Touching antiwar story

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2008)

All Quiet on the Western Front is an early antiwar film about World War I. It focuses on the German side of the war, opening with a scene at a schoolhouse where a patriotic teacher enthusiastically tells his students to support the war. The students are converted and join the infantry. Soon after being deployed to the front lines, they realize that war is not as heroic or honorable as they came to expect.
For being such an old film, All Quiet on the Western Front feels surprisingly modern and refined. The battle scenes are excellent, even though there is not all that much time devoted to them. The trench warfare and shell shock was very accurately recreated. It is considered to be one of the most violent films of the period, which is not a surprise. As Paul Baumer (the main soldier the film focuses on) goes around, he witnesses many gruesome deaths. The most touching moment comes when he kills a French soldier. Watching the slow death of the enemy, Baumer realizes that the war is pointless. This signifies a turning point in the film. There are a couple equally touching deaths toward the end, but I best not spoil them.
There were some pacing and continuity problems. Although several parts were slow, the key scenes are well worth sitting through the whole thing for. The ending comes full circle, revisiting some of the important places and people from the beginning. The last scene is simply beautiful.
The film has important antiwar themes and forces you to think about death in a different way. If you enjoy war films or complex situations, and don't mind sitting through older films, then you need to see this one.