November 11 is observed as Veterans Day in the United States, a national holiday dedicated to honoring the bravery, sacrifice, and service of all men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. It is a day to reflect on the courage of those who defended the nation in times of war and peace, acknowledging their enduring contributions to the country’s security and freedom. Originally known as Armistice Day, the observance was first established to mark the end of World War I, but later expanded to include all American veterans, both living and deceased.

In many Commonwealth nations (the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and others), the same date is commemorated as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day. These observances pay tribute to those who lost their lives in military service, particularly during World War I, which officially ended when the armistice between the Allies and Germany took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Around the world, red poppies have become a symbol of remembrance, inspired by the war poem In Flanders Fields, serving as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the importance of peace.

We have a number of documentaries and films in our Kanopy and Swank Motion Pictures collections that we think deserve a larger audience. These titles explore the human stories behind military service. These stories of courage, loss, resilience, and reflection illuminate not only the experiences of those who fought on the front lines but also the enduring effects of war on families, communities, and nations. These works can help you connect personally to the meaning of Veterans Day and Remembrance Day and the sacrifices made for freedom.

 

Documentaries

World War I – The War in Europe

World War I was sparked by nationalism and a complex web of political and military alliances. Soldiers in Europe fought the first modern war as industrial-age ingenuity sparked terror in the guise of warplanes, flamethrowers and chemical weapons. On the U.S. home front, women assumed new roles, the suffrage movement gained steam, and African Americans migrated to fill jobs in the North. Other changes were less positive, as racial tensions and the erosion of civil liberties threatened the country. – Kanopy

Topics include the European military alliances that ignited the war; industrial age technological advances such as the U-boat, machine guns, air combat and chemical weapons; United States involvement including the participation of women and African Americans; U.S. economic policies and public support for the war effort.

 

World War I and the Birth of Free Speech

Today, we think of the First Amendment as offering nearly unlimited free speech, but when you step back 100 years, you see surprising restrictions on speech. Here, go back to World War I and explore the Supreme Court’s most important early decisions on freedom of speech. – Kanopy

An overview of the concept of free speech through U.S. history and how World War I evolved our protections for criticizing the federal govenment without recrimination. As the U.S. entered the war in 1917, the government sought to maintain national unity and suppress dissent that might undermine the war effort. Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, which made it a crime to criticize the government, the military, or the war itself. The resulting court cases forced the Supreme Court to define the limits of free speech for the first time. In Schenck v. United States (1919), Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes introduced the “clear and present danger” test, arguing that speech could be restricted if it posed an immediate threat to national security—famously comparing it to “shouting fire in a crowded theater.” Though this decision upheld the government’s actions, it sparked a national debate about civil liberties and the tension between security and freedom. Holmes later changed his position.

 

World War I: Destruction and Rebirth

Examine the First World War from the very different vantage of Eastern Europe. Whereas the West’s view of the Great War is one of indecision and stalemate, the war in the East was one of movement—and perhaps even a cause for celebration as the old empires were destroyed, giving room for the creation of new states such as an independent Poland, among others. – Kanopy

This documentary gives a different perspective of the war in the East, specifically, the Serbian effort against the Austria-Hungarian empire. The eastern front was a a stalemate like in the West, but involved movement and migration of peoples and armies.  Whole empires and societies were destroyed. While the West viewed the war as a senseless, the East saw the war as a tragedy giving rebirth to new independent countries from the four empires that were destroyed.

 

Films

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

 

This Best Picture is set during World War I, when battle-hungry young German soldiers with visions of glory quickly become disillusioned with combat, which has turned into a hellish fight for survival. Lewis Milestone won a Best Director Oscar for his adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic antiwar novel. – Swank

The 1930 film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war films ever made. Produced by Universal Pictures, it closely follows Remarque’s novel, depicting the journey of Paul Bäumer and his classmates from eager recruits to broken soldiers scarred by the relentless brutality of trench warfare. The film’s stark realism of chaotic battle sequences, haunting silences, and focus on the psychological toll of war, still resonates all these years later.

 

 

 

1917 (2019)

 

Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917. At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them. – Swank

1917 is similar to All Quiet on the Western Front in that it follows the story of the men who experienced it.  In this case, two corporals, like the rest of their company, have been lulled into a false sense of security by an apparent German retreat, and the rush against time to warn other troops about it.  An interesting take is the ‘one-shot’ approach in filming the scenes, giving the viewer an ‘immersive’ experience.

 

 

Kevin Gunn is Coordinator of Digital Scholarship at The Catholic University of America Libraries.