Film:
All Quiet on the Western Front
All
Quiet on the Western Front is a film about what soldiers endured in the trenches of World War
1. Made in 1930, it was a powerful and timely reminder of the realities
and horrors of war. The story follows Paul as he enlists, fights , and sees his
friends die for ‘the fatherland’ of Germany. Director Lewis Milestone
allows the audience to connect ideas to create a new understanding of the
nature of mankind as well as the nature of war by presenting subtle cues in the
music, cinematography, and script. It is through this careful crafting that the
film evokes strong emotions in each viewer.
The cinematography of the film helped
convey the message that war is not glorious and dying for one’s country is
nothing but throwing your life away. The establishing shot is of two servants
opening the doors in a grand house in a German town. The audience sees out to
the street, where a parade of soldiers is traveling through, spreading the
patriotic spirit of serving one’s country. Then the camera seemingly travels
through a window into a classroom, the festivities outside are audible but they
dull and the focus is brought to the students inside. Their teacher gives a
well written and emotionally appealing argument for joining the army, and he
spreads the mania from the street into the boys. The camera then shows a wide
shot of the room again, this time, the windows are open, further solidifying
the idea of the boys being exposed to and consequently mislead by the mania
spreading throughout Germany. More windows and doors are used throughout the
film in a similar manner. Another example of cinematography communicating
important messages within the film is when we are shown the face of the soldier
manning a machine gun. What sticks out here is that showing this soldier’s face
once would have sufficed to communicate that he was causing all the deaths we
see through close-ups, yet we are shown cross shots of his face periodically.
Each time the length of the shot shortens until we only see him for a few
seconds, aligning the image with the sound of machine gun fire. The soldier
becomes more like the machine he is operating. His humanity is taken away with
each magazine he uses. There is also a moment when two of the main characters
are discussing a poster of a woman and the audience can only see them because
of a mirror beside the poster.
The script was very compelling. The
discussions the characters have together help lead the audience to an
understanding of the senselessness of war. Every moment of realization was made
more meaningful by how the characters expressed this new awareness through the
art of words. The movie was based on a book of the same name by Enrich Maria
Remaque was most likely a great source and inspiration for the screenwriters,
Maxwell Anderson , George Abbott, and Del Andrews. Alongside the actual
words, the script also provided scenes that show change. If we had not seen
Himmelstoss as a mailman first, his harsh attitude as he trained the soldiers
would have seemed normal. As he throws off his personality and his goodness is
consumed by his power, we see a different type of injury. His very soul has
been sacrificed for his title. We are also shown individuals as opposed to the
collective on both sides of the conflict: French and German alike. As Paul
spends time watching over a Frenchman he has stabbed and making love to a
little mademoiselle, he sees them as more than just his enemies. He sees them
as his fellow humans, but then killing other humans is much more damaging than
killing “the enemy” so he falls back into viewing them as a collective.
The soundtrack was another mode of
conveying the theme, which is somewhat expected, but in such a surprising way:
about a third of the way into the film, all background music disappears.
Through the last portion of the film, the only music is either sung by the
soldiers or played on a harmonica. The harmonica and the chorus of soldier boys
were both used to emphasize the youth and innocence of the soldiers. It
showcase their humanity and vulnerability. The silences in between were tools
as well. Once in a long while there would be a complete lack of sound, no
bombs fell, no rounds of artillery were fired, no conversation took place, just
silence. In those silence moments, there was a clear message that resonated
better with the audience than any amount of sound could have. These soldiers
were suffering the unthinkable and they were just boys.
Symbolism was used not only to
communicate ideas, but also deep emotions. A pair of boots announced death, a
butterfly made you understand how fleeting each life is. These everyday things
were pumped full of meaning by careful crafting and execution. Each symbol was
shaped. The boots were mentioned early and gained meaning as they were passed
from one to the next as the war took their lives. The first time, we saw the
death, but the next few scenes simply showed how many owners the pair had
within a few minutes. At nearly the end of the film, we learn about
Paul’s sister’s butterfly collection and how they caught them. After his
friends have been killed and he knows he doesn’t belong in his home any longer,
we see him still fighting in the middle of France. He has become a hardened
man. As he looks through the sight of his rifle, he sees a butterfly light just
outside the safety of the trench. If this moment had not been proceeded by the
proper set up, this odd detail might have been over-looked. Instead, the
audience can feel the imminent danger. I actually covered my face and burrowed
further back into my seat. I knew this was the end of him. As Paul slowly and
carefully reaches out to capture the butterfly, he leans further and further
out into the open, into the line of fire of the enemy. We see his hand inches
away from the butterfly and hear the enemy fire. The hand falls still.
The movie showed the realities of war.
It fulfilled the disclaimer showed at the beginning of the film about how it
meant not to accuse but to show the horrors every soldier endured. Both
through the actual story and how it is presented, the film successfully
communicates the realities of war. Through conversations, images, sounds, and
silence, the audience is transported to the front lines with Paul and share in
his terrors and his joys. By showing the inherent goodness within each person,
the dehumanizing effects of the war were striking and unmistakable- it turned
men into the basest form of themselves. In order to cope, they had to bury
emotions deep within themselves until they could feel nothing. And yet, in the
middle of such a situation, they showed the best sides of themselves in
addition to the worst.
