Friday, January 27, 2023
All Quiet on the Western Front
It’s the third year of WWI when Paul Bäumer & his classmates eagerly enlist to fight for the fatherland after a rousing patriotic speech. With dreams of returning home as war heroes, they are quickly sent to the front lines where the realities of war smacks them in the face. It’s down & dirty trench warfare: poison gas & gas masks, mud & blood, machine guns & bayonets, tanks & flame throwers. This is a powerful film about the senselessness & tragedies of war and its effects on the individuals caught of in the middle. There is also a sad side story told about the negotiated armistice. This is a great film but hard to watch. At nearly 3 & a half hours, it’s exhausting but that’s how these German soldiers felt, drained & numb.
Alien gives it 3 “11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” stars out of 4.
