1918

"The war in Europe wasn't their only struggle for life."

1985 1h 34m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 9

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's 1918, the height of United States involvement in World War I - Liberty Bonds are sold, German immigrants are suspected as traitors or saboteurs, young men everywhere succumb to the patriotism and propaganda and enlist. In a small Texas town, Horace Robedaux feels the pressure - he doesn't want to leave his young wife Elizabeth and their young child Jenny - but Elizabeth's can't-do-anything-right little brother is constantly talking about the war, and Elizabeth's stern father, who opposed the marriage initially, now has plans to take care of his daughter and the child so Horace can fight for his country. However, the influenza epidemic sweeping the town (and the nation) may change everyone's plans.

“The war in Europe wasn't their only struggle for life.”

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Cast

William Converse-Roberts
Horace Robedaux
Hallie Foote
Elizabeth Robedaux
Matthew Broderick
Brother
Jerry Biggs
Clyde
L.T. Felty
Mr. Thatcher
Jeanne McCarthy
Bessie
Bill McGhee
Sam
Tom Murrel
Stanley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ken Harrison
Writers: Horton Foote
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "The Orphans' Home Cycle" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ken Harrison, shot by George Tirl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Leon Seith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

William Converse-Roberts and Hallie Foote and Matthew Broderick carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The war in Europe wasn't their only struggle for life.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0088645 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Harrison directs. George Tirl behind the camera. Leon Seith cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "The Orphans' Home Cycle" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Ken Harrison, shot by George Tirl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Leon Seith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5William Converse-Roberts and Hallie Foote and Matthew Broderick carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The war in Europe wasn't their only struggle for life.".
7IMDB entry: tt0088645 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "small town", "world war i", "texas", "based on true story".

The technical file

Cinematography: George Tirl
Editing: Leon Seith
Costume design: Van Broughton Ramsey
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: 1918 (1985)

Part of

The Orphans' Home Cycle

CORRECT VIEWING ORDER: (1) Convicts (2) Lily Dale (3) Courtship (4) On Valentine's Day (5) 1918 // The Orphans' Home Cycle is a 3-part drama written by Horton Foote. Each of the three parts in the trilogy comprises three one-act plays: The Story of a Childhood (Part 1), The Story of a Marriage (Part 2), and The Story of a Family (Part 3). The focus is on Horace Robedaux (inspired by Foote's father) and Elizabeth Vaughn (inspired by Foote's mother) at the turn of the 20th Century to the beginning of the Depression, following Horace through three decades, as "seen through three generations of three families." Some of these plays were made into movies, released individually and not in order.