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Rating: The strength of this film lies in the historical context in which it was released in theaters: the thirties.
In that period, I believe it was difficult to talk about war simply as death, without any romanticism, no heroism, no allegiance to one nation over another.
"All Quiet on the Western Front", in some scenes, may perhaps exhibit an excessive theatricality and rhetoric, but it has the great merit of exposing to the audience the true essence of war, and not through some subtle metaphor or hidden meaning to interpret. All this during a historical phase when telling the conflict in this way meant going against the mainstream, being censored, receiving insults of all kinds, and even being subjected to mouse-throwing in theaters.
The film by American director Milestone has been considered by many as the first epic of history. Indeed, it is a true "colossus" filmed with a mastery and meticulous attention to detail, perhaps never seen before then.
Nothing is left to chance, and two aspects, in particular, emerge boldly from the work: deception and cruelty.
Deception is the main element that drives the young to enlist, with the false awareness of becoming part of history and being remembered for their deeds in battle. But soon deception gives way to the cruelty of the massacres which, although the film was shot a long time ago, are not just hinted at but shown through the blood flowing from bullet holes, the amputations caused by mortar shells, the stillness of death, all with an intensity that pales in comparison to the initial twenty minutes of "Saving Private Ryan".
After watching "All Quiet on the Western Front", I don't know why, but I thought about how difficult it was to preach peace during that period, perhaps the saddest in history. In those years, fear drove the masses to conform in their ideals and thoughts. But for a moment, I would like to go back in time and try to think and act like a man of peace, to grasp a shred of that strength that animated those people.
This is because today we talk a lot about peace, but few, in reality, feel it like the men who lived through the wars of the early decades of the century, or like all the Arab and Jewish citizens who still manifest for peace in the Middle East. Just for a moment, I would like to go back to the times of fascism and try to think and act like a partisan. To have a shred of their ardor. This is because today's life, despite all the difficulties related to job insecurity, crime, and many other current problems, risks numbing me with its ordinariness.
These few lines are dedicated to all those men and women who loved and wanted peace in those years and also to those men and women who acted to subvert and annihilate the Nazi-fascist dictatorship in Europe. Because too often, even here on DeBaser, I've read things that attempt, even under veiled social and cultural explanations, to make dangerous revisionism.
In the hope of not going against the tide as "All Quiet on the Western Front" did when it was released in theaters.
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