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sabotai · 05-28-2018, 07:15 PM

Les croix de bois (1932)
English Title: Wooden Crosses

Directed By: Raymond Bernard
Written By: Raymond Bernard
Starring: Pierre Blancher, Gabriel Gabrio, Charles Vanel
Length: 115 min.
Genre: War
Based On: The Novel "Les croix de bois" by Roland Dorgelès, published in 1919

France's take on an anti-war war movie. Their answer to "All Quiet on the Western Front".

In this movie, a young, idealistic soldier has joined up for the war, and he's really eager to get in on the fighting. The regiment he joins tells him, too bad, the fighting is just about over and the war will be done shortly. The movie begins in 1914 (que 'foreboding music')

The first main sequence occurs while the regiment is on the front line. They hear digging going on underneath them. German sappers. They know that the Germans will eventually plant a bomb, but there is no where for them to go. Their commanding officer tells them they have to stay put, and downplays the danger. In one scene, they start to panic when the sounds of digging stop. After a few tense moments, it starts up again.

Shortly after the regiment is relieved and are taken off the front line, there's an explosion. They made it out just in time...not so much for the men who replaced them,

The action really picks up halfway through the movie. A massive battle occurs and goes on for 10 days (and for the rest of the movie). The action scenes during the battle were incredible. Easily the best "battle scenes" of any of the war movies I've watched so far. John Ford and Howard Hawkes both would repurpose the battle shots in their movies.

At the end of the battle, everyone is dead, that young, eager soldier being the last to die (maybe...it was a bit ambiguous as to whether he died or not...but probably)

Two issues. The first half hour of the movie did drag quite a bit. It took its time getting going, as most war movies tend to do. But this was pretty boring for the first 30 minutes. Secondly, it got a bit over the top with the melodrama at times. One of the characters really milked their death scene.

But those two issues aside, the battle scenes were incredible, and overall this was up there with All Quiet on the Western Front and unfortunately this movie seems to have been largely forgotten.

My Rating: 8/10
IMDB User Rating: 7.8/10 (944 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A, 91% of Audience (4.2 / 5 ; 335 votes)

05-28-2018, 07:15 PM	#248
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	Les croix de bois (1932) English Title: Wooden Crosses Directed By: Raymond Bernard Written By: Raymond Bernard Starring: Pierre Blancher, Gabriel Gabrio, Charles Vanel Length: 115 min. Genre: War Based On: The Novel "Les croix de bois" by Roland Dorgelès, published in 1919 France's take on an anti-war war movie. Their answer to "All Quiet on the Western Front". In this movie, a young, idealistic soldier has joined up for the war, and he's really eager to get in on the fighting. The regiment he joins tells him, too bad, the fighting is just about over and the war will be done shortly. The movie begins in 1914 (que 'foreboding music') The first main sequence occurs while the regiment is on the front line. They hear digging going on underneath them. German sappers. They know that the Germans will eventually plant a bomb, but there is no where for them to go. Their commanding officer tells them they have to stay put, and downplays the danger. In one scene, they start to panic when the sounds of digging stop. After a few tense moments, it starts up again. Shortly after the regiment is relieved and are taken off the front line, there's an explosion. They made it out just in time...not so much for the men who replaced them, The action really picks up halfway through the movie. A massive battle occurs and goes on for 10 days (and for the rest of the movie). The action scenes during the battle were incredible. Easily the best "battle scenes" of any of the war movies I've watched so far. John Ford and Howard Hawkes both would repurpose the battle shots in their movies. At the end of the battle, everyone is dead, that young, eager soldier being the last to die (maybe...it was a bit ambiguous as to whether he died or not...but probably) Two issues. The first half hour of the movie did drag quite a bit. It took its time getting going, as most war movies tend to do. But this was pretty boring for the first 30 minutes. Secondly, it got a bit over the top with the melodrama at times. One of the characters really milked their death scene. But those two issues aside, the battle scenes were incredible, and overall this was up there with All Quiet on the Western Front and unfortunately this movie seems to have been largely forgotten. My Rating: 8/10 IMDB User Rating: 7.8/10 (944 votes) Rotten Tomatoes: N/A, 91% of Audience (4.2 / 5 ; 335 votes)