# Your favorite/best War Movies Prior to 1940 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010 "2015-05-28T03:18:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/1 "2015-05-28T03:18:46Z")
Pick your Top Five (or fewer) from this list: For King and Country [For King and Country (1913) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160109/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) (1913) The Battleship Potemkin [Battleship Potemkin (1925) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1925) The Big Parade [The Big Parade (1925) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015624/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1925) The General [The General (1926) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017925/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1926) Wings (1927) [Wings (1927) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018578/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1927) All Quiet on the Western Front [All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020629/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1930) Lives of a Bengal Lancer [The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026643/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1935) La Grande Illusion [The Grand Illusion (1937) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028950/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1937) Alexander Nevsky [Alexander Nevsky (1938) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029850/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1938) Allegheny Uprising [Allegheny Uprising (1939) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031033/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1939) Beau Geste [Beau Geste (1939) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031088/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1939) For Whom the Bell Tolls [For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035896/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1939) The Four Feathers (1939 version) [The Four Feathers (1939) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031334/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) (1939) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/2 "2015-05-28T04:07:44Z")
Was the 1964 _ **For King and Country** _ a remake of the 1913 film? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/3 "2015-05-28T04:19:48Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Was the 1964 _ **For King and Country** _ a remake of the 1913 film? šŸ˜• Did it have a different name? These are what I had to choose from: > **[Find - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/find/?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=for%20king%20and%20country&s=all)** > > IMDb's Find Results Page How about [King & Country (1964) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058263/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_15) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/4 "2015-05-28T04:26:16Z")
Weird that the Dirk Bogarde film is not on that first list! :eek: The 1913 French/Italian film couldnā€™t be the original since it was made before WWI. The same basic plot, maybe, but thatā€™s all. Dunno, Iā€™ve never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/5 "2015-05-28T04:31:50Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Weird that the Dirk Bogarde film is not on that first list! :eek: > > The 1913 French/Italian film couldnā€™t be the original since it was made before WWI. The same basic plot, maybe, but thatā€™s all. Dunno, Iā€™ve never seen it. Must be the missing **For**? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/6 "2015-05-28T04:37:08Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Must be the missing **For**? Aha! So which one are we voting for in this segment? I see one made in 1913 and one made a year later (but I bet the person who nominated the movie had Dirk Bogardeā€™s in mind). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/7 "2015-05-28T04:44:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Aha! > > So which one are we voting for in this segment? I see one made in 1913 and one made a year later (but I bet the person who nominated the movie had Dirk Bogardeā€™s in mind). Just to play it safe for the scrutinizing elite Iā€™ll be adding the King & Country (1964) [King & Country (1964) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058263/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) to the 1960ā€™s batch. If anybody wants another **K&C** , please speak up. šŸ™‚ To answer your direct question, this poll is about the 1913 version. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/8 "2015-05-28T04:59:34Z")
Ausgezeichnet! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/9 "2015-05-28T10:54:22Z")
From your list, The Big Parade is my favorite. Aside from that, Iā€™d like to recommend **Tell It To the Marines** with Lon Cheney (and Smedley Butler). Besides the hokey storyline, it gives a decent overview of the Marines before WWII changed them: San Diego when it was a small navy town, fleet duty, garrison duty on the Pacific, and (politically simplified) action in China. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/10 "2015-05-28T11:53:30Z")
_Grande Illusion_ is gripping, thoughtful, and well acted, and hardly feels dated even today. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/11 "2015-05-28T13:27:20Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > From your list, The Big Parade is my favorite. Aside from that, Iā€™d like to recommend **Tell It To the Marines** with Lon Cheney (and Smedley Butler). Besides the hokey storyline, it gives a decent overview of the Marines before WWII changed them: San Diego when it was a small navy town, fleet duty, garrison duty on the Pacific, and (politically simplified) action in China. Your note has reminded me that I failed to cite the background thread for this poll: > **[Best All-Time Military Movies -- Pre-Poll Data Gathering](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=757774)** > > I have no major quarrel with the movies listed at http://screenrant.com/best-war-military-movies-list/ which are: -Black Hawk Down -Apocalypse Now -Platoon -Full Metal Jacket -Saving Private Ryan ā€¦but before building a poll to test SDMBā€™s... Best All-Time Military Movies ā€“ Pre-Poll Data Gathering Iā€™m adding your suggestion there and will post an updated list of all the nominated movies once things appear to be finished with that process. We have well over 200 so far! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/12 "2015-05-28T14:18:21Z")
