Most "Anti-War" movies actually make war look cool and glorious because they focus on 1 "hero" character that survives at the end so it's not anti-war but a survival movie. Hollywood does this all time about having a "good ending with some closure" or making sure they can make a sequel or make it profitable and happy. All Quiet by the German director/actors actually followed mood of the book.
in my opinion all quiet on the western front is a true anti-war movie....theres absolutely NOTHING cool about war in this movie... it is just a meat grinder ...the opening scene with the uniforms hit especially hard
Having read the book in highschool, I dont mind the last part of the film, because it solidifies the futility of war even further. In essence it doesn't take away from the movie or the book, it adds to it.
as a history student I absolutely loved that movie....and I am actually not soo big fan of war movies , but this movies shows war exactly lie it is....unsurvivable meat grinder
In my point of view, this last scene show how generals and politicias don't care about send to death people if they could achieve their political goals or maintain their ego without acepting their mistakes even knowing this was useless. Also critic the waste of lives just to end the war on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918 and show the death of a soldier without drama or romantization.
What misses the point in this movies ending is the whole point of the book. Nothing new in the west. Paul dies on a boring day where nothing is really happening. He isn't dying in a battle, no. He sees a butterfly and wants to draw it, while beeing so excited, he sticks out his head a bit too much out of the trench and is shot. Our protaganist is dead, a tragic loss of life, but the newspapers title: nothing new on the western front. This work doesn't need avillain like the german general, or the peace treaty commission, or a big final battle, the book was about the everyday life and Death of soldiers. It's very well depicted in this movie, but the ending is supposed to be boring and anticlimactic...
I come from Germany and I must say that once again I am amazed at what I read in these comments. For us in Germany, discussions about war in literature, history or art always look like this: sober, brutal and above all never glorifying. Unlike in American war films and American education, wars are never glorified and elevated to some heroic stories in our country, precisely because of the history of our country. Instead, a critical examination is especially important to us so that history does not repeat itself and we never forget that there is nothing heroic or glorious about war. After all, the soldiers who return do not return as heroes, but as broken people who had to pay a high price for their survival - their peace of mind. Accordingly, the perspective that "All Quiet on the Western Front" shows on war is nothing new for us in Germany, especially because many students read the book or parts of it in school and nany others books like that.
Interesting take, but I think you are misled on one point. Hollywood glorifies war, not the US. The US has a lot more war veterans in its population than any other country at the current time, and we're not glorifying anything. Hollywood likes to sell a good story.
Having lived in both Germany and Austria, and with all due respect, I also feel like this history is also being passed down with a sense of everyone having learned from and atoned from their mistakes. In Austria, there is a strong narrative of victimization which omits the fact that the Anschluss has also led to a creation of generational wealth and political influence passed down to this day (Heidi Horten's bribes for the former prime minister Kurz come to mind). As I moved to Germany at the time of the Syrian refugee crisis, I have certainly not seen much of a renegotiation of how societies slide into right-wing authoritarianism and instead witnessed the meteoric rise of AfD. Admission of guilt is not enough when the behavior and cause-and-effect of historical events are not examined fully, which is sorely lacking in education about 20th century history.
@@odorutori It has to be said that a large part of the German population as well as the media clearly criticize the AfD and also the electorate. So of course, as in every country, there are still people who unfortunately still live in such thought structures. But that's the case everywhere, and in Germany a large part of society criticizes the AfD or doesn't take it very seriously. And if you look at international surveys, Germany is very liberal on many issues. More liberal than many other countries. Of course, we are not perfect and unfortunately there will always be right-wing radicalism, racism and xenophobia. But in our society, this is strongly criticized, discussed and also rejected.
Learned alot about ww1&2 in school in norway,my grandmother was arrested in 1942 and was in grini prison until 1945,she wrote a diary about her experience and during school lunch in 5th grade our teacher read it to the whole class...powerfull stuff.
WW1 wasn't that bad as 17 million people died, do you know how many people died in the 20th century due to famine, natural disaster & disease? Around 500 million. PEOPLE NEVER NEVER MENTION THIS FACT!
@Patriot-hz8xk Shut up man... That's all natural, we can't control that. 17 million people died because a driver took a wrong turn and changed the entire history of the 20th century. We're not talking about natural causes here, we're talking about wars.
@@Patriot-hz8xk well yeah but we not talking about disease or famine we talking about a war something so easily avoidable but yet we seem to keep on making the same mistake
As an American in high school it is interesting to see the difference of how German schools and American schools portray war. In America we are basically taught that we basically won WW1 for the Allies by sheer numbers. We were never taught how absolutely brutal the war was for those poor doughboys who were sent out and faced all the horrors and atrocities of war.
I dont remember learning about war being "glorious" or "good" in school. (I went to school in the US) if anything, i learned that while we should support our troops as to not repeat what happened after the Vietnam War, we should also strive to avoid war because they are destructive and tear families and countries apart, and that all of them are enabled by greed, and they do nothing for the betterment of the country where the war takes place And while the ordinary people who fight are for the most part, doing their best to do what they see is right, we shouldnt ask for our young people to fight and die for the dreams and delusions of old rich men, because in the end, alot of innocent people die in the process.
At my school they have a day where every single classroom is filled with a survivor or a veteran from a war and they tell you what went down and I'm an American who went high school and graduate in 2015
There are lots of discussions about this movie versions changes to the end of the movie, together with the added political storyline. But I would say that in todays times, with what is happening in Ukraine, that the motif of showing how one person can pointlessly waste so many lives with a single decision. It felt right.
I haven't seen the older version but I have watched this and I must say it is definitely the best movie for me this year . How it was made, cinematography,music, the transition of scenes . They gave us war as it truly is dirty, ugly, disgusting, you try to survive till the end without the fake romantic, unrealistic moments they show in other films. I am still emotional at many scenes in this film. Everyone perished tragically while leaders are sitting at their desks making late decisions.
@@ak9989 You did three tours. Read that again. Obviously there is a huge difference between voluntarily going to a foreign country with top equipment that vastly surpasses that of the local population & militia and the gruelsome trench warfare in Europe 100 years ago where young people without any experience or training fought for their own country's existence and died in millions with deserters being executed. No comparison between those two, the latter is much more dangerous, much more horrible and there was no peaceful country to return back to after the war. Everything was destroyed, people died of starvation etc.
I thought the armistice scene where the general comments to his servant that their pastries were not made fresh that day was very poignant. Soldiers must steal food yet this guy is disappointed his pastry is a day old.
I think it was mistake to cut the part where Paul goes back home on furlough and is disillusioned by the naivité at home the people thinking that the war is still winnable and not having any idea what the soldiers in the trenches have to endure. he realizes then that this is a place he can never go back to. I think that is a vital part in the development of the protagonist and should have been handled as such! Congrats nevertheless!
