16 unforgettable World War I movies, ranked

Wings (1927)

No silent film appears on more lists than this one, but that’s because Wings is the first Academy Award winner for Best Picture, then called Outstanding Picture. (People forget that in that inaugural year, there was also an award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture, which went to Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, a much more lasting project.)

Still, there’s Wings, forever carved in marble as the first biggie. Is it good? Yeah, sure, it’s fine. Two fighter pilots are vying for the heart of the same gal (Clara Bow), but they put aside their differences for the fight. The action sequences were groundbreaking (or skybreaking?) for their day.

Where to watch Wings: Tubi

Johnny Got His Gun (1971)

Released just as the 1960s counterculture was waking up to its hangover, Johnny Got His Gun was directed by Dalton Trumbo, adapting his own anti-war novel from 1939.

In Johnny Got His Gun, Timothy Bottoms is a WWI casualty — blind, deaf, mute, limbless, faceless — hallucinating in a hospital bed, reflecting on how war was sold to him as propaganda. He reaches the outside world by twitching out messages in Morse code, begging for the release of death. Not upbeat!

The movie helped inspire Metallica’s 1989 song “One,” and clips from this film were incorporated into its grim music video, inspiring a bit of a revival for the movie on VHS.

Where to watch Johnny Got His Gun: Amazon Prime Video

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

German author Erich Maria Remarque helped define the anti-war novel with his drawn-from-personal-experience tale of horror, All Quiet on the Western Front. Its first film adaptation appears later on this list, but the recent version, albeit not for the squeamish, is worth watching as well.

Director Edward Berger (who would later make the much more fun papal drama Conclave) shoots his film in German and details a soldier’s growing disillusionment as he realizes his life isn’t worth anything to his government.

The battle scenes are unbearable, with howling men being turned into hamburger as generals look on from far away. Berger’s film won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. 

Where to watch All Quiet on the Western Front (2022): Netflix

Captain Conan (1996)

Based on a novel from the 1930s, Bertrand Tavernier’s French film follows an elite unit fighting in the Balkans who are so revved up by the war machine that they refuse to acknowledge the armistice.

The absurdity of an “on-off switch” for trained killers expected to return to a peacetime standard of ethical behavior is examined during a military tribunal. The film asks many fascinating questions about the nature of heroism and, naturally, leaves many of them unanswered. 

Where to watch Captain Conan: Criterion Channel

Tolkien (2019)

Revolutionary high fantasy doesn’t come out of nowhere, and this overlooked biopic about J.R.R. Tolkien looks deep into the Eye of Sauron to learn more about the man who made Middle-earth.

Tolkien didn’t just invent new languages and stroll around Oxford musing about philosophy. He fought at the Battle of the Somme, and this clever film shows how his experiences in the trenches inspired aspects of his later masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. (Same for Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, but that’s not as relevant for a WWI movie list.) Nicholas Hoult is quite good in the title role.

Where to watch Tolkien: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Benediction (2021)

Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi both play poet Siegfried Sassoon at different points in his life in Terence Davies’ mesmerizing (though highly stylized) portrait.

Though there are no battle scenes, Sassoon’s combat experiences manifested throughout his work and echo throughout his life. The movie also shows early attempts to understand PTSD (then called shell shock) as well as how varying social classes experienced the war differently. This was Davies’s last film. 

Where to watch Benediction: Hulu

1917 (2019)

At some point someone decided “what if All Quiet on the Western Front was a thrill ride?” The result was 1917, the exciting, visually arresting battle film from director Sam Mendes.

Using crafty digital techniques, Mendes creates the illusion that the movie consists of a single continuous take, producing a hazy, dreamlike effect as soldiers played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman race across the front to deliver an important message. (This echoes Gallipoli, a movie we shall discuss soon.)

Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins won the Oscar for capturing the mayhem without the use of edits, and the film also won for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing. 

Where to watch 1917: Netflix

The Fighting 69th (1940)

When World War II broke out in Europe and the United States had yet to join the fight, Warner Bros. immediately began pumping out patriotic movies like this one (and also Casablanca) to drum up support.

The Fighting 69th examines the exploits of real-life heroes like Father Frances Duffy (see: Duffy Square in New York) and poet Joyce Kilmer, as well as James Cagney’s fictional Lower East Side mug Jerry Plunkett, meant to represent all the toughs of New York City ready to fight for democracy. If you ever wanted to see the Irish-American Cagney speaking Yiddish, this is your chance. 

