Art of War on AllMovie

As directed by Richard Pawelko, this unusual documentary investigates one of the most brutal of all historical conflicts, the First World War (over 65 million slain between 1914-18) not from a political, social or military perspective, but from an artistic one. The film begins with the fact that a myriad of national art movements blossomed during the Great War, including Expressionism, Impressionism, Realism, Cubism and Futurism (and encompassing everyone from Chagall to Spencer).It then reminds us that each of the school, demonstrated a dramatic transition from depictions of war as admirable and patriotic to anarchically destructive. To bring this idea home, the program observes depictions of battle created by numerous early 20th century artists in countless styles, and unveils some startling threads with common historical antecedents.