This movie, while brilliant in its own right left out an awful lot of the character arcs and relationships that made the book " all quiet on the western front" the epic it is. This would almost have been better off ad a standalone movie
I will say this version’s ending threw me off at first, but after listening to some reviewers I think the ending serves as a foreboding message that war continues despite all the warnings. In Europe’s case, the book’s message didn’t stop WW2 from happening and the war in Ukraine is happening now. All of which where people in the middle (with Paul representing them) have to die/suffer needlessly because of whatever lies leaders use to get people fighting.
I was expecting something that was more historically accurate and the ending snapped me out of that which is very much disliked. Left me with a bad taste in my mouth about the whole film.
This 2022 Netflix version of All Quiet on the Western front is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best war movies of all time. The effects, costumes and scenery are all stunning, and it depicts the brutality of war very realistically. I was blown away that something like that was made by Netflix. It's a very powerful and sad movie.
yeah same here. Kind of crying my eyes out thinking right now at this moment young people are still dying meaninglessly in the Ukraine War... You need a time to recover from the film. It's extremely well made. An excellent film!!
@@cheriedeurope Regrettably I watched Women Talking 2 days later. It leveled me for days. 😭 The power of these 2 films back-to-back gutted me and both films are entirely relevant today. The GOP fools here are flirting with hatred, violence, killing women, and civil war…they are at active war against the USofA using daily treachery and deceit, the primary tools of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. I’m surprised they are not bombing our liberal cities-I would not be surprised. We have Newt Gingrich to thank for this mess.
@@lizannewhitlow1085 get a grip lady. You are so privileged that you literally invent problems that don't exist so you can feel alive. Do everyone a favor and get yourself a passport so you can volunteer to help ACTUAL victims in Sudan/congo, turkey, Syria, etc Maybe then you can see reality as it really is and realize how good you have it compared to 99% of the world
This movie is a great movie that I only bear to watch it once, because frame by frame the horror is printed forever inside my mind. Just like Come and See.
This movie and sound track are masterpieces, it shows the most honest depiction of war, no winners just the death of an entire generation that didn’t need to die
The scene that shocked me the most was when the clock hit the end of the war and the scene focused on the defeated general. On that scene, you see someone who killed hundreds of thoudands in a 15 minute war for his pride and ego, struggling to achieve his father's image of a sucessful militar authority, you see a defeated man who forced soldiers to death so he could say "I conquered something", but instead, lost thousands of men and his last crumbles of pride.
I was in Vietnam war and I can confirm. May I also add that 25 years after the war ended, I happen to have an informal dinner with the heads of a big national Vietnamese company who did the war on the other side, and all of us knew the same love songs of this period and we sang them together around bottles of beer. Yes we were destroyed by the war, on both sides. But yes, the Vietnamese people was strong enough to overcome it and now, they are among the best business partners with the Americans in SE Asia.
We read excerpts from the book in German class in college. The nihilism of the last page, which even my halting knowledge of German deciphered, almost reduced me to tears.
One thing that's never really sunk in for me until now is that someone in his late teens fighting in WWI would very likely have been young enough to be drafted into WWII service at some level as well. Wow.
Jewish people in the Wehrmacht (German WWI army) were exempted from some parts of the Nürnberger Rassengesetze (the law which outlawed many Jewish people and families in the third Reich) or the Holocaust (I don't remember in which ways sadly), so yeah there are many connections between the two world wars.
There are many stories of commanders having their troops fight up until the very last minute before the armistice took place. Our U.S. Gen. John J. Pershing, who had been bent on continuing the fighting, even had to explain to Congress the high number of last-day losses.
The new version showcases the futility and brutality of war, but the second shows the loss of innocence due to it focusing more on Bauer and his friends rather than the battlefield. Both are good, so it depends on which particular message you want to send out.
I just read it (after the movie), and I don't find it far from the book. It's not an excatly translation from book to movie, but it is a good adaptation.
I’m just thankful they made this movie and the timing was right on pointe with the UA & Russian war. For new generations that haven’t witnessed the war this is very insightful so we don’t repeat those same mistakes and atrocities. Its like the actor says here, no matter who wins or lose you come back home damaged. Everyone loses.
Honestly I love the 1979 version more. It shows the correct progress of time (for example: early scenes of the film showing Pickelhaube helmet then it changed into M1918 Stahlhelm during mid-late scenes). It shows the tragic end of Paul Bäumer during the static nature of trench warfare in WW1 (he was shot by sniper after he accidentally exposed himself over the trench contemplating on the birds .. much like the 1930 film version where Paul was shot while trying to reach for a butterfly). Prior to this scene, Paul lost almost all of his friends and wrote that the last of his group Detering was longing for home and deserted when cherry trees are in bloom, unfortunately was missing for a while after that and all Paul heard he was executed for desertion. I don't like the ending of the 2022 version but really, really appreciate the German language for authenticity, the cinematic shots, gritty atmosphere of the film, the horror of tank siege during WW1 never seen in any cinematic version before, plus being released on Netflix meant it is reintroducing this literature to younger audiences.. my countrymen didn't even know the existence of "All Quiet of The Western Front" novel and its film adaptations (1930 & 1979) at all, before.
The "tank siege" seems especially egregious as far as historical accuracy. Tanks were slow and mechanically unreliable, which meant they were pooled and used in major attacks. The film depicts them as a sort of quick reaction force used for counter-attacks. The Germans certainly used them that way in the Second World War, their use in this film seemed unconvincing to me. Your larger point about the depiction of attrition is spot on, and of course, that was one of the themes of the book. Men came and went through Paul's company, equipment changed, a few old sweats hung on longer than most, and Paul himself developed from raw recruit to old hand, in charge of shockingly young looking troops by the end. The 2022 film conveyed none of that, focusing instead on some isolated scenes of "squick". Technically well done, but with no real story to tell, why would anyone care about what is happening to the people on the screen? When Ernest Borgnine as Kat is killed in the TV movie, you know immediately what the impact is on Paul because they spent the whole film developing the relationship.
It wasn't historically correct but the message was as good as the original... There's a part where i saw German tanks being used by the Brits and french..i don't know why they made choice.
I think the movie showed how young minds can get duped into thinking they are going on great heroic adventure as they are naïve as most of us are at that age. They eventually got smacked with a reality stick and the movie depicts that reality in a very convincing visual way. It was a Great Movie!
The final battle works thanks to the parallel political storyline and is kind of a function of it. It acts as a bookend and a bridge: As the negotiation plot highlights the terrible hubris of incompetent, prideful leadership, the conclusion shows the impotent spite and establishes the lingering resentment that would lead to WWII. I found it to be a gripping and powerfully urgent film that told its character's story and imparted its message without an ounce of fat to be trimmed.
