Movies Set Against WW1

For the second time in five years a film set against World War One has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category. In 2019 it was Sam Mendes’ film ‘1917’ and this year Edward Berger’s remake of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is in the running for the Oscar.

Both films sit firmly inside the bounds of historical fiction as the plot and main characters are fictitious – while set against real events in world history, real places and often featuring depictions of real people.

I really enjoyed both of these movies. They are beautifully filmed - ‘1917’ was awarded an Academy Award for Cinematography - and are both compelling stories. If I had to choose one over the other, however, it would be ‘All Quiet.’

Based on Erich Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ delivers a brutal depiction of life and death in the trenches. Remarque drew on his own experiences as a German infantryman. I first read his book while still in high school and saw the original 1930 film soon after. It was then remade in the 70’s starring Ernest Borgnine (McHale’s Navy) as ‘Kat’ the old soldier who takes the newest cohort - including Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as ‘Paul Baumer’ - under his wing. The 70’s version follows the original very closely while the most recent version takes us on a slightly different journey. It does, however, still pay homage to its predecessors – some of the scenes are filmed to replicate the original cinematography.

The popularity of these two movies show that people are still interested in the Great War. I hope a few of them decide to read my books!

I’d also recommend ‘Journey’s End’ and, if you’d like a little more Aussie content, have a look at ‘Beneath Hill 60.’ It’s become one of my absolute favourite movies and, along with the others mentioned here, has become a source of inspiration for my writing.