What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe General
C. S. Forester · Book · 2017
If you loved The General, start with The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Emeric Pressburger, 1943) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The General across media.
What hooked you in The General is the devastating way it exposes the gulf between rigid military tradition and reality.
Films on the same thread
Paths of Glory
Film · 1957
Shares a thread with The General: Class conflict.
Like The General, this film critiques the friction between command and the soldiers on the ground, highlighting the tragic consequences of leaders who view their men as expendable assets.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Emeric Pressburger · Film · 1943
Explores: The evolution of warfare, Lifelong cross-cultural friendship, Nostalgia and changing social order.
This film mirrors the character study found in The General by portraying an out-of-touch officer struggling to maintain his relevance as the brutal nature of modern warfare evolves beyond him.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Lewis Milestone · Film · 1930
Explores: loss of innocence, brutality of war, disillusionment.
Just as The General explores the failures of leadership during the Great War, this story captures the harrowing disillusionment of young soldiers sacrificed by the disconnect of their superiors.
Grand Illusion
Jean Renoir · Film · 1937
Shares a thread with The General: Class Conflict.
This narrative shares the preoccupation with class conflict and the absurdity of war found in The General, focusing on how rigid social hierarchies affect men trapped in military life.
Series on the same thread
Chief of War
Thomas Pa'a Sibbett · Series · 2025
Explores: Unification, Cultural Preservation, Colonialism.
If The General hit, Chief of War shares the thread.
Generation Kill
David Simon · Series · 2008
Shares a thread with The General: leadership failure.
If the leadership failure in The General resonated with you, this account provides a modern lens on how bureaucratic incompetence and fog of war impact the troops on the ground.
The Forsyte Saga
John Galsworthy · Series · 2002
Shares a thread with The General: Class Conflict.
If The General hit, The Forsyte Saga shares the thread.
Generation War
Philipp Kadelbach · Series · 2013
Explores: Loss of Innocence, The Horrors of War, Friendship Tested.
If The General hit, Generation War shares the thread.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2026
Explores: civilizational collapse, human nature, moral ambiguity.
If The General hit, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History shares the thread.
Jocko Podcast
Jocko DEFCOR Network · Podcast · 2026
Explores: discipline, stoicism, accountability.
If The General hit, Jocko Podcast shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The General set during World War I?
Yes, The General is set during the opening months of World War I. The story follows Herbert Curzon, a cavalry officer who is tasked with training a new division for the army before his formations face German machine guns at the Somme.
What is the background of Herbert Curzon in The General?
Herbert Curzon is a former cavalry officer who gained fortuitous distinction during the Boer War. Despite his lack of growth or new learning since that time, the army provides him with a new division to train at the start of World War I.
Does The General depict the Battle of the Somme?
Yes, The General depicts the events at the Somme, where Curzon's formations dissolve under fire from German machine guns. The narrative explores how Curzon continues to view himself as a leader despite the catastrophic failure of his troops during this engagement.
Is The General about a competent military leader?
The General portrays Herbert Curzon as a man who learned nothing since the Boer War. Although the army relies on him to lead a division in World War I, the book illustrates that he remains uninstructed and misguided even after his formations suffer significant losses.