What bothers me the most is the english translation of the german title, that *actually* says: "There's nothing new on the western front"! It underlines the futility of the whole phenomenon and that war itself - as one can observe these days - never really changes.
As a Chinese I watched the movie and I felt the deepest frustration. Every day, I see my country on the path of the third Reich and the Japanese Empire. Everyone I know of my age back home are glorifying war and saying that Russia has a right to defend themselves. Nobody is talking about the horror of the war and the human cost. It is like watching the opening 10 minutes. And it just is, so sad, watching it happen but powerless to stop it. I guess the movie did it job perfectly. It might not have the same ending as the book, but it is powerful regardless and conveyed the same message: the futility of war. For that I can accept the deviation from the source material.
This is my new favorite movie because it makes painfully clear that the way we have portrayed warfare in cinema has by and large been wrong. What an absolute nightmare.
I loved and am haunted by the ending, and appreciate the artistic liberties the filmmakers took. It's the only movie I watched that left me a hollow and bitter feeling of the empty promises of heroism and conquer in war.
I actually didn't get the hype the first time that I watched it (I think I was cranky) but the second watch I found it amazing. I read the book years ago in high school and really liked it. I definitely think that it's extremely poignant in light of the war in Ukraine.
I was so confused on the title because I’m only used to seeing the German title which is way different for anyone who doesn’t know the title translates to “nothing new in the west” which with the cover of the film obviously referring to the western front, but that’s what it means
I loved the recent version. It would've been a worthy winner of the Best Picture Oscar... although 4 Oscars is nothing to be sad about (including Best International Film).
SUCH AN AMAZING AND HORRIFYING MOVIE! Just the soundtrack sends a shiver down my spine...This is true horror because it's real horror. I know that I will remeber some scenes now and then and it's good bcs that's the point of this german movie.
We saw many movies on the life of soldiers fought and fallen for their country. Now directors should also make movies on the impact of war on the life of normal people, one example could be the Bengal Famine of 1943.
The new movie poster is a direct reference to the 1930 film: when dropped off near the front for the first time, everyone who turned around for one last look dies in combat.
But there were engagements on the very last day of the war where commanders sought a last chance for 'glory' and got their men killed. So the film's ending isn't entirely inaccurate.
I did hear a lot about the first movie and from all accounts it was a blockbuster for the time . I never did get to see it . I did , however see the second , which I considered to be okay but not great . I saw the Netflix one several weeks ago and to my mind , it was a masterpiece . Hats off to the cast , producers , directors and all those involved . A truly great movie in every way !
Exactly, there are no winners in war. Just broken bodies and minds that will never truly heal. Am a big fan of war films and what they portray, but one must be absolutely clear. They're not real life and definitely don't portray how it really was as those who fought them. You can have all the CGI and special effects you like to make the films as real as possible but it doesn't get anywhere near how it really was. My mums father was a WW2 veteran in the British army and had three English WW1 ancestors and two Australian ancestors. My father's father was a BCOF veteran of Japan, and also I served in the ADF for over ten years. I've not seen the original 1930 version film or read the book, but have seen the second version many times on television. I would like very much like to see the third version to see how it compares to the second.
It was an excellent film. I found it to be deeply moving, especially having lost family, indirectly to this war. The only thing not mentioned, is the Spanish flu, or pandemic which was a factor, due to heavy losses of soldiers. 11/11/1918.
I personally feel if it took you this long for a Netflix movie to change your heart and mind about what a horrible thing war is and how horrible it can actually be. You have been fortunate enough to be living a sheltered privileged life or has been unfortunate enough to be uneducated.
The ending works if we remember that movies are a visual artform. Therefore, the ending uses drama to emphasize the message about the futility of war. Without a powerful ending to match its tone, the viewing experience might have fallen flat. The ending further juxtaposes the feverish politicians with the broken men in the trenches, whom they so ignorantly sacrifice in the name of their hubris. This is powerfully illustrated not only by Paul's death, minutes away from the armistice, but also by the fact that after the armistice enemy soldiers just walk next to each other, tending to their own, showing no hatred to one another. Overall, a powerful film that warrants a second viewing!
Growing up being late Baby boomer/very early GenX I could see around the community the last of the WW1 Vets( always a Hat on , a vest and with black shoes and trousers) and My Great uncles were my WW2 Vets . Various limbs ,arms and fingers missing , lost eye like my G/Uncle had. I had seen the War records of 5 relatives and seeing the actual War records moving on and off the front line. War records for one Great, Great Uncle showed shipping out, war zone and then evacuated due to an injury in the thigh , then moved to a Hospital in England ( usually someones Estate Manor) and dying from wounds. Afterwards a military Funeral with 5 soldiers from his Unit and a Gravestone. It feels more personal when you see there was a living man a Mother loved
The lack of testosterone in this comment makes me happy there are still strong young individuals that will do what has to be done when weaker individuals can not
Why does everyone do this over and over, this angst and talk. We love it don’t we? Movie after movie, discussion and analysis. Painful eyes and face. We love it.
My grandfather's uncle (who he was named after) was killed less than a month before the war ended in 1918. I met his fiancé some 50 plus years later as a young boy. She never got over his death. As the actor who played Kat suggests (paraphrasing this incredible novel), there are no winners in war.
There's always a war going on somewhere. So... the question becomes, what would you do if your country was invaded? Should Canada fight if it was invaded by the US? Should Mexico fight if it was invaded by the US? Is Ukraine right to fight back against Putin's brutal invasion? And are Ukrainians entitled to more than sticks and stones to resist this invasion? War is a horrible preoccupation of humans, but it's not unreasonable to say, resistance to the military aggression of another country is a natural and justified response. Ukraine is not a perfect country, but it is a democracy. (As flawed as all democracies are, they are far preferable to dictatorships and autocracies). I support Ukraine's right to expel Putin's invaders and I support the right of the US and NATO to assist them in this fight. I do feel sorry for the average Russian grunt, most of whom probably have no desire to be used as cannon fodder in Putin's futile foreign policy debacle. But not as sorry as I feel for Ukrainians who did nothing to deserve this naked aggression from their neighbour. I trust they will ultimately prevail in their struggle, and that Putin's days are numbered.
Im from argentina and if anyone declares war, im taking my wife and daughter and run off. Im not dying for this corrupted country, let the politics grab a gun and go; i have a daughter to raise.
@@WaitAMinute1989 Won Best Picture in the BAFTAS, there was no way it was going to win an Oscar vs. Golden Globe Winner, EEAAO. the Academy doesn't want a netflix film to win best picture, they did that to Roma which should've won in it's respective year.
To be fair, there have already been some pretty influential anti-war films in the past, specifically the Soviet film "Come and See" and HBO's "The Pacific". I feel as though "All Quiet" took the best out of both of those films and merged it into a single film to depict the horrors and absurdity of war for a new generation of audience members.
