Veteran's day was first celebrated as Armistice Day in in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national holiday to celebrate the end of World War 1.
In honor of Veteran's day, I have compiled a list of the top 10 movies set in World War I.
10. “The Red Baron” (2008) – A German movie, filmed in English for increased international marketability, it tells the story of famed German fighter pilot, Manfred von Richthofen.
9. “Flyboys” (2006) – Starring the one and only James Franco, this film is follows a French squadron that included 38 American volunteers who wanted to help in the war in the years before the U.S. Officially joined the war.
8. “Dawn” (1928) – A silent film from Britain, this tells the tale of Edith Cavell, a nurse who risked her own life by rescuing British Prisoners of War from the Germans.
7. “Wings” (1927) – The first film, and only silent film to ever win the Academy Award for best picture, this was one of Gary Cooper's first big roles. The film tells the tale of two fighter pilots from enlistment through the battle of Saint-Mihiel.
6. “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse” (1962) – Initially a flop, this lost over $6 million at the box office, based mostly on unfavorable reviews from critics saying it wasn't as good as the 1921 silent movie version. This is not technically a WWI film, as the setting was changed to WWII, but the original film, and the book it was based on were set in the first World War.
5. “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1979) – The only made-for-TV film on the list, this is a remake of a film of the same name from 1930. Both films were based on a book also of the same name. This one shows what the young men went through struggling to cope with the violence of war.
4. “Behind the Lines” (1997) – The story of a psychiartrist working with “shell shocked” vets at an asylum in an attempt to get them back out on the front lines.
3. “Galipoli” (1981) – The story of a battle of the same name in which Australian and New Zealand troops combine forces to attempt to capture Istanbul. Through a series of ill-fated decisions the troops on the front line suffer the most for their leader's mistakes.
2. “All the King's Men” (1999) – Not to be confused with the two other movies of the same name that are based on political scandals, this film is all about the The Royal British Army's Sandringham Company, which was comprised solely of servants belonging to King George V.
1. “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962) – One of the best movie of all-time, this is clearly the best WWI movie ever made. Starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn, this is all about the life of T.E. Lawrence and his campaigns in Arabia during the war, specifically the battles of Aqaba and Damascus.
You know, I think I remember seeing Galipoli in school for history class. Can't say I remember much of the movie itself, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty powerful film.
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