War and Peace (1966-67 quadrilogy) - The acclaimed Soviet/Russian adaptation directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. Filmwise, it's a mix of epic spectacle, stunning visuals, period drama, and psychedelic moments all in one.

Pros - Massive scope. e.g. Huge non-CGI battle sequences staged with tens of thousands of Soviet soldiers and cavalrymen as extras/ And stunning cinematography thats often framed like a painting. Also great attention to period details.

Cons - Some of the actors are far too old for their roles. e.g. Bondarchuk himself as Pierre (the guy is suppose to be in his 20's).

Barry Lyndon (1974) - The only existing adaptation of the 1844 William Thackeray novel. Like War and Peace, it has a lot of stunning cinematography that's often framed like a painting, and great attention to period detail. As this is a Stanley Kubrick film, you can expect everything to be perfect.

Pros - Stunning, painterly visuals.

Cons - The story is pretty slow moving and not much exciting stuff happens.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 and 1979 adaptations) - This is probably going to be controversial, but IMO these two are better than the Netflix version, in terms of being actual adaptations of the books.

Pros - These two stick far more closely to the book. Paul's friends for example, are far more fleshed out as characters. Also, major events like Paul's visit to his hometown aren't left out. Apart from that, the themes are also very close. e.g. Paul's death which like the book, emphasises the meaningless of individual deaths in war (unlike the gung ho battle in the 2022 version).

Cons - The 1930 version is one of the earliet talkies so the acting is dated. The 1979 version has better acting, but it's made for TV so the production quality is what you get.