Already found two articles in the sort of google news here in Germany, trying to write this movie into insignificance, all the while our government keeps sending more and more heavy war equipment to ukraine. It makes you wonder.
The only reason to use violence in any way is to defend yourself or others. This is exactly what happens in Ukraine. While I do not support "protecting western values" in the various countries the US invaded since WW2, this is actually a direct attack on a country that was slowly transitioning into a really democratic western country ready to join it's European neighbors
The 2022 version is an outstanding film which I believe should have been the winner of the Oscars 2022 for Best Film. I think the last battle scene was perfectly done, showing how ridiculous it was that there was a battle just before Armistice was called. So I have no problem it was included despite not being in the book or an historical inaccuracy. Kudos to all involved in bringing this monumental movie to the screen. (The music score was amazing.)
The test of a great film is in what you learned about the characters, or how they changed in the course of the movie. Can you name any of them off the top of your head? I can't. But I can sure remember Himmelstoss from the 1979 movie. Ian Holm's performance ensured that even a relatively minor role stood out among a see of fully realized, living, breathing characters with their own personalities and motivations. This was noticeably absent from the 2022 film.
My late wife’s grandfather fought for Germany in WW1. He was from Konigsberg East Prussia and a crew member on a Big Bertha. He said that he knew Germany had lost the war when allied artillery could soot at individual soldiers walking an a trail, while they could not get ammunition for their artillery.
I have seen all three versions of the film (the first one I have seen many times) and all three of them somehow botch the ending. In Remarque's novel, Paul Baumer just dies like any other, his death told in one curt closing sentence, rubbing in the fact that he's simply one of thousands who died pointlessly. But Milestone's version closes with the sentimental scene of Paul Baumer reaching out for a butterfly and being killed by a sniper, and then a ghostly montage of soldiers, in double exposure, marching off presumably to heaven, somehow glorifying them. The new German version adds the totally fictitious story of a final battle AFTER the armistice which, in history, never happened - a rather crude way of rubbing in the idea of futility. All three films have some merit - the TV version being the weakest - but in balance, the first is still the most powerful, despite the overwrought acting which was common in early talkie films .
This was a beautifully (horrifyingly?) shot movie with top tier production values. However, I felt nothing for the main characters. Some may even argue that was part of the point, but regardless, while I do think it was deserving of a Best Picture Oscar nomination, I agree with the Academy voters that it did not deserve the win.
I taught the novel and used the Richard Thomas/ Ernest Borgnine film to encourage the reading for two decades. I find the ending according to the novel better, as it highlights the total absurdity and banality of the evil we call war. No drama, no heroism, no politics, just death out of nowhere because of bird watching during a general lull in the fighting - and nobody cares because there is so much carnage and death all around. All is "quiet", and the protagonist is just another victim of this legal mass murder. The peace negotiations belong to another film. But maybe today's viewers need the extra information? .
The videogame Battlefield 1 also portrays WW1 in a gruesome way and treats each character as victims of conflict. A great story and experience overall.
I wouldn't say BF1 represents war in such a gruesome way as this movie does. But what BF1 message means is what does a great impact. A message of remembering those who gave their life in such a meaningless war, and to not forget the forgotten soldiers. They're not heroes, they're not allies, they're victims of the sins of humanity. That's how I see it at least, I'd like to see other points of views from other people.
This story has never lost it's poignancy because there has never been a point in human history in which these same issues that perpetuate war has not been responsible for a conflict somewhere on the globe. The philosophy of the book and all of the films is a denunciation that remains strictly Euro-centric.
A poignant scene in the book is Paul's break to return home to see his family. The intensity of war has destroyed his connection with his family and he is then more 'at home' with his fellow soldiers. Sad.
Just like with 'Lincoln' in 2012, 'All Quiet' got robbed. NONE of the important Oscars... just technicals. No disrespect for 'Everything', but the Academy really blew it on this one.
It seems that all soldiers, who have fought in combat, have the same experiences as shown in this movie. It is not glorious but filled with suffering, panic and suffering.
I don’t know what war movies you guys have been watching, but the movies My Way, Tai Guk Chi (brothers of war), and (even) Saving Private Ryan are (in my opinion) much better films and do just as good of a job at showing the horrors of war.
Most "Anti-War" movies actually make war look cool and glorious because they focus on 1 "hero" character that survives at the end so it's not anti-war but a survival movie. Hollywood does this all time about having a "good ending with some closure" or making sure they can make a sequel or make it profitable and happy. All Quiet by the German director/actors actually followed mood of the book.
Read Johnny Got His Gun, then see the movie adaptation. Not cool or glorious there.
in my opinion all quiet on the western front is a true anti-war movie....theres absolutely NOTHING cool about war in this movie... it is just a meat grinder ...the opening scene with the uniforms hit especially hard
@@danieldelvalle5004 Metallica used it for a music video for "One".
Das Boot, is one of the few that actually felt anti war
@@icemanire5467, yes! Definitely.
Having read the book in highschool, I dont mind the last part of the film, because it solidifies the futility of war even further. In essence it doesn't take away from the movie or the book, it adds to it.
as a history student I absolutely loved that movie....and I am actually not soo big fan of war movies , but this movies shows war exactly lie it is....unsurvivable meat grinder
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In my point of view, this last scene show how generals and politicias don't care about send to death people if they could achieve their political goals or maintain their ego without acepting their mistakes even knowing this was useless. Also critic the waste of lives just to end the war on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918 and show the death of a soldier without drama or romantization.
A healthy comment among so many "purists" outrageous takes on it.
What misses the point in this movies ending is the whole point of the book.
Nothing new in the west.
Paul dies on a boring day where nothing is really happening. He isn't dying in a battle, no. He sees a butterfly and wants to draw it, while beeing so excited, he sticks out his head a bit too much out of the trench and is shot. Our protaganist is dead, a tragic loss of life, but the newspapers title: nothing new on the western front.
This work doesn't need avillain like the german general, or the peace treaty commission, or a big final battle, the book was about the everyday life and Death of soldiers. It's very well depicted in this movie, but the ending is supposed to be boring and anticlimactic...
I come from Germany and I must say that once again I am amazed at what I read in these comments. For us in Germany, discussions about war in literature, history or art always look like this: sober, brutal and above all never glorifying. Unlike in American war films and American education, wars are never glorified and elevated to some heroic stories in our country, precisely because of the history of our country. Instead, a critical examination is especially important to us so that history does not repeat itself and we never forget that there is nothing heroic or glorious about war. After all, the soldiers who return do not return as heroes, but as broken people who had to pay a high price for their survival - their peace of mind. Accordingly, the perspective that "All Quiet on the Western Front" shows on war is nothing new for us in Germany, especially because many students read the book or parts of it in school and nany others books like that.
