"All Quiet on the Western Front" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Avaitor]

"You still think it's beautiful to die for your country. The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for country, it's better not to die at all."

Release Date: August 24, 1930
Studio: Universal
Director: Lewis Milestone
Aspect Ratio: 1.20 : 1
Starring: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray

Plot Summary: The film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War 1 by their jingoistic teacher. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of war through the eyes of individuals. As the boys witness death and mutilation all around them, any preconceptions about "the enemy" and the "rights and wrongs" of the conflict disappear, leaving them angry and bewildered. This is highlighted in the scene where Paul mortally wounds a French soldier and then weeps bitterly as he fights to save his life while trapped in a shell crater with the body. The film is not about heroism but about drudgery and futility and the gulf between the concept of war and the actuality.

COMMENTS?

Universal's next centennial release. Robert Osborne has said before that if more people see this film, there may likely never be a war again. Over 80 years on, and it hasn't lost an ounce of it's power.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It really is a brilliant film, but man is it hard to watch. The scene with the french soldier really is heart wrenching even today.