WWI in book and film

[Will Bailie]

Some more movies about fighter pilots:
Flyboys
Richtofen vs Brown

My claim to fame is that I was an extra in Legends of the Fall.  We were all horribly disappointed to find that the movie was primarily about prohibition in Montana.  Nonetheless, it was fun to dress up as army men and play in the mud!

My favourite books (fiction) on WWI are the Bandy Papers, by Donald Jack.  Bandy starts off in the infantry, transfers to the RFC, moves to a staff job in London where he annoys a bigwig and is transferred back the infantry in time to experience the wrong side of the Kaiserschlacht offensive.  Thanks to his performance there, he gets transferred again, this time to Northern Russia to take on the Bolsheviks.  Lots of fun, much like Flashman in a way.

The ANZACS miniseries is quite good as well -made for TV, but good entertainment and production values.

[Herr Direktor]

The movies Gallipoli and The Lighthorsemen are, of course, excellent. 

[Herr Direktor]

Also, I thought of 3 books not mentioned previously.  All 3 are history books. The first one I just finished days ago and is called Hell in the Holy Land by David Woodward.  It is an excellent overview of the British march from Egypt to Jerusalem and beyond , 1915-1918.  The second is a classic called Battle for the Bundu  by Charles Miller and is a fantastic account of von Lettow and the East African campaign.  It reads like a novel.  The third is called Some Desperate Glory (title borrowed, of course, from Wilfred Owen's famous poem) by Edwin Vaughan.  It is the 1917 diary of a British officer.  The thing here is that the book starts off a little boring dealing with routines in the trenches and then the author gets caught up in the Battle of Passendaele.  It ends abruptly because, well the author dies.  It left me truly feeling like I had been there. To be honest, it was a little disturbing but well worth a read.

[Le matou rouge]

La Vie et rien d’Autre (a film) and  Ceux de 14 (a book) are both excellent. I don’t know if English translation are available though.

I own the book Ceux de 14 and I read it at least 3 time now… it’s a war recollection of a French Lieutenant de Réserve and cover the earlier months of the war in 1914.

What ? Calimero don't listen to my advices ?  

"C'est vraiment trop in'zuste !"  ,
Matt

[joroas]

Try this site, too......

http://www.worldwar1.com/

[Cory]

Not quite a movie, but here's a clip from the local paper with a video link to some footage they shot yesterday of a running ft-17.


http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/08/news/top/news01.txt

[WillieB]

Not sure if these WWI films have been mentioned already

What Price Glory?
Oh What A Lovely War
Monocled Mutineer
Lost Patrol
The Razors' Edge
The Road To Glory
A Farewell To Arms
Fight For The River (docu-drama)
Forty Thousand horsemen
Clipped Wings
The Dawn Patrol
Crimson Romance

[Plynkes]

Willie's mention of A Farewell to Arms reminds me that there is a Dickie Attenborough movie about Hemmingway in Italy, called In Love and War. It's not really that good (two much mooning about in love and not enough sticking bayonets in people), and is supposed to star Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell.

I can only assume that the actual actors weren't available as for some reason it seems two cardboard cut-outs were used in the lead roles instead.

[Adam]

If you're interested in books give this a go:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/World_War_I_%28Bookshelf%29

Lots and lots on there, especially first hand accounts. That site helped me keep my sanity while working in a call centre where I'd spend 40 minutes waiting for each call and then when it came I just ended up having an argument. I used to get through one a day.

Not sure which part of the war you're interested in but I'd recommend:

With our Army in Palestine Antony Bluett
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19941

excerpt:
"The Turks holding a certain advanced section of the line sent a messenger under the white flag across no-man's-land to our trenches to ask the nationality of the troops holding them. If it was English, the messenger said, his comrades were prepared to surrender. As it chanced, a battalion of men from the Home Counties was in possession of the trenches, and the messenger returned with information to that effect. Within ten minutes the whole party of Turks were in our lines! Later, they were asked why they had been so anxious for their captors to be English; the reply was that they had been told, with much circumstantiality of detail, that the Australians were cannibals and habitually ate their prisoners; and that the Scottish and Welsh troops went one better than this, for they never took prisoners—alive! A tall story, of course, but it is reasonably certain that some such rubbishy propaganda was from time to time circulated amongst those simple Anatolian peasants"


Sketches of the East Africa Campaign Robert Valentine Dolbey
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10362

Excerpt:
"In their houses it was the same; disgusting pictures, masquerading in the guise of art, adorned the walls, evidences of corrupt taste and doubtful practices in every
drawer and cupboard. Even the Commandant of Bukoba, von Stuemer, and his
name did not belie his nature, though, before the war, quite popular
with the British officials and planters of Uganda, had a queer taste in
photography. In the big family album were evidences of his astonishing
domestic life; for there were photographs of him in full regimentals,
with medals and decorations, sitting on a sofa beside his wife, who was
in a state of nature. Others portrayed him without the conventionalities
of clothing, and his wife in evening dress."



All the books on there were published during or immediately after the war and are all FREE TO DOWNLOAD!

[Herr Direktor]

I want to thank you for mentioning this site.  I have been interested in obtaining Bluett's book, now I can download it.  Most excellent!

[Doc Twilight]

Many excellent suggestions here, but one I should add.

The book, "Battle for the Bundu" is an absolute must have if you've any interest in the War in East Africa.

-Doc

[commissarmoody]

Thanks this is most kind of you all.
I beleave that i will have to dissaper for awhile with all the reading i am going to have to do.

[Calimero]

La Vie et rien d?Autre (a film) and  Ceux de 14 (a book) are both excellent. I don?t know if English translation are available though.

I own the book Ceux de 14 and I read it at least 3 time now? it?s a war recollection of a French Lieutenant de R?serve and cover the earlier months of the war in 1914.

What ? Calimero don't listen to my advices ?  

"C'est vraiment trop in'zuste !"  ,
Matt

 

[Stavka]

Also on the Isonzo front and Dolomites in Italy; A Soldier of the Great War is an excellent work of literature by Mark Helprin. 

Set in the same theatre there was the Italian war movie, "Uomini Contro", by Francesco Rosi (1970)

 

[Phil Robinson]

Some great clips there Stavka, like the crazy Austrian cavalry charge. Some challenging and different terrain to build there too.