Interesting take, but I think you are misled on one point. Hollywood glorifies war, not the US. The US has a lot more war veterans in its population than any other country at the current time, and we're not glorifying anything. Hollywood likes to sell a good story.
Same in Austria, we are taught about the WWs repeatedly throughout our school grades in the sense of "never forget"
Having lived in both Germany and Austria, and with all due respect, I also feel like this history is also being passed down with a sense of everyone having learned from and atoned from their mistakes. In Austria, there is a strong narrative of victimization which omits the fact that the Anschluss has also led to a creation of generational wealth and political influence passed down to this day (Heidi Horten's bribes for the former prime minister Kurz come to mind). As I moved to Germany at the time of the Syrian refugee crisis, I have certainly not seen much of a renegotiation of how societies slide into right-wing authoritarianism and instead witnessed the meteoric rise of AfD. Admission of guilt is not enough when the behavior and cause-and-effect of historical events are not examined fully, which is sorely lacking in education about 20th century history.
@@odorutori It has to be said that a large part of the German population as well as the media clearly criticize the AfD and also the electorate. So of course, as in every country, there are still people who unfortunately still live in such thought structures. But that's the case everywhere, and in Germany a large part of society criticizes the AfD or doesn't take it very seriously. And if you look at international surveys, Germany is very liberal on many issues. More liberal than many other countries. Of course, we are not perfect and unfortunately there will always be right-wing radicalism, racism and xenophobia. But in our society, this is strongly criticized, discussed and also rejected.
Learned alot about ww1&2 in school in norway,my grandmother was arrested in 1942 and was in grini prison until 1945,she wrote a diary about her experience and during school lunch in 5th grade our teacher read it to the whole class...powerfull stuff.
This is one of the films that could do with a remake every few decades to remind the world about the realities of war.
Masterpiece.
WW1 wasn't that bad as 17 million people died, do you know how many people died in the 20th century due to famine, natural disaster & disease? Around 500 million. PEOPLE NEVER NEVER MENTION THIS FACT!
@Patriot-hz8xk Shut up man...
That's all natural, we can't control that.
17 million people died because a driver took a wrong turn and changed the entire history of the 20th century.
We're not talking about natural causes here, we're talking about wars.
@@Patriot-hz8xk well yeah but we not talking about disease or famine we talking about a war something so easily avoidable but yet we seem to keep on making the same mistake
?
@@Patriot-hz8xk "WWI wAsN'T ThAt BaD" stfu clown
As an American in high school it is interesting to see the difference of how German schools and American schools portray war. In America we are basically taught that we basically won WW1 for the Allies by sheer numbers. We were never taught how absolutely brutal the war was for those poor doughboys who were sent out and faced all the horrors and atrocities of war.
I dont remember learning about war being "glorious" or "good" in school. (I went to school in the US) if anything, i learned that while we should support our troops as to not repeat what happened after the Vietnam War, we should also strive to avoid war because they are destructive and tear families and countries apart, and that all of them are enabled by greed, and they do nothing for the betterment of the country where the war takes place
And while the ordinary people who fight are for the most part, doing their best to do what they see is right, we shouldnt ask for our young people to fight and die for the dreams and delusions of old rich men, because in the end, alot of innocent people die in the process.
You think you know war and how we think of it; it’s far more nuanced.
You can hate war but love the warrior
As an Russian in high school fell fear and alarms
We watched all quiet on the western front (1930) in my American high school
At my school they have a day where every single classroom is filled with a survivor or a veteran from a war and they tell you what went down and I'm an American who went high school and graduate in 2015
There are lots of discussions about this movie versions changes to the end of the movie, together with the added political storyline. But I would say that in todays times, with what is happening in Ukraine, that the motif of showing how one person can pointlessly waste so many lives with a single decision. It felt right.
I haven't seen the older version but I have watched this and I must say it is definitely the best movie for me this year . How it was made, cinematography,music, the transition of scenes . They gave us war as it truly is dirty, ugly, disgusting, you try to survive till the end without the fake romantic, unrealistic moments they show in other films. I am still emotional at many scenes in this film. Everyone perished tragically while leaders are sitting at their desks making late decisions.
The trees were particularly stark and beautiful.
then you have no idea what war is or how it is. I do 3 tours. its not like this
@@ak9989 yeah cause it was different. This was 100 years ago
@@ak9989 You did three tours. Read that again. Obviously there is a huge difference between voluntarily going to a foreign country with top equipment that vastly surpasses that of the local population & militia and the gruelsome trench warfare in Europe 100 years ago where young people without any experience or training fought for their own country's existence and died in millions with deserters being executed. No comparison between those two, the latter is much more dangerous, much more horrible and there was no peaceful country to return back to after the war. Everything was destroyed, people died of starvation etc.
I thought the armistice scene where the general comments to his servant that their pastries were not made fresh that day was very poignant. Soldiers must steal food yet this guy is disappointed his pastry is a day old.
I think it was mistake to cut the part where Paul goes back home on furlough and is disillusioned by the naivité at home the people thinking that the war is still winnable and not having any idea what the soldiers in the trenches have to endure. he realizes then that this is a place he can never go back to. I think that is a vital part in the development of the protagonist and should have been handled as such! Congrats nevertheless!
There's a similar scene in the WWII miniseries Generation War (Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter)
But he dies in the book, like he doesn't survive the war.
@@noluckst2 that is one of the best ww2 related productions EVER.
@@selmavondenhoff8706 Alexa means the part where he goes home on leave, while the war is still ongoing
This movie, while brilliant in its own right left out an awful lot of the character arcs and relationships that made the book " all quiet on the western front" the epic it is. This would almost have been better off ad a standalone movie
I will say this version’s ending threw me off at first, but after listening to some reviewers I think the ending serves as a foreboding message that war continues despite all the warnings. In Europe’s case, the book’s message didn’t stop WW2 from happening and the war in Ukraine is happening now. All of which where people in the middle (with Paul representing them) have to die/suffer needlessly because of whatever lies leaders use to get people fighting.
I was expecting something that was more historically accurate and the ending snapped me out of that which is very much disliked. Left me with a bad taste in my mouth about the whole film.
Maybe the Problem is not war ,the problem is humanity.
This 2022 Netflix version of All Quiet on the Western front is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best war movies of all time. The effects, costumes and scenery are all stunning, and it depicts the brutality of war very realistically. I was blown away that something like that was made by Netflix. It's a very powerful and sad movie.
Wasnt netflix just the distriputor of the film? Odd choise since this could have been better in theaters imo...
I watched it Sunday night as I could not view the Oscar awards. I was devastated by this film. It broke my heart. 💔 Thank you for this posting.
yeah same here. Kind of crying my eyes out thinking right now at this moment young people are still dying meaninglessly in the Ukraine War... You need a time to recover from the film. It's extremely well made. An excellent film!!
