The world at war has provided numerous plots for the novelist, biographer, playwright, and screenplay writers alike, providing some of the greatest films of all time.  Let’s hope the abundance of new material dries up.  Please refer to the subject page on Aviation for further military images related to the World Wars.

War certainly became more topical with the advent of WW1 and the emergence of aviation, tanks, mustard gas, trench warfare, submarines and the pathos created was ample fodder for films and books.  The 1920s were boom years for wartime scenarios along with the stock market.  Many soldiers picked up a pen or typewriter and chronicled their wartime experiences (A counterpart for WW2 would look at Audie Murphy).

In 1929, Erich Maria Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front, which became a worldwide bestseller. The novel was a brutal account of the horrors of trench warfare, written from his perspective as a German infantryman.  This writer is aware of only a couple of film tie-ins for this novel, perhaps there is a wraparound band for the Grosset and Dunlop novel reprinted circa 1930, yet to be found.  The novelization and production study booklet by Alamore Press is difficult to find and all 86 pages have a film still along with some text.

Other WW1 film books of merit include Sergeant York played by Gary Cooper in 1941.  The Grand Illusion (1937) gave us a Prisoner of War perspective and the planning for escape.  The screenplay by Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak had to wait until the 1960s to see a book publication.  Submarine Patrol (1938 The Splinter Fleet by Ray Millholland) looked at Naval ships designed to hunt submarines, and Hell Below (1933 from Pigboats) also provided submarine action.

Additional examples include The Patent Leather Kid (1927), She Goes to War (1929),  Journey’s End (1930) and The Case of Sergeant Grischa (1930).  Paths of Glory (1957) by Humphrey Cobb is another excellent novel of the horrors of trench warfare.

WW2 seemed to explode (pun intended) the book and film connections.  It became patriotic to be informed and involved in the wartime effort.  Reading and viewing newsreels or films provided vicarious opportunities for the young and old alike, in addition to inspiring volunteers for the military.  There was a consortium of American book publishers that produced Armed Services Edition paperbacks in the mid-1940 with an oblong shape to fit into the G.I.’s pocket.  Thousands of titles were published including some movie tie-ins.  Contemporary WW2 film editions include The Pied Piper (1942), First Comes Courage (1943 from The Commandos),  Edge of Darkness (1943), Salute to the Marines (1943), The North Star (1943), The Moon is Down (1943), The Immortal Sergeant (1943), They Were Expendable (1945), The Story of G. I. Joe (1945), and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946 wartime aftermath).

The films of the 50s and 60s provided continued themes of war with some more historical depictions of specific military campaigns.  Some nice film editions include the following: From Here to Eternity (1953), To Hell and Back (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai, (1957), Run Silent, Run Deep (1958 submarine action), The Longest Day (1962), Hell is for Heroes (1962), Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964 worries of WW3), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Hill (1965), None but the Brave (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), How I Won the War (1967), Tobruk (1967), Anzio (1968), The Bridge at Remagen (1969) and Where Eagles Dare (1969).

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Last Revision:  May 6, 2021 12:07 PM