All Quiet on the Western Front

Lewis Milestone

Pretty creaky story of some young men who enlist together in WW1 and suffer its realities. Although they are ostensibly Germans all speak with British accents...which struck a false note that rang through the entire film.

But mostly this was much too obvious, too heavy-handed to reach a contemporary audience. Great historical value since it challenged the dominant lies about war but must be viewed with considerable care. Some of the battle scenes were well staged...the explosions gave a good sense of the ferocity of war.

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