque’s other books were banned and burnt. He fled Germany with his wife, but his younger sister was tried in German court for undermining morale after she stated that she believed the war was lost. His sister was found guilty and was beheaded in 1943. Remarque never knew of her fate until after the war, and his 1952 novel Spark Of Life is dedicated to his sister. 

A Month In The Country(1987)

This quiet film focuses on the emotional scars left on veterans of the war. Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh both deliver moving performances as two men scarred equally by their time in the trenches. Both men meet at a church in the countryside after the war has finished.

Two former soldiers looking for peace. Screenshot by me.

Colin’s character is restoring a medieval mural on the church wall, while Kenneth’s character is an archaeologist searching for an old grave believed to be somewhere on the grounds. Both men put up a brave facade in public, but each of them hides terrible pain. This shows you how brave the soldiers were who tried to carry on with normal life, even though they were in hell on the inside.

Wings(1928)

Famous for its spectacular aerial battle sequences, Wings shows us the youthful innocence of young recruits being shattered by the grim realities of war. This film focuses on two friends who join the American airforce and go off to fight.

A tense air battle. Screenshot by me.

One of the most striking images of the film(which I used in my blogathon banner)is of a plane landing on a field next to a hill, as far as the eye can see this land is covered in the graves of dead soldiers. This shows you the cost of war and is interesting because it focuses on the war in the air, rather than on the war being fought in the trenches which we are all so familiar with. This film would also go on to become the first film to ever win the Best Picture Oscar. 

What do you think of these films? What are your favourite films about this war?