Where to watch The Fighting 69th: HBO Max

War Horse (2011)

Rarely is a movie whose title is a pun as mature and stately as this, but by now we should know to never doubt Steven Spielberg.

This fascinating film, based on a celebrated play, channels the emotional simplicity of a fable into the horror of WWI. A beloved horse named Joey is sold by a British farmer to the army at the outset of the war, and we follow his trials and tribulations.

There’s not a dry eye in the house when Joey gets entangled in barbed wire at the front and a German and British soldier both work to free him. Oh, the symbolism! Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan and pretty much every other British actor makes an appearance. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards. Did it win any? Neigh!

Where to watch War Horse: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

Sergeant York (1941)

Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Gary Cooper in an Oscar-winning role, this Warner Bros. film, which was number one at the box office in 1941, told the tale of a young roughneck from Tennessee who finds religion and declares himself a pacifist.

When WWI breaks out, he is denied conscientious objector status and is shipped off to France. When he sees his comrades-in-arms fall to enemy fire, he transforms into the bravest fighter anyone has ever seen. During one offensive, he uses his frontier hunting skills to push into the German lines and almost single-handedly defeats the enemy, making him one of the most celebrated war heroes of the era. 

Where to watch Sergeant York: Tubi

Gallipoli (1981)

What begins as a story about two Australian lads that like to run track evolves into a devastating war movie — a notable commentary on how world affairs alter the lives of just about anyone.

A very young Mel Gibson plays one of those Australians, and he and his pal’s racing skills are quickly exploited for the war effort. At first, that means carousing in Egypt, but they’re ultimately sent to Gallipoli in Turkey, where British commanders send wave after wave of Australian soldiers to get machine-gunned.

The last few minutes, set to the anachronistic music of Jean-Michel Jarre, represents some of the finest filmmaking in director Peter Weir’s career. 

Where to watch Gallipoli: Kanopy

The Grand Illusion (1937)

Two French prisoners of war — one an aristocrat, the other very much not — are held in a German camp, where the upperclass Frenchman (Pierre Fresnay) realizes he has more in common with his princely jailer (Erich von Stroheim) than his countryman (Jean Gabin).

The film, made as Fascism rose in Europe, works as commentary about nationalism, class distinctions, and the difficulty individuals face within greater constructs. While it isn’t a comedy per se, there are many moments of satire and humanism, and it regularly appears on lists of the best films of all time. 

Where to watch The Grand Illusion: Kanopy

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

This is actually the best movie on this list, but it isn’t the best WWI movie. But if you recall, it was during the 1914–1918 conflict that T.E. Lawrence became involved in the Middle East, where he helped lead the Arab Revolt.

Sir David Lean’s powerhouse of widescreen technicolor filmmaking is rightly remembered as one of the most lush cinematic canvases, incorporating breathtaking location cinematography, a sweeping score, and dazzling performances by Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, and others.

This is one that still regularly plays at rep houses, but if you need your fix now, you can always stream it at home.

Where to watch Lawrence of Arabia: Netflix

Paths of Glory (1957)

This bleak court-martial drama elevated Stanley Kubrick from a director of hard-boiled crime films to a world-class filmmaker, thanks to a remarkable leading performance from Kirk Douglas and a stirring use of fluid camera work.

It is based on a true story of French generals looking to find a scapegoat after a battle goes sideways. Innocent men are accused of cowardice and Douglas is tasked with defending them in a rigged trial. The result is powerful and infuriating, but very good!

Where to watch Paths of Glory: Tubi

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

Before sinking his teeth into The Beatles, Peter Jackson and his miracle machines took footage from World War I and transformed it into this illuminating and deeply moving documentary about life in the trenches.

The transformation of voices from history into fluid, color images presents the past as vivid and vibrant. Less concerned with troop movements and politics than it is with the details, They Shall Not Grow Old is one of the most gripping and transformative documentaries of recent years.

Where to watch They Shall Not Grow Old: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

For the Great War, one of the great films. Lewis Milestone’s milestone production was groundbreaking for its frank depiction of war and moments of visual poetry.

With the war still a recent memory, the decision to keep its heroes German (albeit exploited infantrymen) was quite brave for a Hollywood production. Though the combat scenes are tame by today’s standards, the psychological torment is just as agonizing, as is its heartbreaking conclusion. It won Best Picture and Best Director at the 3rd Academy Awards and holds up to this day.

Where to watch All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): Tubi