Has anyone else seen the classic film All Quiet on the Western Front?
Asked by
janbb (
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March 24th, 2022
I saw it for the first time last night in a movie theater and thought it was one of the best anti-war movies I’ve ever seen. In places, it was a little schmaltzy for our modern tastes but the battle scenes and the young soldiers’ reaction were amazingly apt. And the cinematography was terrific for a film shot in 1930. It made me think with compassion about the poor Russian soldiers who are being sent to die in Putin’s war.
If you’ve seen it, what did you think about it? Expanding the question, what other anti-war movies have impressed you?
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13 Answers
Probably the best anti war movie I’ve ever seen is Gallipoli (which also takes place during WW1)
All Quiet is a masterpiece! Considering the point of time this was made, all the more remarkable.
My favorite anti-war movies?
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
M*A*S*H*
Battle Circus
Kelly’s Heroes
I agree that All Quiet is probably the definitive anti war book and film. But I believe an even better and more powerful film is Kubrick’s masterpiece Paths of Glory. Same war.
@filmfann I was blown away by the cinematography and the realism of it. The camera angles and lighting were used so effectively.
@HP Haven’t seen Paths of Glory.
Hurt Locker was a more recent anti-war film that I thought very effective.
@janbb It’s an absolute must. Trust me, there are scenes in that movie, you will forget to chew your popcorn. I have yet to see another film so beautifully serve as a condemnation of war. I tell you truthfully, the film was foremost in my mind when the draft board was seeking cannon fodder, and if ever anyone you care about talks to you about enlisting——sit em down in front of that film. Do yourself a favor. Go to YouTube and pull up some clips.
You know I believe the reason so few of us are familiar with Paths of Glory is because the film was probably deliberately suppressed. I saw it first when I was 13 or 14. In subsequent years, it NEVER showed up on TV, though it is acclaimed universally as brilliant.
Treat yourself. You will never hear the words “ant hill” again without your mind flashing back to this movie.
I read AQOTWF in high school English class, and because our teacher was a film buff, we saw the movie too. It was during the Vietnam war, so it had an extra effect on those of us who had the draft over our heads.
Both the book and the movie are masterpieces, definitely on the 20th century “must read” and “must see” lists.
Haven’t seen the movie, but I read the book.
It’s set in WWI @caravanfan.
@zenvelo With the current war going on in Ukraine, it had an extra effect on me. It made me feel compassion for the poor Russian soldiers being made to fight in Putin’s war and their families.
I heard a story today on NPR about a Russian general killed by his own troops for losing so many of them in a needless attack.
Watching it now. Of course, the movie loses nuances of the book.
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