@@cheriedeurope Regrettably I watched Women Talking 2 days later. It leveled me for days. 😭 The power of these 2 films back-to-back gutted me and both films are entirely relevant today. The GOP fools here are flirting with hatred, violence, killing women, and civil war…they are at active war against the USofA using daily treachery and deceit, the primary tools of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. I’m surprised they are not bombing our liberal cities-I would not be surprised. We have Newt Gingrich to thank for this mess.
@@lizannewhitlow1085 get a grip lady. You are so privileged that you literally invent problems that don't exist so you can feel alive.
Do everyone a favor and get yourself a passport so you can volunteer to help ACTUAL victims in Sudan/congo, turkey, Syria, etc
Maybe then you can see reality as it really is and realize how good you have it compared to 99% of the world
This movie is a great movie that I only bear to watch it once, because frame by frame the horror is printed forever inside my mind. Just like Come and See.
This movie and sound track are masterpieces, it shows the most honest depiction of war, no winners just the death of an entire generation that didn’t need to die
Brilliant written truth
The scene that shocked me the most was when the clock hit the end of the war and the scene focused on the defeated general. On that scene, you see someone who killed hundreds of thoudands in a 15 minute war for his pride and ego, struggling to achieve his father's image of a sucessful militar authority, you see a defeated man who forced soldiers to death so he could say "I conquered something", but instead, lost thousands of men and his last crumbles of pride.
I was in Vietnam war and I can confirm.
May I also add that 25 years after the war ended, I happen to have an informal dinner with the heads of a big national Vietnamese company who did the war on the other side, and all of us knew the same love songs of this period and we sang them together around bottles of beer.
Yes we were destroyed by the war, on both sides. But yes, the Vietnamese people was strong enough to overcome it and now, they are among the best business partners with the Americans in SE Asia.
We read excerpts from the book in German class in college. The nihilism of the last page, which even my halting knowledge of German deciphered, almost reduced me to tears.
One thing that's never really sunk in for me until now is that someone in his late teens fighting in WWI would very likely have been young enough to be drafted into WWII service at some level as well. Wow.
Jewish people in the Wehrmacht (German WWI army) were exempted from some parts of the Nürnberger Rassengesetze (the law which outlawed many Jewish people and families in the third Reich) or the Holocaust (I don't remember in which ways sadly), so yeah there are many connections between the two world wars.
There are many stories of commanders having their troops fight up until the very last minute before the armistice took place. Our U.S. Gen. John J. Pershing, who had been bent on continuing the fighting, even had to explain to Congress the high number of last-day losses.
The new version showcases the futility and brutality of war, but the second shows the loss of innocence due to it focusing more on Bauer and his friends rather than the battlefield. Both are good, so it depends on which particular message you want to send out.
My grandfather was in WW one.
He only said it was a waste of young boys lives.
"Be fair to your opponent, or this treaty will be hated." Foreshadowing of what's to happen.
I just read it (after the movie), and I don't find it far from the book. It's not an excatly translation from book to movie, but it is a good adaptation.
I’m just thankful they made this movie and the timing was right on pointe with the UA & Russian war. For new generations that haven’t witnessed the war this is very insightful so we don’t repeat those same mistakes and atrocities. Its like the actor says here, no matter who wins or lose you come back home damaged. Everyone loses.
Honestly I love the 1979 version more. It shows the correct progress of time (for example: early scenes of the film showing Pickelhaube helmet then it changed into M1918 Stahlhelm during mid-late scenes). It shows the tragic end of Paul Bäumer during the static nature of trench warfare in WW1 (he was shot by sniper after he accidentally exposed himself over the trench contemplating on the birds .. much like the 1930 film version where Paul was shot while trying to reach for a butterfly). Prior to this scene, Paul lost almost all of his friends and wrote that the last of his group Detering was longing for home and deserted when cherry trees are in bloom, unfortunately was missing for a while after that and all Paul heard he was executed for desertion.
I don't like the ending of the 2022 version but really, really appreciate the German language for authenticity, the cinematic shots, gritty atmosphere of the film, the horror of tank siege during WW1 never seen in any cinematic version before, plus being released on Netflix meant it is reintroducing this literature to younger audiences.. my countrymen didn't even know the existence of "All Quiet of The Western Front" novel and its film adaptations (1930 & 1979) at all, before.
Agreed on the 1979 version.
The "tank siege" seems especially egregious as far as historical accuracy. Tanks were slow and mechanically unreliable, which meant they were pooled and used in major attacks. The film depicts them as a sort of quick reaction force used for counter-attacks. The Germans certainly used them that way in the Second World War, their use in this film seemed unconvincing to me. Your larger point about the depiction of attrition is spot on, and of course, that was one of the themes of the book. Men came and went through Paul's company, equipment changed, a few old sweats hung on longer than most, and Paul himself developed from raw recruit to old hand, in charge of shockingly young looking troops by the end. The 2022 film conveyed none of that, focusing instead on some isolated scenes of "squick". Technically well done, but with no real story to tell, why would anyone care about what is happening to the people on the screen? When Ernest Borgnine as Kat is killed in the TV movie, you know immediately what the impact is on Paul because they spent the whole film developing the relationship.
Agree
It wasn't historically correct but the message was as good as the original... There's a part where i saw German tanks being used by the Brits and french..i don't know why they made choice.
I love how the movie starts with the clothes being renewed.
excellent, thank you DW
I think the movie showed how young minds can get duped into thinking they are going on great heroic adventure as they are naïve as most of us are at that age. They eventually got smacked with a reality stick and the movie depicts that reality in a very convincing visual way. It was a Great Movie!
Thank you all very much
The final battle works thanks to the parallel political storyline and is kind of a function of it. It acts as a bookend and a bridge: As the negotiation plot highlights the terrible hubris of incompetent, prideful leadership, the conclusion shows the impotent spite and establishes the lingering resentment that would lead to WWII. I found it to be a gripping and powerfully urgent film that told its character's story and imparted its message without an ounce of fat to be trimmed.
What bothers me the most is the english translation of the german title, that *actually* says: "There's nothing new on the western front"! It underlines the futility of the whole phenomenon and that war itself - as one can observe these days - never really changes.
Felix was amazing and the production was very unsettling. Well worth anyone's time, especially the young.
As a Chinese I watched the movie and I felt the deepest frustration. Every day, I see my country on the path of the third Reich and the Japanese Empire. Everyone I know of my age back home are glorifying war and saying that Russia has a right to defend themselves. Nobody is talking about the horror of the war and the human cost. It is like watching the opening 10 minutes. And it just is, so sad, watching it happen but powerless to stop it.
I guess the movie did it job perfectly. It might not have the same ending as the book, but it is powerful regardless and conveyed the same message: the futility of war. For that I can accept the deviation from the source material.
This is my new favorite movie because it makes painfully clear that the way we have portrayed warfare in cinema has by and large been wrong.
