A class of young men in Germany are spurred on by their
lecturer’s empowering speech of heroism that comes with fighting for their
father nation. They make a pact to join the army, fight for their country, and
stay together in friendship throughout. But when they actually get to the front
in the trenches, the bunkers, and the chaos of shellfire and other horrors of
war, patriotism and heroism gradually turns to disillusionment and through fear
and trauma they cease to be boys and become men.
Based on the novel by Erich
Maria Remarque, All Quiet On the Western
Front is a poignant antiwar movie that still manages to stand its ground
within the company of modern war movies. The third film to win the Academy
Award for Best Picture, this movie is inventive, dramatic, provocative, and
very well done; a real classic war movie.
A class of young men in Germany are
spurred on by their lecturer’s empowering speech of heroism that comes with
fighting for their father nation. They make a pact to join the army, fight for
their country, and stay together in friendship throughout. But when they
actually get to the front in the trenches, the bunkers, and the chaos of
shellfire and other horrors of war, patriotism and heroism gradually turns to
disillusionment and through fear and trauma they cease to be boys and become
men.
The story is beautifully tragic! Be warned that it starts off fairly slow,
but as the boys gradually come to comprehend the horror of their surroundings
and are changed by them, that’s where some really poignant and sometimes
disturbing ideas of war come into play. I was most moved when one character was
given four days leave to go home and he went right back to the front after one
day, discovering that ‘home’ is not a place of truth: the truth and reality lies
in the trenches. The final scene is one of the most poignant images ever
depicted in film I think, but I can’t describe if for fear of spoiling the
ending! You’ll have to watch it!
What stood out for me most in this movie was
the sound. Made at the dawn of sound in movies, the battles scenes are
absolutely astounding: alive with the screams and whistles of falling shells
and the thunder cracks of machine gunfire. In the first big battle sequence the
camera moves at a fast pace to mirror the sound of gunfire and it’s really
something special. For me, it’s the sound editing that makes this movie stand
the test of time!
Starring Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy,
Ben Alexander, Scott Kolk, Owen Davis Jr., Walter Rogers, William Bakwell,
Russell Gleason, Richard Alexander, Harold Goodwin, Slim Summerville, G, Pat
Collins, and Beryl Mercer, All Quiet on
the Western Front is a beautiful anti war movie that puts forward a lot of
food for thought in terms of war: what is it good for? Filled with action,
battles, drama, friendship, and comedy, I really enjoyed it. It’s always great
to see an older movie stand its ground against the newer, younger models and still
look great!
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