Amateurish in places, surprisingly sophisticated in others

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2006)

Interesting how the "lost generation" of anti-war Germans ended up empowering the Nazis only a few years later out of the national humiliation of Versailles. This film, for its early date, had some surprisingly effective battle sequences. I did notice that some trench footage was repeated in an attempt to make it look longer and more impressive. Some of the film was amateurish, and some of the acting excessively hammy. I put much of that down to the style of the day. However, some of it was surprisingly sophisticated. This film deserves its status as a classic, but I'm not sure it warrants a spot in the "Top 250". Worth seeing for anybody, though.