World War I movies

Watching movies is a great way to learn, review content, and understand how certain historical events took place.

With that in mind, we have selected 12 films about the First World War for you to prepare for exams or simply deepen your knowledge.

Good study!

1. Merry Christmas by Christian Carion (2005)

The French film portrays the lives of soldiers and their officers who are part of a French, Scottish and German troop who are at the front on Christmas Eve.

Faced with such an important date, the commanders decide to call a truce and fraternize.

2. Gallipoli, by Peter Weir (1981)

Two young Australian friends enlist in the British troops and go to fight in the bloodiest battle of the First World War, on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.

The story shows the enthusiasm of youth to fight the enemy and also the madness of the attacks that delivered the soldiers to death.

3. Nothing New on the Front, by Lewis Milestone (1930)

The trajectory of seven childhood friends who enlist in the German troops to fight for their homeland.

The film paints a portrait of the lost generation that went to the battlefield and did not return or return with devastating physical and psychological consequences.

4. Lawrence of Arabia, by David Lean (1962)

Historical drama that narrates the deeds and performance of T.E Lawrence, an English lieutenant who would be the bridge between the Arab and British rebels against the Ottoman Turks.

The film is considered one of the greatest cinematographic works of all time.

5. Glory Made of Blood, by Stanley Kubrick (1957)

One of the classics of world cinematography, the film narrates a futile attack by troops allied to the Germans and shows the differences between the officers who commanded the platoon.

Excellent for understanding the harshness of battles and the terrible combat conditions to which soldiers were subjected.

6. Red Baron, by Nikolai Müllerschön (2008)

In World War I, aviation was still an incipient weapon of war and pilots had few resources. In this way, the dexterity of each one was fundamental for the success of the air attacks.

“Red Baron” is the biography of the German pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen, to those of aviation, admired and respected even by his adversaries.

7. War Horse, by Steven Spielberg (2011)

The relationship between a horse and its owner comes to an end when the Great War breaks out and the animals are requisitioned for the war effort.

It is important to remember that the conflict of 1914-1918 was the last occasion on which cavalry was used by armies.

8. Farewell to Arms, by Charles Vidor (1957)

Based on Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name, the film shows the romance between an American lieutenant and an English nurse on the Italian front.

The backdrop is the Battle of Caporetto, which took place in October and November 1917, when Austrians and Germans attacked Italian troops.

9. The Battle of Passchendaele, by Paul Gross (2008)

The Battle of Passchendaele, which took place in the Belgian city of Ypres, was one of the bloodiest of the First World War.

The film depicts the desperation of Canadian soldiers in one of the most complicated military maneuvers in history.

10. The Promise, by Terry George (2017)

During World War I, Turkey took the opportunity to expel and massacre the Armenians who lived in its territory.

The film narrates the saga of an Armenian family that finds itself persecuted by the Turkish authorities and has to flee the country, while waiting for help from the allied countries.

11. Nicholas and Alessandra, by Franklin J. Schaffner (1971)

The film narrates in great detail the fall of the Russian monarchy through the lives of Tsars Nicholas I and Alessandra.

From the uprisings of 1905, through Russia's entry into the conflict and the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew and murdered the Russian royal family.

12. Charlie Chaplin in the Trenches (1918)

After so many dramas, nothing like a comedy to relax. With his usual genius, Charlie Chaplin ironizes in this short film various aspects of military life in the First World War, such as training, trench battles and the surrender of enemies.

How about continuing your search?

• Treaty of Versailles
• League of Nations
• Films about the Second World War
• 6 Films About Hitler, the Dictator of Nazism
• Questions about the First World War