The Representation of World War One in Film and its Effect on Collective Memory

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. COLLECTIVE MEMORY

3. FILM

3.1. Relation between World War One and Film

3.2. Film Form

4. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) – LEWIS MILESTONE

5. PATHS OF GLORY (1957) – STANLEY KUBRICK

6. THE TRENCH (1999) – WILLIAM BOYD

7. DISCUSSION

8. CONCLUSION

Objectives & Core Themes

This thesis investigates how the medium of film has shaped the collective memory of the First World War from 1916 to the present day. It explores why film became the dominant medium for representing this conflict, analyzing how specific cinematic iconography and narrative structures were established in early war films and have persisted across different decades and cultural contexts.

• The role of film as a medium in shaping collective memory.
• Iconography and stereotypical representations of the First World War in cinema.
• Comparative analysis of how three distinct films (All Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, The Trench) depict the war.
• The witness perspective and the psychological impact of war representation on audiences.
• The consistency of narrative structures across different national film industries.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. INTRODUCTION: Introduces the research topic, the relevance of collective memory in post-war eras, and the research questions concerning film's role in memorializing the First World War.

2. COLLECTIVE MEMORY: Defines the theoretical framework of collective memory, specifically focusing on how shared narratives are formed and maintained through communication and symbolic artifacts.

3. FILM: Examines the historical emergence of film during the early 20th century and its subsequent deep connection to the documentation and representation of World War One.

3.1. Relation between World War One and Film: Analyzes the specific development of war films in the UK and the US, highlighting how the medium was utilized to involve civilians as indirect witnesses to the conflict.

3.2. Film Form: Discusses the terminology of film analysis, including mise-en-scene, lighting, camera techniques, and the construction of narrative, providing the methodology for the subsequent film studies.

4. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) – LEWIS MILESTONE: Provides a detailed analysis of this classic anti-war film, focusing on how its iconography set the standard for later depictions of trench warfare.

5. PATHS OF GLORY (1957) – STANLEY KUBRICK: Investigates Kubrick's adaptation, focusing on the power dynamics between command and infantry and the utilization of specific camera work to convey military injustice.

6. THE TRENCH (1999) – WILLIAM BOYD: Explores the more intimate, granular focus of this film on the daily life of soldiers, providing a contrast to earlier depictions of the conflict.

7. DISCUSSION: Synthesizes the findings from the three film analyses, comparing them against the established theory and addressing why this specific set of war stereotypes persists.

8. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the thesis, answers the initial research questions, and provides an outlook on the future of war representation in cinema.

Keywords

Collective Memory, World War One, Film, Cinema, Iconography, Trench Warfare, War Representation, Narrative Structure, Witness Perspective, Historical Memory, Anti-War Film, Mise-en-scene, Cinematography, Media Studies, Cultural Memory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this thesis?

The work focuses on how the medium of film has represented the First World War and thereby influenced the collective memory of the conflict from its inception in 1916 to the modern day.

What are the central thematic fields?

The core themes include the intersection of history and cinematography, the persistence of specific war-related stereotypes (such as the disfigured landscape and suffering soldier), and the power dynamics within military institutions as shown on screen.

What is the primary research question?

The thesis asks how selected films—All Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, and The Trench—represent the First World War and whether their shared iconography contributed to a unified, yet potentially limited, collective memory.

Which scientific method is applied?

The author uses a qualitative film analysis method, focusing on film-theoretical terms like mise-en-scene, camera techniques, lighting, and narrative structuring to compare the selected films against historical and theoretical perspectives on collective memory.

What does the main body cover?

The main body moves from a theoretical exploration of collective memory and film studies into detailed, sequence-based analyses of the three named films, evaluating their visual language and thematic concerns.

What defines the core terminology?

The work relies on concepts such as "collective memory" (based on Halbwachs and the Assmanns), "film form" (Bordwell and Thompson), and specific war-film iconographies as structured by contemporary film scholars.

How does the author re-evaluate "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930)?

The author analyzes how Milestone's film established a "series of stereotypes" that would be endlessly reused in future films, specifically citing the trench routine and "going over the top" as defining recurring imagery.

What is the significance of the "witness perspective"?

The witness perspective is identified as a vital filmic technique that forces the audience into the perspective of the soldier, creating an immediate, visceral experience that anchors the collective memory of the war's trauma.

What distinction is made between "All Quiet" and "Paths of Glory"?

While All Quiet on the Western Front provides a broad overview of the soldier's journey, Paths of Glory is noted for its sharper focus on the power imbalance between command and infantry, using architectural framing and lighting to critique generalship.