Erich Maria Remarque’s 1928 novel ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ inspired the 1930 Hollywood film of the same name. Earning four Oscars including Best Director for Lewis Milestone, the film starred Lew Ayres as Paul Bäumer. Like Remarque’s novel, the film was banned in Nazi Germany. The experience of making the movie resulted in Ayres becoming a conscientious objector in World War II.
A 1979 remake directed by Derrick Mann starred Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine. Thomas had previously starred in a 1974 TV movie adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Civil War story ‘The Red Badge of Courage’.
In the same year as the 1930 U.S. film, Germany’s Weimar Republic produced its own version of war in the trenches: ‘Westfront 1918’, directed by G. W. Pabst.
With the recent centennial of the Armistice, World War I films have returned to prominence. Peter Jackson’s 2018 documentary ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ stands out for its innovative use of original footage. Jackson employed groundbreaking techniques including speed adjustment, meticulous colorization, and forensic lip reading to bring century-old footage to life.
Other notable WWI films include:
– ‘Wings’ (1927)
– ‘The Dawn Patrol’ (1930)
– ‘La Grande Illusion’ (1937)
– ‘Paths of Glory’ (1957)
– ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
– ‘Gallipoli’ (1981)
– ‘A Very Long Engagement’ (2004)
– ‘Passchendaele’ (2008)