The First World War: A grim look at the old days

Is this for you?

If you like your history dry, messy, and without the modern gloss of a big studio blockbuster, you’ll probably find something to chew on here. If you need a fast pace or a clear hero to root for, you’re going to be bored to tears within twenty minutes. It’s a somber experience, definitely not for a Friday night popcorn session.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The First World War (1934) through its definitive frames.

There’s something about watching a film like this that feels like digging through an old attic. The footage is rough around the edges, and the storytelling isn’t trying to hold your hand. It reminds me a bit of the way things felt in The Man Who Played God, where the silence does a lot of the heavy lifting.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The First World War (1934) through its definitive frames.

Pedro de Cordoba carries a heavy weight here. He isn't acting for the back row of a theater; he’s just kind of existing in this space. I noticed his hands a lot. He’s constantly fidgeting with his coat, which felt less like a character choice and more like a guy who just didn't know what to do with his arms between takes. It works, honestly.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The First World War (1934) through its definitive frames.

The messy parts

The pacing is… well, it’s not there. Some scenes linger on a blank wall or a quiet street for what feels like an eternity. I checked my watch twice during one sequence that was clearly just there to soak up time. But then, suddenly, there’s a cut to something so jarring it shakes you back awake. It’s not balanced. It feels like a rough draft that somebody just decided to release as a finished product.

I couldn't help but compare the frantic energy of the conflict scenes to the goofy, lighthearted movement in The Mollycoddle. It’s like two different planets. One is all about the joy of motion, and here, motion is mostly about running away from something that’s going to kill you.

• The shadow work in the second act is surprisingly moody.
• Some of the extras in the background look like they’re waiting for a bus.
• The sound design is basically just 'loud' and 'quiet' with nothing in between.

There’s a moment near the middle where the dialogue just… stops. For a solid minute, we’re just watching people walk through a field. No music, no whispering, just the sound of boots on dry grass. It’s the kind of thing that drives people crazy, but I think I actually liked it. It felt grounded in a way most modern war movies are terrified to be. 🪖

If you want a polished experience, go watch something else. But if you want to feel the weight of a century-old headache, this hits the spot. It’s imperfect, it’s ragged, and it’s totally fine with being both.