Best World War I Movies Of All Time - Based on 125 Online Sources

Scene from Paths of Glory (1957), best World War I movie.

Welcome to our Reel Fives pre-launch movie rankings for best World War I movies of all time. The rankings for World War I (WWI) movies are based on our pre-launch rankings for its parent genre, war movies, which captures war movies more broadly. These top WWI movie rankings are based on the 125 movie ranking sources we found for war movies (see war rankings page) . Our pre-launch movie rankings for war film included 120 movies, and of those 11 were WWI movies; these 11 WWI films are ranked below. As with the broader war genre, these World War 1 movie rankings are based on rankings created by movie experts as well as rankings from polling sites that were found online.

World War I left a world uncertain of its future and a generation of men disillusioned after witnessing the effects of tear gas and machine guns. Paths of Glory (1957), the all-time best WWI movie (fifth overall for war movies) centers on French soldiers who refused orders to go into no man’s land to fight the Germans, making them criminals. The film showcases the tolls of the trenches on the soldiers and why they did not want to fight a tug of war between serving country and taking care of oneself. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), ranked second (10^th  overall for war movies) shows and the disillusionment of a group of German soldiers as they fight in WWI. The film won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director (Lewis Milestone). The French film Grand Illusion (1937), ranked third, follows two French POWs while they plot their escape. With every failed attempt, they lose hope. A film adaption of the musical Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) tells the story of the Smith family and the various WWI stories within their own family. The film encompasses the big moments of WWI such as the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand and the Christmas truce between British and German soldiers. War Horse (2011), ranked fifth, may be the most hopeful story in the category. After Albert’s horse is forced to join the military, Albert (Jeremy Irvine) also enlists. When his horse gets captured, Albert will do anything to get him back. Instead of focusing on human relationships, the film focuses on Albert and his horse and the love between them. WWI disillusioned men and women; it took away any stability people felt they had.

Top 11 of World War I (WWI) Movies of All Time

Percent of online top fives movies appear shown on 

1 . Paths of Glory (1957): 23.3% 

2 . All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): 13.7% 

3 . Grand Illusion (1937): 5.64%

4 . Oh, What Lovely War (1969): 2.41% 

5 . War Horse (2011): 1.61% 

6 . Afirican Queen (1951): 1.61% 

7 . Gallipoli (1981): .806% 

8 (tied). A Very Long Engagement (2004): .806% 

8 (tied). Sergeant York (1941): .806% 

10 . The Big Red One (1980): .806% 

11 . The Blue Max (1966): .806%

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