Didactic polemic but emotionally gripping after all these years.

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2018)

This film has one purpose: to lay bare the foolishness of war and nationalism. All the characters, situations and dialog point towards that end goal and there isn't much counter argument in the film. It is a political essay, a pacifist manifesto in disguise of a story. I think the film goes a bit too far now and then with the message and a slightly better film would have been more subtle. Nonetheless, the story works and is gripping.
The best feature of the film is its unflinching direction and commitment to realism. There's several scenes, especially for the time period, that are shockingly graphic. The film rips your heart out because of this.
It is nearly impossible to make an anti-war film that doesn't inadvertently glorifies war. I don't think this film quite pulls it off but of the various Hollywood efforts it comes the closest. That final shot is still devastating nearly a century later.