As part of a broader programming initiative by the Regina Public Library to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I the RPL Theatre is screening four films set during or inspired by that terrible conflict.
The Big Parade (1925) screens Wednesday Aug. 6 at 6:15 p.m. It’s directed by King Vidor, and is acclaimed as the highest grossing silent film of all time, and one of the first to deal with war in a realistic manner.
Next up is Sergeant York (1941) on Aug. 13 at 6:45 p.m. Directed by Howard Hawks, it stars Gary Cooper as Alvin York, a pacifist who became America’s most decorated WWI soldier.
On Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. there’s a screening of Richard Attenborough’s 1969 satire Oh, What A Lovely War. The film features an all-star cast, and takes as its central theme the idea of WWI as conflict waged by the innocent poor on behalf of a privileged elite who put their financial and political interests ahead of the welfare of a huge chunk of humanity.
Finally, on Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. there’s a screening of the 1981 classic Gallipoli. Directed by Peter Weir, it tells the story of two Australian soldiers during a Middle Eastern campaign against the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
To close here’s the trailer for Gallipoli:
