MovieChat Forums > The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Discussion > The first great War Movie

The first great War Movie

posted 8 years ago by lonnieanixt
10 replies | jump to latest

The first movie that embraced a new realism and honesty. It used the framework of War to explore human psychology, and pointed the way for all the movies to come that studied human nature under extreme stress. War, more than any other catalyst reveals human nature, whether it be misplaced honor, the psychological unraveling of defeat on the human psyche, the clash of different cultures, The military mind set, and the new American mind. The War as well as the bridge are just a framework, nothing more to examine the human the defense mechanisms of the human mind.

[–] J-Street1 8 years ago

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) beat it by 27 years.

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[–] Beau_Buffet 7 years ago

Very true.

[–] Zando777 8 years ago

Even if everything you say is true (and much seems valid), that doesn't make it the first great War Movie. There were many great war movies made prior to this, even if they didn't embrace the same themes.

[–] tmf_scipio 7 years ago

Try "All Quiet on the Western Front" from the 1930's. You might find it interesting.

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[–] partydjz (424) 6 years ago

Paths of Glory came out the same year as this film

[–] KBiker (776) 5 years ago

Paths of Glory was one of the great movies, let alone great war movies, of all time. Not to say that Bridge wasn't also great, just in a different way.

[–] millsey72 (9622) 2 years ago

This may have been the first however Missing in Action is probably the best overall war movie, followed by Kong Skull Island

[–] liscarkat (16652) a year ago

There were quite a few war movies that dealt with psychological themes, human nature, etc., going back to the 1920s. This one wasn't even the two-dozenth.

[–] millsey72 (9622) a year ago

Missing in Action 2 is probably the best war movie ever. Both involved POWs however Bridge on the River Kwai was a much slower paced movie