The top 10 most exact World War 1 movies ever made have been ranked. The films, released between 1930 and 2022, have been praised for their realism in portraying the numerous battles. Here’s the top ten in ascending order:
10. Joyeux Noel (2005)
7.6/10 IMDb rating.
74% Rotten Tomatoes.
This film explores the Christmas truce in 1930, when British and German soldiers met in No Man’s Land to exchange gifts and play football.
While it depicts unified harmony with an opera singer serenading the troops, it’s far from the most realistic. The actual Christmas truces were spontaneous and impromptu up and down the country.
However, it succeeds in portraying the spirit and relief in the soldiers through emotive acting which shows the uncertainty they faced about what would happen next.
9. Gallipoli (1981)
7.4/10 IMDb rating.
91% Rotten Tomatoes.
The dialogue in this film was scripted using real letters written by soldiers during the war.
It’s not the most accurate, however, as the movie pins the blame of the Battle of the Nek on the British officers. But, in reality, it was the result of misheard commands and mistakes all round.
Starring Mel Gibson, the portrayal of the nerves and the friendships that ended in a flash makes for strong storytelling.
8. 1917 (2019)
8.2/10 IMDb rating.
88% Rotten Tomatoes.
1917 feels like it was filmed in one continuing take, with tense and tight shots as two soldiers make their way across No Man’s Land to deliver a life-or-death message.
Director Sam Mendes’ grandfather served as a messenger on the Western Front and his experiences, along with other veterans, are included in the film.
This adds to the authenticity, but the mission the soldiers are sent on never actually happened. The exaggerated urgency and timeframe adds to the Hollywood suspense.
7. Paths of Glory (1957)
8.4/10 IMDb rating.
96% Rotten Tomatoes.
Starring Kirk Douglas, trenches were measured down to the sandbag to make this movie as accurate as possible.
The storytelling is critical in its portrayal of military leaders. This led to the film being banned in France from 1957 until 1975 for being too harsh.
Critics were keen to applaud this as director Stanley Kubrick’s best ever film.
6. The Lost Battalion (2001)
7/10 IMDb rating.
79% Rotten Tomatoes.
This film is based on a real stand-off between American and German troops in the Argonne Forest.
Some of the dialogue comes from real battle reports. The forest scenery could easily pass for the real location in France.
While the film shows the stand-off to be a major turning point in the war, it wasn’t as big of a battle in real life – with less soldiers and lower stakes.
5. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
7.8/10 IMDb rating.
90% Rotten Tomatoes.
Based on the 1930 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this is the third film adaptation of the book.
The dramatic countdown to the Armistice was included to create tension, but didn’t actually happen. The film’s historical accuracy lies in the depiction of the brutal luck the soldiers faced as they fought.
This adaptation became award-winning in 2023, as it won four Oscars for best production design, international feature, score and cinematography.
4. La Grande Illusion (1937)
8.1/10 IMDb rating.
97% Rotten Tomatoes.
This film was banned in Germany and Italy, during the Second World War, because of its anti-war message.
The choice of costumes, barracks and rations are all on-point. It doesn’t paint anyone as a hero or a villain and succeeds in accurately showing the impact war can have on relationships.
Critics declared that the film is worth watching just for the final end shot and what you see will stay with you forever.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
8.1/10 IMDb rating.
98% Rotten Tomatoes.
This film, made just 15 years after the war, was created with advice from actual German advisors and trench veterans.
All historical details are accurate as they were double-checked by veterans who had lived it, even down the way that the soldiers walked.
Critics have praised this film for being a harrowing and powerful anti-war film that was ahead of its time technically.
2. Westfront 1918 (1930)
7.3/10 IMDb rating.
100% Rotten Tomatoes.
With the close-up shots and impressive gunshot sounds, it almost feels like a documentary at times.
It succeeds in portraying the loss and exhaustion from the war, with no happy ending.
This is reflected in the 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, a rare percentage for films to achieve on the site.
Directed by Pabst, critics applauded the film for its signal job in conveying the fear, monotony, dirt, and exhaustion of the trenches.
1. They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
8.2/10 IMDb rating.
99% Rotten Tomatoes.
Director Peter Jackson took actual footage recorded during WW1, which had been stored as archive in museums for 100 years, and added it into the film.
The grainy but powerful footage shows actual soldiers marching in formation towards battle. Real conversations between soldiers were recreated through expert lip-reading.
Critics have praised Jackson for using 21st-century technology to put the humanity back into old movie stock.