All Quiet on the Western Front

 Original movie poster. (Source: Movie Tally Blog.)

The chain of events that lead to the outbreak of World War I have their roots in the complicated alliances and rivalries that existed between the various European political powers in the early 20^th century. The event most crucial to the outbreak of was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on June 28, 1914 at the hands of a Serbian nationalist (Smith 128-31.) As a result of various political treaties and alliances, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire found themselves facing the prospect of war not only with Serbia, but Russia, France, and Britain as well. 

 Map of World War I participants. (Source: emersonkent.com)

All Quiet on the Western Front tells the story of a group of young German soldiers during World War I. The film opens with a parade, given in honor of soldiers leaving to fight in the war. The first key scene of the film takes place in a classroom of the village schoolhouse, where an enthusiastic teacher tells his students about another group of students who walked out on their schoolmaster to enlist in the army. He then gives a passionate speech about patriotism and heroism meant to inflame his students to a similar action. The students, taking their teachers words to heart, do exactly that. They each have their own fantasies of being heroes, and believe that they will become generals one day. This naivety lasts until the young men enter basic training, where they begin to get an idea of the reality of being in the army. They are extremely resentful of their drill sergeant, Himmelstoss, who was their postman in their home village. Himmelstoss’s treatment of the men and their subsequent resentment of him are symptoms of an upset in the social order: back home, the men are of a higher social standing than Himmelstoss, while in the army they are his inferiors. This causes Himmelstoss to take an almost sadistic pleasure in mistreating his charges, and causes even more resentment among them.

Trench warfare scene. (Source: YouTube.)

At the core of this film is an antiwar message. This becomes apparent when the men are sent to the front the, reality of war truly sets in. They realize that they have been tricked into believing that war is an honorable and heroic endeavor, when it is in fact neither. The film is very effective at communicating the horrors of war. Scenes of trench warfare are graphic and violent, as are those of men dying in field hospitals. But just as effective are the scenes which don’t include fighting but instead show the harsh and psychologically damaging conditions that soldiers were forced to endure. 

 Paul and the butterfly. (Source: YouTube.)