World War I at the Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front

Based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, 1930's "All Quiet on the Western Front" tells the tale of patriotic German schoolboys as they learn the brutal lessons of war in the trenches of France in World War I. Both the novel and the film were banned in Nazi Germany. The film has been remade twice; a 1979 TV version, and a theatrical film released in 2022.

Answer: Sergeant York

Gary Cooper won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Alvin York, a farmer from Tennessee who was reluctant to go to war because of his religious convictions. For his bravery in combat, York became one of the most decorated American soldiers of the First World War. The film was released in 1941.

Answer: Gallipoli

Directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, "Gallipoli" is a 1981 fictional story about two Australian runners who join the army with a group of friends. They are sent to the Gallipoli peninsula in modern Turkey, where the men face the horrors of trench warfare, inadequate food, and the blunders of the high command, which result in high casualties for little gain.

Answer: The Grand Illusion

The 1937 French film, "La Grande Illusion" in French, is a fictional story of French officers, pilots from noble families, who are plotting to escape from a German camp near the Swiss border. The German commander of the camp is also an aristocrat, and he and the prisoners moved in the same social circles before the war.

When two of the men successfully escape, the commandant is forced to shoot another, and the dying prisoner and his captor lament that the days of the nobility have come to an end.

Answer: Paths of Glory

Stanley Kubrick directed this fictional 1957 film, where French Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) is ordered to assault the "Anthill", an impregnable German position, without adequate men or artillery support. When the attack fails, General Mireau (George Macready) orders that three men from Dax's regiment be tried for cowardice under penalty of death.

The trial is a sham, and Dax cannot save his men, even though he proves to a callous, higher ranking general that Mireau ordered his artillery to fire on his own men during the attack.

While the general insists that an enquiry is made, he still allows the soldiers to be executed.

Answer: Joyeux Noel

Written and directed by French director Christian Carion, "Joyeux Noel" (Merry Christmas) is a fictionalized story of an historical event, the 1914 Christmas Truce that took place in certain areas on the Western Front. The film deals with units of German, French, and Scottish soldiers who are inspired by the performance of a famous German singer, sent to the trenches to entertain the troops, to call for a truce on Christmas Eve, 1914.

Some individual soldiers, and the commanders of all three armies, are appalled by the truce and end it as soon as possible, while most of the participants enjoy the last moment of decency between themselves and their enemies.

The film was released in 2005.

Answer: The Blue Max

George Peppard and Ursula Andress star in this film, which tells the story of a World War I German foot soldier, born into the working class, who is accepted into the Air Force in 1918. His single-minded pursuit of a medal does not go over well with his fellow pilots and superiors, most of whom are aristocrats with notions of chivalry that seem outdated in the midst of the war.

Answer: Lawrence of Arabia

British director David Lean's epic film has Peter O'Toole in the lead role as T.E. Lawrence, a British officer, who is well-versed in the history of the Middle East and speaks Arabic, who leads a revolt by the Arab tribes against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Answer: The Red Baron

A German-British co-production released in 2008, "The Red Baron" is a fictional story about the career of Manfred Von Richthofen, Germany's (and the war's) highest scoring fighter pilot. While the film was praised for its costuming and technical accuracy, the degree of historical accuracy and the portrayal of Von Richthofen personally was criticized, especially in Germany.

Answer: Shoulder Arms

Released only weeks before the end of World War I, "Shoulder Arms" was written, produced by, directed by, and stars Charlie Chaplin as an American "doughboy", who is not as big, strong, and manly as his fellow soldiers. Nevertheless, he volunteers for a secret mission, wherein he helps a French girl escape from the Germans and eventually captures the German Kaiser.

The movie is regarded as the first comedy war film.