Nominated: The Big House, Disraeli, The Divorcee, The Love Parade
Should have won: All Quiet on the Western Front
Be sure to see: Animal Crackers
"We live in the trenches out here. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all."--Paul Baumer
Early on in the Academy Awards' history it seemed war movies tended to pull at the voters' heartstrings. Wings had been a solid outing but All Quiet on the Western Front, based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, provides an intensity that Wings didn't produce. It follows a group of young recruits in Germany during World War I who are thrown into intense warfare. One by one, each faces his ultimate demise.
For years I had said Full Metal Jacket is the best war movie I have ever seen. This changed when I picked up All Quiet on the Western Front. So many elements in this movie are powerful. The tracking shots during the attacks are brilliant. The camera gets the audience right in with the soldiers as though we were running across the fields with the men, dodging the explosions like we were in danger as well.
One particular death (I call it the fence scene) is among the greatest and most shocking death scenes of all time. I was blindsided by it; especially considering how long ago this movie was made that it passed the censors. But the two best scenes are not during intense battle. One is the ending which matches a beautiful moment and a deadly one. But the best scene for me is in a trench when a recruit stabs a Frenchman and then apologizes to the corpse for what he has done. The agony he feels for this man and his family and some of the words he speaks are powerful moments.
I've read that some of the scenes were considered so realistic they were used in actual documentaries about war. The ending offers a subtle image and message about finding beauty among chaos, even if it results in tragedy. All Quiet on the Western Front is certainly the best winner in the first decade of the Oscars. A must for fans of war movies. By the way, it was remade in 1979 with the always reliable Ernest Borgnine.
After reading this, I would really like to see this movie. Sounds incredibly interesting, especially considering that I have always said that Full Metal Jacket is the best war movie ever.
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ReplyDeleteIf this movie is better than Full Metal Jacket, I better see it because I only liked half of that movie!
ReplyDeleteThis is a well written review that captures what is best about this movie. It also describes the reason I would only watch it one time. It truely pictures war as it is. Our parents and grandparents suffered through those times and I don't want to be reminded of that if I can help it.
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ReplyDeleteI love Full Metal Jacket. It is in my top 10 favorites. I enjoy it more than this one as far as my "favorite" list would go but All Quiet on the Western Front is a better movie...maybe. It is very good. Wait until you see that fence scene death. That's all I'll say about it.
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