What an absolute nightmare.
I loved and am haunted by the ending, and appreciate the artistic liberties the filmmakers took. It's the only movie I watched that left me a hollow and bitter feeling of the empty promises of heroism and conquer in war.
I want to say Thank you for everyone for this movie. This is so real, so realistic that making change the mind.
A great movie, the actors were outstanding in their performance.
I actually didn't get the hype the first time that I watched it (I think I was cranky) but the second watch I found it amazing. I read the book years ago in high school and really liked it. I definitely think that it's extremely poignant in light of the war in Ukraine.
the fact that those WWI soldiers could live let alone fight to the last man standing with those horrible conditions is still baffling me
An amazing film. And A NEEDED REMINDER. For the decades to come.
Read the book ages ago, still has a deep impact on me
I was so confused on the title because I’m only used to seeing the German title which is way different
for anyone who doesn’t know the title translates to “nothing new in the west” which with the cover of the film obviously referring to the western front, but that’s what it means
7:20 Top Gun enters tha chat
I loved the recent version. It would've been a worthy winner of the Best Picture Oscar... although 4 Oscars is nothing to be sad about (including Best International Film).
Very reflective film about the harsh realities of the first world war.
SUCH AN AMAZING AND HORRIFYING MOVIE! Just the soundtrack sends a shiver down my spine...This is true horror because it's real horror. I know that I will remeber some scenes now and then and it's good bcs that's the point of this german movie.
I couldn't agree more on the title of this video. Just finished watching the movie, this masterpiece in netflix last night.
We saw many movies on the life of soldiers fought and fallen for their country. Now directors should also make movies on the impact of war on the life of normal people, one example could be the Bengal Famine of 1943.
This movie is so gut wrenching. I was sitting in the cinema and luckily was watchiung it in the cinema. Because i couldn't bear it at home
The new movie poster is a direct reference to the 1930 film: when dropped off near the front for the first time, everyone who turned around for one last look dies in combat.
But there were engagements on the very last day of the war where commanders sought a last chance for 'glory' and got their men killed. So the film's ending isn't entirely inaccurate.
I did hear a lot about the first movie and from all accounts it was a blockbuster for the time . I never did get to see it . I did , however see the second , which I considered to be okay but not great . I saw the Netflix one several weeks ago and to my mind , it was a masterpiece . Hats off to the cast , producers , directors and all those involved . A truly great movie in every way !
Exactly, there are no winners in war. Just broken bodies and minds that will never truly heal. Am a big fan of war films and what they portray, but one must be absolutely clear. They're not real life and definitely don't portray how it really was as those who fought them. You can have all the CGI and special effects you like to make the films as real as possible but it doesn't get anywhere near how it really was. My mums father was a WW2 veteran in the British army and had three English WW1 ancestors and two Australian ancestors. My father's father was a BCOF veteran of Japan, and also I served in the ADF for over ten years.
I've not seen the original 1930 version film or read the book, but have seen the second version many times on television. I would like very much like to see the third version to see how it compares to the second.
It was an excellent film. I found it to be deeply moving, especially having lost family, indirectly to this war. The only thing not mentioned, is the Spanish flu, or pandemic which was a factor, due to heavy losses of soldiers. 11/11/1918.
maybe that’s what Tjaden meant when he said “it’s like a fever. nobody wants it and then suddenly its here.” 🤷♀️
@@dweeb55 Forgot that, thanks. Devastating time.
Very good video, DW. Without reference to the book or previous versions, it was an excellent film.
I personally feel if it took you this long for a Netflix movie to change your heart and mind about what a horrible thing war is and how horrible it can actually be. You have been fortunate enough to be living a sheltered privileged life or has been unfortunate enough to be uneducated.
The only film that was worthy of an Oscar
For a similar book (although it’s more a social commentary on war than describing battles) I highly recommend Johnny Got His Gun
I watched this the other day and it left a mark on me and definitely changed my thoughts about WWI
In my opinion this movie should have won the academy award for best film.
The ending works if we remember that movies are a visual artform. Therefore, the ending uses drama to emphasize the message about the futility of war. Without a powerful ending to match its tone, the viewing experience might have fallen flat. The ending further juxtaposes the feverish politicians with the broken men in the trenches, whom they so ignorantly sacrifice in the name of their hubris. This is powerfully illustrated not only by Paul's death, minutes away from the armistice, but also by the fact that after the armistice enemy soldiers just walk next to each other, tending to their own, showing no hatred to one another.
Overall, a powerful film that warrants a second viewing!
Our mind thinks like war is like a game but when all quiet in the western front showed us what is war before
Growing up being late Baby boomer/very early GenX I could see around the community the last of the WW1 Vets( always a Hat on , a vest and with black shoes and trousers) and My Great uncles were my WW2 Vets . Various limbs ,arms and fingers missing , lost eye like my G/Uncle had. I had seen the War records of 5 relatives and seeing the actual War records moving on and off the front line. War records for one Great, Great Uncle showed shipping out, war zone and then evacuated due to an injury in the thigh , then moved to a Hospital in England ( usually someones Estate Manor) and dying from wounds. Afterwards a military Funeral with 5 soldiers from his Unit and a Gravestone. It feels more personal when you see there was a living man a Mother loved
This movie literally changed my entire perspective on war.
This movie was great it made me sad and disheartened for the people in high school that get manipulated to join the army.
The lack of testosterone in this comment makes me happy there are still strong young individuals that will do what has to be done when weaker individuals can not
Why does everyone do this over and over, this angst and talk. We love it don’t we? Movie after movie, discussion and analysis. Painful eyes and face. We love it.
My grandfather's uncle (who he was named after) was killed less than a month before the war ended in 1918. I met his fiancé some 50 plus years later as a young boy. She never got over his death. As the actor who played Kat suggests (paraphrasing this incredible novel), there are no winners in war.
Thank you very much for sharing your family's story with us. Sending you all the best
There's always a war going on somewhere. So... the question becomes, what would you do if your country was invaded? Should Canada fight if it was invaded by the US? Should Mexico fight if it was invaded by the US? Is Ukraine right to fight back against Putin's brutal invasion? And are Ukrainians entitled to more than sticks and stones to resist this invasion?
War is a horrible preoccupation of humans, but it's not unreasonable to say, resistance to the military aggression of another country is a natural and justified response. Ukraine is not a perfect country, but it is a democracy. (As flawed as all democracies are, they are far preferable to dictatorships and autocracies). I support Ukraine's right to expel Putin's invaders and I support the right of the US and NATO to assist them in this fight. I do feel sorry for the average Russian grunt, most of whom probably have no desire to be used as cannon fodder in Putin's futile foreign policy debacle. But not as sorry as I feel for Ukrainians who did nothing to deserve this naked aggression from their neighbour. I trust they will ultimately prevail in their struggle, and that Putin's days are numbered.