Favorite on that list and for that era has to be ā€œAll Quietā€ for me. That was just such a classic and shows skills and thought so far ahead of its time. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/13 "2015-05-28T14:39:39Z")
I think the movie _Birth of a Nation_ is fascinating. Yes, itā€™s racist, but it wasnā€™t made with the intention of causing a revival of the KKK, and DW Griffith was as shocked as anyone when that happened. If you have seen as many films as I have, especially films made around the time of _Birth of a Nation_, you canā€™t help but love the innovation of it, and I am a fan of both Mae marsh and Lillian Gish. Iā€™m not going to defend the filmā€™s racism any more than Iā€™m going to defend the obvious racism, sexism or homophobia of any other older movie. _Gone with the Wind_ is racist too, but for some reason it gets a pass. FWIW, though, I also like GWTW, and Iā€™ll add it to my list of war movies prior to 1940. Also, I donā€™t know if this counts, but Griffith made a film in 1916 called _Intolerance_, which was four interwoven stories, and one was about the final war the overthrew Babylon, which makes it a war movie. That sequence was even released separately as ā€œThe Fall of Babylon,ā€ just as the modern story was released separately as ā€œThe Mother and the Law.ā€ In short: Birth of a Nation Gone with the Wind The Fall of Babylon ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/14 "2015-05-28T14:49:30Z")
PLEASE NOTE: I was in too much of a hurry to get things moving with the voting process that I jumped the gun on mentioning these late arrivals to the periodā€™s movies: **Tell It To the Marines [Tell It to the Marines (1926) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018471/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1926) The Dawn Patrol [The Dawn Patrol (1930) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020815/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) (1930) Bonnie Scotland [Bonnie Scotland (1935) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026126/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1935) Blockheads [Block-Heads (1938) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029923/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) (1938) The Dawn Patrol [The Dawn Patrol (1938) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030044/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1938)** If you would have included any of these in your Top Five, please post to that effect and Iā€™ll keep that in mind as we move the ā€œwinnersā€ from this poll into whatever ā€œnext phaseā€ we decide to use to narrow the SDMB Favorites down. Iā€™ll post later if there are still more newer ones mentioned at > **[Best All-Time Military Movies -- Pre-Poll Data Gathering](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=757774)** > > I have no major quarrel with the movies listed at http://screenrant.com/best-war-military-movies-list/ which are: -Black Hawk Down -Apocalypse Now -Platoon -Full Metal Jacket -Saving Private Ryan ā€¦but before building a poll to test SDMBā€™s... Best All-Time Military Movies ā€“ Pre-Poll Data Gathering ============================== Just now seeing your list, **RivkahChaya** , so thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/15 "2015-05-28T15:29:13Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Birth of a Nation > Gone with the Wind > The Fall of Babylon The Birth of a Nation [The Birth of a Nation (1915) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004972/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4) (1915) Gone with the Wind [Gone with the Wind (1939) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1939) The Fall of Babylon [The Fall of Babylon (1919) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010108/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1919) These have been added to the overall Chronological Listing and will appear next time I post an update of that list. Thanks again, **RivkahChaya** ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/16 "2015-05-28T15:37:47Z")
Have to add 1938ā€™s Dawn Patrol to my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/17 "2015-05-28T16:48:59Z")
Havenā€™t seen a lot of those, Iā€™m sorry to say, but among those I have, _Alexander Nevsky_ was the best. I had the pleasure of seeing it with the score being performed by a live orchestra. Magnificent! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/18 "2015-05-28T17:04:12Z")
I voted for the only one of those Iā€™ve seen: _All Quiet on the Western Front_. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/19 "2015-05-28T18:24:20Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > _Grande Illusion_ is gripping, thoughtful, and well acted, and hardly feels dated even today. Definitely. Of the films listed, it is certainly the richest and fully realized. It is a _film_, not a cinematic experiment or literary adaptation. ETA: But I also have to give props to _The General_, just because the Blu-ray restoration is incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010/20 "2015-05-28T18:46:50Z")
A thread I started three years ago about _Grand Illusion_: [Just saw the movie Grand Illusion... - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=667959) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-best-war-movies-prior-to-1940/721010.md?page=2)