ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

"How is all this going to work out, hmm? Returning to a home, having to go back to our normal being. Where all everyone wants to know about are the battles we've been in. We'll be like travelers who belong in another country elsewhere. Sometimes I wonder, would I be happier with you here at camp?" - Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky

Hell on earth would be a worthy of comparison for trench-time warfare during World War I. A constant state of immobilization, starvation, and filth, the western front was the abattoir for young men defending the honor of old men. Stretching for hundreds of miles, and with minimal gain from either side, this front was center stage in determining who would win the war. Most of the soldiers sent there never came back, and those who did, never truly left. Based on the 1929 novel by the same name, Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front is an anti-war epic from a German soldier’s perspective. With hopelessness and isolation imbued in every frame, Berger’s horrifyingly beautiful depiction of World War I masterfully portrays the wasteful loss of life and the incorrigible mental scarring incurred there.

The film follows Paul Baumer and his three closest friends. Eager to join the war effort, the German propaganda machine romanticizes a false patriotic agenda, sending troves of disillusioned young men to fight in a war they have no stake in. As the years go by, Paul strengthens his bond with his comrades, as they try to find glimpses of joy and hope surrounded by death and decay. As thousands are slain, German and French officials meet to work out terms for an armistice, and hopefully an end to the war. All Quiet On The Western Front is an existentialist approach at dissecting the concept of humanity. A transcendent expose on the inevitable cyclical mental and physical carnage of war, Berger eloquently displays how the glory and pride of victory is a facade that lures naive men to their slaughter.

Abound with imagery of order and symmetry, Berger utilizes visual precision to juxtapose the disorganization and pandemonium of war. But mostly, the shots of thousands of clean jackets, piles of used boots, and lines of men collecting their uniforms is an impactful aid in demonstrating the sheer volume of German men that died. Rather than spout numbers and saturate the run time with battle sequences, these images are constant reminders of the blatant disregard for human life. Whether recycling uniforms, counting deceased names, or holes filled with coffins, the carelessness of the Government to send their citizens to the grave was the gut-wrenching narrative pillar of the film. This silent, visual representation of the death toll was concise and effective, giving an unspoken voice to the stunning cinematography as an anti-war message.

Thematically, All Quiet on the Western Front covers a lot: the death of innocence, loneliness, and assimilation into normal life after the war. Paul, played by Felix Kammerer, starts off as an excited, barely legal student, hopeful to prove to his mother he can last in a war. Kammerer’s transition from spirited schoolboy to demoralized soldier is Oscar worthy. Additionally, showing scared men screaming and crying for their mothers and wishing they could go back home was of realistic importance. A simple handkerchief from a French woman became a symbol of a life unlived, an ode to an age and language of purity that is now forever lost. Not shying away from the viscerality of war, the shattering of innocence reverberates through the trenches gun shot after gun shot.

Peppered with shots of desolate forests and treetops and maintaining a constant atmosphere of apprehension and alienation, whether physically or mentally, Berger cultivates a relentless state of isolated paranoia. With dread and the anticipation of attack solidifying themselves as constant companions, the idea of returning to a life back home is unfathomable. Acknowledging certain elements like early onset PTSD and survivors guilt, the film delicately creates a space for dialogue around these topics, while also courageously recognizing the truthful turmoil and mental discord developed in combat. As the film progresses, and certain characters die, it almost feels like the universe is being merciful– these men were never going to escape the trenches, whether or not they won the war.

At its core, All Quiet on the Western Front is a film about humanity. It begs the question: who is the real enemy? Both sides were men following orders, human beings brainwashed and manipulated into defending other men’s egos. Chilling scenes of placid understanding as one soldier murders the other, reconciling as he tries to stop his fellow broken comrade from bleeding out. Moments of brief reprieve and joy are packed with an emotional undercurrent of foreboding, brick by brick of compassionate groundwork bulldozed down by blind allegiance.

As an additional layer to this concept, German high ranking officials beg the French to allow a ceasefire while they smooth out the armistice details– French refusal of this adds further suspense to an already unforgiving pace. Textbooks will tell you who was on the right side of history, but a narrative such as this humanizes everyone. Questioning what it means to be merciful and benevolent, war strips us of our invisible borders and conditioned savagery and forces us to confront the devastating responsibility of taking another human life.

As time goes by and the Great War becomes a lesson in a classroom, some mediums of art scream at us to never forget. All Quiet on the Western Front, in all its beauty and grandiose story telling, is a reminder of how immersive a cinematic experience can be. A gorily accurate and emboldened showcase of life and death, this might be the best war film of the 21st century.