IMDb RATING
7.7/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
World War 1 begins and a young man enlists to fight for his country.World War 1 begins and a young man enlists to fight for his country.World War 1 begins and a young man enlists to fight for his country.
Raymond Aimos
- Soldat Fouillard
- (as Aimos)
Antonin Artaud
- Soldat Vieublé
- (as Artaud A.)
René Bergeron
- Soldat Hamel
- (as Bergeron)
Raymond Cordy
- Soldat Vairon
- (as R. Cordy)
Marcel Delaître
- Sergent Berthier
- (as Delaitre)
Jean Galland
- Capitaine Cruchet
- (as Galland)
Pierre Labry
- Soldat Bouffioux, le cuistot
- (as Labry Pierre)
Geo Laby
- Soldat Belin
- (as Laby Géo)
René Montis
- Lieutenant Morache
- (as Montis)
Jean-François Martial
- Soldat Lemoine
- (as J.F. Martial)
Marc Valbel
- Maroux
- (as Valbel)
Christian-Jaque
- Un lieutenant
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHistorian Georges Sadoul relates that the impression made by this memory of WWI was so powerful that one of the original combatants, seeing it on French TV in 1962,almost fifty years after the war, was disturbed enough to take his own life.
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA Srl: "LE CROCI DI LEGNO (1932) + PER LA PATRIA (J'Accuse, 1919)" (2 Films on a single DVD). The film has been re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Road to Glory (1936)
- SoundtracksAve Maria
Written by Franz Schubert
Featured review
Excellent, but not the best of its type...
1930 saw two great anti-war films about WWI--"All Quiet On the Western Front" and the German-made "Westfront 1918". Both were unrelentingly grim and accurate in their portrayal of war as a never-ending hellish existence. These were certainly NOT the glorious depictions of war you usually see for WWII. This is for several reasons. First, WWI was unusual in its brutality and pointlessness for the average soldier--far,far worse than wars before or since. Second, the 1930s was an era when the reality of the past war had finally sunk in--that many millions had essentially died for nothing. As a result, the anti-war movement was exceptionally strong. Third, unlike the films made during WWII which were made to bolster the war effort, this WWI type of film was made to show how war sucks and should not be fought--or perhaps how not to fight it.
While "Wooden Crosses" is one of the great anti-war films of this era, it's not one of the very, very best (such as the two mentioned above). The biggest reason is that the characters are more ill-defined--and so one person looks pretty much like another. This makes for a less satisfying film--but also perhaps reiterates the anonymity of war. And, I must point out, it does a terrific job of showing what war is like--with gobs of explosions and death. But, because other films had come out before it that were just a bit better, this film somehow got lost in the process. A truly exceptional film--but try the other two first. And, if you'd like, also try "The Eagle and the Hawk" as well as "Ace of Aces"--two excellent American anti-war films that truly personalize the awfulness of war.
While "Wooden Crosses" is one of the great anti-war films of this era, it's not one of the very, very best (such as the two mentioned above). The biggest reason is that the characters are more ill-defined--and so one person looks pretty much like another. This makes for a less satisfying film--but also perhaps reiterates the anonymity of war. And, I must point out, it does a terrific job of showing what war is like--with gobs of explosions and death. But, because other films had come out before it that were just a bit better, this film somehow got lost in the process. A truly exceptional film--but try the other two first. And, if you'd like, also try "The Eagle and the Hawk" as well as "Ace of Aces"--two excellent American anti-war films that truly personalize the awfulness of war.
helpful•108
- planktonrules
- Jul 1, 2010
- How long is Wooden Crosses?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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