What It's About:

In “Wooden Crosses,” a regiment of newly drafted French soldiers, including idealistic student Demachy (Blanchard), embark to the front lines in a burst of patriotic bluster, but soon confront the horrific realities of trench warfare. A pauper named Jean Valjean (Baur) is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread in “Les Miserables,” and leaves prison a bitter man. The kind attention of a bishop (Henry Krauss) he intends to loot convinces him to start life anew, but not everyone wants him to.

Why I Love It:

Raymond Bernard, the unsung hero of French cinema, created a bleak, uncompromising view of war in his landmark film “Wooden Crosses,” which left audiences rapt and often wracked in despair as they watched each soldier meet his eventual fate. John Ford and Howard Hawks were early fans of “Crosses,” too, incorporating some of Bernard’s stunning combat sequences into their own films. It is a tremendous achievement of early sound cinema, alongside Bernard’s impeccable three-part adaptation of Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables,” another monumental human tragedy that feels skin-close to life.