All Quiet on The Western Front: A Movie that Shows the Disgrace of War (Movie Review)

All Quiet on The Western Front: A Movie that Shows the Disgrace of War  (Movie Review)

Synopsis

    The movie All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone, is an antiwar story made in 1930 based on the 1928 book by Erich Maria Remarque. The movie takes place during World War I from the German soldiers’ point of view. It tells the story of young, nineteen year old boys, including Paul, the main character in the movie, going to fight for their country and the hardships they went through battling in the trenches. At the beginning of the movie, these young men are inspired by their school professor to enlist in the war. They are told that it is glorious to fight for their country, even if they may be killed. Being typical, young men, they seek glory and fame, so the boys quickly sign up to fight for Germany, the Fatherland. Not too long after the new soldiers are sent to the trenches, they realize that war is a grim experience. They have to cope with rats, lice, a lack of food, shell shock, and other nasty misfortunes. When battling, they have to deal with the opposing enemy fire, shocking injuries, and in many cases, death. Throughout the movie, four years go by, and many of the young men who enlisted as students do not see the end of the conflict. The protagonist, Paul, transitions from a naive boy to a soldier that only knows life in the trenches of war. All Quiet on the Western Front is a very intense, must see movie for any one who loves action, drama, and history. 

 

Realistic Story

In propaganda and many stories about war, battle is glorified and fearless heroes are depicted, but All Quiet on the Western Front shows war for what it really is: A gruesome hell on earth that kills and breaks the spirits of men, or in this case, and many cases, young boys.

The characters in the movie are shown realistically. They are young, naive boys who are no older than nineteen. When being lectured by their teacher that war is a glorious thing and fighting for their country would make them heroes, these students were excited to perform duties that they could never imagine. As the movie goes on, the characters realize the agony and regret of battle. When in pain or scared, or in this case, shell shock, these soldiers scream in misery like children. The movie depicts that those who go to war, boys or men, ally or enemy, all have fears, loved ones, dreams, and desires.

Emotion

All Quiet on the Western Front is a relatable movie that can make anyone feel emotional. 

As you watch the movie, you feel horrible when you see one of the young characters panicking in fear or screaming because of an injury. You also feel sympathy for the soldiers when it is realized that they truly are just boys with families at home.

For instance, towards the end of the movie (about four years after the war began), Paul goes home for a few days on leave. He visits his home and his family. As compared to the beginning of the story, it should be noted that Paul physically looks like a grown man, but he still has the mind of a boy who wants his mother. When he is greeted by his sister and mother, Paul assures them that he is safe when fighting on the front lines, and they have nothing to worry about. He must lie about the real experiences of war because he knows that there is no use of letting his weary family worry. He gives the appearance that he is doing fine at war, but he just wants to “put my (his) head in your (his mother's) lap and cry.”

Humor

Any movie should have its share of comic relief, and All Quiet on the Western Front has some scenes that will certainly make the viewers laugh.

The movie shows boys being boys and pulling pranks. During their training before going to the front lines, the young soldiers are being commanded by their sergeant to do what they think is irritating, such as marching and dropping into the mud. One night, they devise a plan to get back at their commanding officer. Strolling back to base drunk, the sergeant is intercepted by the vengeful, young soldiers who tie him into a sack, pick him up, and throw him into the mud. This is something that a bunch of nineteen-year-olds would do if they could get away with it!

A conversation in the movie is about why everyone is at war. All the men on a break are having an interesting talk about why they think they are fighting and why their leaders want war. Kat, an older soldier, says his thoughts on war and how the winners should be determined:

I'll tell ya how it should all be done. Whenever there's a big war comin' on, you should rope off a big field... and on the big day, you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put them in the center dressed in their underpants and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins.

This scene is memorable for the point it makes about having the leaders who push war doing the fighting themselves, and it is also humorous the way it is put.   

Moral and Messages

All Quiet on the Western Front sends many very strong messages about war, and it is very convincing in its moral.

 

In the conversation about why everyone is at war, it is determined that no one knows why they are fighting. The Germans do not want to fight. The British have no desire to fight. Not even the French, who the Germans are battling directly, want to fight. This memorable scene in the movie shows that no one wants to go to war, and it cannot be determined who started the conflict or why it happened.

 Another important scene in the movie is when Paul is in the middle of a charge in no man’s land, and he takes cover in a crater hole. While the French are charging, one of the infantrymen finds Paul, jumps into the hole, and tries to attack him, but Paul reacts and stabs the enemy in the chest. Since there is still heavy fire over no man’s land, Paul must stay in the hole with the dying enemy soldier. He sees the fear in the man’s eyes and the agony of his wound. Seeing a dying man in pain up close, Paul realizes that the man that he stabbed just wanted to survive and was scared like him. He regrets killing the Frenchman and even tries to comfort him. Paul says to the man, “If we threw away these rifles and these uniforms, you could be my brother just like Kat and Albert.” This crucial scene in the movie shows that everyone at war is scared and just wants to survive. Enemies could be friends if they were not forced to fight, just like Paul could be as close to the Frenchman as he is to his fellow soldiers, Kat and Albert.

Another highlight in the movie includes when Paul goes home on leave for a few days, and he hears the same old “serve the Fatherland” speech that his teacher gave him before he went off to battle. As he enters the classroom, he sees young, naive boys like he used to be being influenced by the professor. The teacher wants Paul to tell the young students about the glory of fighting and dying for their country. Instead, Paul tells them the grief of war:

We live in the trenches out there, we fight, we try not to get killed, but sometimes we are. That’s all… It’s dirty and painful to die for your country. When it comes to dying for your country, it’s better not to die at all! There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good is it… He tells you, “Go out and die,” but if you pardon me, it’s easier to say go out and die than it is to do it... and it’s easier to say it than to watch it happen.

This scene in the movie shows that it is not great to die for your country, and war should not be glorified. It also shows that people who are fighting at war can easily say that they support it, but it is a lot easier said than done.      

Conclusion:

All Quiet on the Western Front is an intense movie that should be seen by all. It is a movie that would make you not want to be involved in war and give kudos to anyone who has experienced the dread of battle.

While watching this movie, you forget that it is about German soldiers, the ally's enemy during World War I. The story makes you see the other points of view and realize that no one group or race, in this case, the Germans or French, is truly evil. 

The movie presents the moral best put in the words of Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est:

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

  (The old Lie: It is sweet and right to die for your country.)