Today we finished our first movie: All Quiet on the Western Front.
Thematically, the problem lies in the fact that after the war finally claims him (and so many others), all the lessons are forgotten... so the process begins again, to be repeated generation after generation... I mean, who would have thought that 10 years after this movie came about, there would be an even bigger war! Goes to show for the millions of real-life "Paul's" that have existed, that people do not learn their lesson. Watching AQotWF, nobody cares that the protagonists are fighting for Germany, the so called "bad guy". There are no bad guys... political alliances are ever changing. An enemy is an enemy one day and the next, a friend. Did their character actually change one day to the next? No... it's all a load of nonsense. Nations are nations and people are people. Most adjectives describing them are subjective.
Just my thoughts at the moment.
Your comments here are absolutely on target. I'm particularly imipressed that you not only analzye the film internally, but also place it in a historical context. Indeed, we would be at war with those very same Germans in just a shot decade. At that point, an American viewer wouuld have a distinctly different take on some of the lines we hear in the film. "When it comes to dying for your Fatherland, it's better not to die at all." "Death is stronger than love of country" etc. One question I ask (you'll hear it soon enough) is this: "Is the film's message timeless, or is it just accurate for this war?" Imagine the soldiers are fighting WW2, instead of WW1. DOes it still make sense. Anyway, this is an auspicious start. I look forward to reading more of your analysis and criticism
ReplyDeleteKnock, knock... anyone home in there? Hey, wake up, sleepy head.
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