Im from argentina and if anyone declares war, im taking my wife and daughter and run off. Im not dying for this corrupted country, let the politics grab a gun and go; i have a daughter to raise.
I heard the movie won Sunday, 4 Oscars
Should've won best picture
@@WaitAMinute1989 Won Best Picture in the BAFTAS, there was no way it was going to win an Oscar vs. Golden Globe Winner, EEAAO. the Academy doesn't want a netflix film to win best picture, they did that to Roma which should've won in it's respective year.
@@jordanvalencia9597 I totally agree, I've said the same thing, the Americans were not going to give them the credit they're due.
@@WaitAMinute1989 Totally agree, but the awards rarely award it to the film that really deserves it. They're pretty irrelevant now.
Eeaao deserved to win
To be fair, there have already been some pretty influential anti-war films in the past, specifically the Soviet film "Come and See" and HBO's "The Pacific". I feel as though "All Quiet" took the best out of both of those films and merged it into a single film to depict the horrors and absurdity of war for a new generation of audience members.
Already found two articles in the sort of google news here in Germany, trying to write this movie into insignificance, all the while our government keeps sending more and more heavy war equipment to ukraine. It makes you wonder.
The only reason to use violence in any way is to defend yourself or others. This is exactly what happens in Ukraine. While I do not support "protecting western values" in the various countries the US invaded since WW2, this is actually a direct attack on a country that was slowly transitioning into a really democratic western country ready to join it's European neighbors
that last part is a profound statement about one of the horrors of war!
Not the Film change, it was the book who is the Master piece
The 2022 version is an outstanding film which I believe should have been the winner of the Oscars 2022 for Best Film. I think the last battle scene was perfectly done, showing how ridiculous it was that there was a battle just before Armistice was called. So I have no problem it was included despite not being in the book or an historical inaccuracy. Kudos to all involved in bringing this monumental movie to the screen. (The music score was amazing.)
Agreed, it should’ve won best film.
The test of a great film is in what you learned about the characters, or how they changed in the course of the movie. Can you name any of them off the top of your head? I can't. But I can sure remember Himmelstoss from the 1979 movie. Ian Holm's performance ensured that even a relatively minor role stood out among a see of fully realized, living, breathing characters with their own personalities and motivations. This was noticeably absent from the 2022 film.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
5 G CUPS.!!!
My late wife’s grandfather fought for Germany in WW1. He was from Konigsberg East Prussia and a crew member on a Big Bertha. He said that he knew Germany had lost the war when allied artillery could soot at individual soldiers walking an a trail, while they could not get ammunition for their artillery.
Mein opa. Auch. Welt krieg 1...von sachsen....liebte meinen opa
I have seen all three versions of the film (the first one I have seen many times) and all three of them somehow botch the ending. In Remarque's novel, Paul Baumer just dies like any other, his death told in one curt closing sentence, rubbing in the fact that he's simply one of thousands who died pointlessly. But Milestone's version closes with the sentimental scene of Paul Baumer reaching out for a butterfly and being killed by a sniper, and then a ghostly montage of soldiers, in double exposure, marching off presumably to heaven, somehow glorifying them. The new German version adds the totally fictitious story of a final battle AFTER the armistice which, in history, never happened - a rather crude way of rubbing in the idea of futility. All three films have some merit - the TV version being the weakest - but in balance, the first is still the most powerful, despite the overwrought acting which was common in early talkie films .
Excellent commentary.
Small correction: soldiers in WW1 typically did not survive more than several weeks on the front. Remarque spending six months there is a lot.
i think they got this wrong, because afaik remarque was only a few _weeks_ in battle; most of his time as a soldier he was in a hospital.
Wonderful work ❤
This was a beautifully (horrifyingly?) shot movie with top tier production values. However, I felt nothing for the main characters. Some may even argue that was part of the point, but regardless, while I do think it was deserving of a Best Picture Oscar nomination, I agree with the Academy voters that it did not deserve the win.
I taught the novel and used the Richard Thomas/ Ernest Borgnine film to encourage the reading for two decades. I find the ending according to the novel better, as it highlights the total absurdity and banality of the evil we call war. No drama, no heroism, no politics, just death out of nowhere because of bird watching during a general lull in the fighting - and nobody cares because there is so much carnage and death all around. All is "quiet", and the protagonist is just another victim of this legal mass murder. The peace negotiations belong to another film. But maybe today's viewers need the extra information?
.
The videogame Battlefield 1 also portrays WW1 in a gruesome way and treats each character as victims of conflict. A great story and experience overall.
Not really
I wouldn't say BF1 represents war in such a gruesome way as this movie does. But what BF1 message means is what does a great impact. A message of remembering those who gave their life in such a meaningless war, and to not forget the forgotten soldiers. They're not heroes, they're not allies, they're victims of the sins of humanity.
That's how I see it at least, I'd like to see other points of views from other people.
This story has never lost it's poignancy because there has never been a point in human history in which these same issues that perpetuate war has not been responsible for a conflict somewhere on the globe. The philosophy of the book and all of the films is a denunciation that remains strictly Euro-centric.
That theme sound!
The phrase: “War is Hell” was coined by a Union Officer during the American Civil War, history’s first modern war.
A poignant scene in the book is Paul's break to return home to see his family. The intensity of war has destroyed his connection with his family and he is then more 'at home' with his fellow soldiers. Sad.
It's now in my bucket list a little series I really liked that I believe shows war daily good was "unsere mutter unsere fater"
I cried after reading this classic. Read the bengali translation by Sheba Publication & this translation is the best bengali translation ever.
This is Oscar Worthy
Just like with 'Lincoln' in 2012, 'All Quiet' got robbed. NONE of the important Oscars... just technicals.
No disrespect for 'Everything', but the Academy really blew it on this one.
I heard a couple Western Front jokes on the Oscar's and thought it was an odd joke... I had no idea they did another remake.
One of the best books I have ever read.
Great movie loved the music score
Having watched the new version...the prior version starring Ernest Borgnine was SUPERIOR!
had Germany won the war, this novel would have been written by an English author.
Did the English call it the “western front” too?
Had Germany won, WW2 might not have happened and the USA would have lost a major war. History would be completely different
Since the first day I watched this movie I know this movie will get award.
0:50
1979, not 1997.
It seems that all soldiers, who have fought in combat, have the same experiences as shown in this movie. It is not glorious but filled with suffering, panic and suffering.
Western front,Das Boot actually are ridiculously realistic & truly today!!!☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️
Great movie, closest version to the book which I read years ago. It reflects the true nature of war
Nothing will be better than the original
I don’t know what war movies you guys have been watching, but the movies My Way, Tai Guk Chi (brothers of war), and (even) Saving Private Ryan are (in my opinion) much better films and do just as good of a job at showing the horrors of war.