All Quiet On The Western Front: A Timeless War Story

Okay, so this was movie #3 on the list. And the first of the 82 movies I have heard of. Before the big viewing day, here's what I knew about All Quiet On The Western Front:

1. It is a movie.
2. It received the Oscar for Best Picture.
3. It is also a book.
4. Netflix sent this to me within 1 hour of adding it to my queue.

That's it. You can call me naive, but I truly thought this was a Western Movie. (If you thought so too, then good for you for using context clues!) Turns out, it's ANOTHER war movie, y'all! But, unlike Wings, they got to talk and make noises and stuff, so it was a totally different take on war. 

The story takes place during World War I. It follows Paul Baumer and a slew of other German soldiers throughout the war. It's not a heroic story. It's not a love story. It's about as true of a story that anyone during this era had ever seen regarding "war life." Rarely does this movie tell us where the soldiers are, the name of the battle, or the commanding officer in charge.  What we do see is the struggle a soldier faces when he is at war. That's what makes this movie timeless. The German novel, Im Westen Nichts Neues, (translated to All Quiet On The Western Front) was banned from Nazi Germany, as well as it's sequel, The Road Back. They also said nix to the movie version as well. Crazy...the Germans didn't want us to know what war was really like...silly Germans.

As far as war movies go, this one was pretty graphic. Especially since it was filmed in 1930. I'm not talking arm removal scene from 127 Hours, but there were some bloody scenes throughout the film. There was a scene where Paul shoots down a French soldier and has to deal with him dying right before his eyes. I have never been to war. I have only seen movies, read news stories, and listen to veterans tell the tales of war. But watching this scene made me realize that no matter who you are fighting for, and who you are fighting against, being at war, (or rather, in the war,) is life changing. I have so much respect for all those who have ever served, currently serve, and will serve our nation. Killing another man, regardless of what team he is fighting for, is something you will ever forget.

The Hurt Locker won the Oscar for Best Picture last year. It's also a story of war. An all too relevant story. But when it comes time for me to review that movie (we're looking at around the last week of December for that one, folks)...I think I'll watch this movie again and compare them. Why? Because All Quiet On The Western Front is truly a timeless story of war. War is war. No matter where. So big props to to Lewis Milestone and the rest of his crew for making this movie when movies like this weren't supposed to be made.

*It has been rumored that All Quiet On the Western Front will soon be remade. Daniel Radcliffe is slated to play Paul Baumer, and the movie is supposed to be released in 2012 (Good for you, Harry Potter!)

4 out of 5 Stars