The Best World War 1 Movies

Ranker Film
Updated March 2, 2023 19.2K votes 4.2K voters 874.9K views
Over 4.2K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best World War 1 Movies
Voting Rules
Vote up and add movies that take place during World War I.

This is a list of the best World War 1 movies ever made with new and classic movies. The following WW1 films list can be sorted by cast, year, director, or more. The list of movies about World War 1 films includes American and foreign titles, and ranges from All Quiet on the Western Front to Lawrence of Arabia. Think your favorite WWI should be higher on the list? Be sure to vote to them up and help your favorite movies get to the top. This list also has WW1 movie titles you can click on for more information on the films. You can even rerank this World War 1 films list in order to start your own. There are some good action WW1 movies on this list as well.

The list might not have all the World War 1 movies, but they are considered the best.

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  • All Quiet on the Western Front
    1

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray
    1,414 votes
    • Released: 1930
    • Directed by: Lewis Milestone
    The film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War I by their jingoistic teacher. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young ...more
  • They Shall Not Grow Old
    2

    They Shall Not Grow Old

    Peter Jackson
    488 votes
    • Released: 2018
    • Directed by: Peter Jackson
    Using state-of-the-art technology and materials from the BBC and Imperial War Museum, filmmaker Peter Jackson allows the story of World War I to be told by the men who were there. Life on the front ...more

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  • Gallipoli
    3

    Gallipoli

    Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr
    858 votes
    • Released: 1981
    • Directed by: Peter Weir
    Archy (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel Gibson) are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are too young, the pair hop a freight ...more

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  • Paths of Glory
    4

    Paths of Glory

    Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou
    1,023 votes
    • Released: 1957
    • Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
    During World War I, commanding officer General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), to attack a German trench position, offering a promotion as an ...more

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  • Lawrence of Arabia
    5

    Lawrence of Arabia

    Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
    1,134 votes
    • Released: 1962
    • Directed by: David Lean
    Due to his knowledge of the native Bedouin tribes, British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) and serve as a liaison between the Arabs ...more

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  • The Lost Battalion
    6

    The Lost Battalion

    Ricky Schroder, Adam James, Adam Kotz
    582 votes
    • Released: 2001
    • Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
    A U.S. major (Rick Schroder) leads his men against the odds when they become trapped behind enemy lines in World War I.

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