I know it's a late comment but this is blowing up recently so I just wanted to say, I originally saw it in german since that's how it was on Netflix! But for TH-cam, it was switched to english so people could enjoy it without having to read subtitles :)
If you think this is sad, my grandpa served if Vietnam and the last thing he sad to my mom was "War without casualties is a miracle and a blessing." - Pascal Decena My mom once got a letter in the middle of the day, she opened it and it came out with a letter and a medal. And the letter said "If or once you get this this will be my last stand because they have us on the line, I'm sorry I couldn't be their to see you grow up. I love you and hopefully ill go home." - Pascal Decena I love you grandpa thank you for protecting us.
The book was written by a man who was a German soldier. The main character was inspired by him specifically. And if I recall correctly, the scene with Paul in the hole with the Frenchman was a real thing that happened.
The author had been training to be a teacher, which he finished after the war. Im Westen Nichts Neues was published in 1929, and immediately had a few persons who criticized the novel for being overly sensationalized, including veterans who had been in the trenches and hospitals. It was banned by German & Italian governments in the 1930's, of course. Because of his fame & income from the book, he was able to leave Germany before WWII erupted and eventually passed away in Switzerland in 1970. He was survived by his 3rd wife, actress Paulette Goddard. According to Wikipedia; "On 31 July 1917 he [ER Remarque, the author] was wounded by shell shrapnel in his left leg, right arm and neck, and after being medically evacuated from the field was repatriated to an army hospital in Germany, where he recovered from his wounds. In October 1918, he was recalled to military service, but the war's armistice a month later put an end to his military career."
It was a true event according to the author. The awful, brutal takeaway was that almost as soon as our eponymous Paul gets back to his trenches and finds his unit and friends he begins to acknowledge that the promises he made to the dying man would go unfulfilled. Paul had promised him(self) that he would deliver the Frenchman's effects and look in on his family when his whole world was just the two men sharing a shell hole, but soon knew he never would. That world didn't exist anymore, and never would again - as ethereal as the promise proved to be. It is difficult to put my finger on exactly what it was about that exchange: a brutal killing, an apology, an honest promise, and it's ultimate dismissal as pointless just seemed to poignantly encapsulate the brutality and impersonality of that war. Just another squalid death, the particulars of which were experienced by two dead men - one on borrowed time.
Storm of Steel was better, not like this doom and gloom bitchy book. It was written by a man who actually volunteered and fought from the start til the end of the war unlike Remarque who was conscripted and fought for only a month and was sent home because he got injured.
It's important to note until more recent wars like the Korean and Vietnam war, people had no idea what war actually looked like, that's why these boys were so excited to go off to war, they saw it as a chance for adventure and all their friends were going so it was part of peer pressure too.
and they are fed stories of heroism and glory. so much so masculinity is linked inseperably from it. being a coward was unthinkable to little boys. they get a constant stream of propaganda. some are outright lies, but most are sanitized and pumped to seem like "super heroes" these days.
I kind of agree. But since war existed, you'd have to know that people are going to die. For them not to even consider it is strange to me. There's not informed, and then there is ignorance to basic human realities.
@@cheebees That's where propaganda comes in, and it's really not like recruitment propaganda around military service has ever gone away. Storytelling around war absolutely tended toward selling it as an adventure, and it still does - even in cases where the story might nonetheless be considered gritty and grim.
@@cheebees Big difference between reading about it and letting a boy's imagination run wild, then seeing it on the big screen with the actual violent reality
@@cheebees before today. Back then in ww1 and the previous old wars it was seen as glorious, heroic, powerful, not bloody and gruesome and traumatic. War was for men and it was a man duty to fight and protect the women and children behind him and his land. Come back with awesome war medals and have the ladies. That how war was seen. Death was told but not in ways to horrify, it was just “well the soldier died honourably in battle’ . So death was foreign to boys and well everyone. But basically when ww1 started it was exciting, a chance to grow up so fast for these 16-19 year olds to be like the older men and those that fought in older battles. Time to show off to the ladies in their uniform and confidence and ego. Death? Couldn’t happen to me, would be their thought process. All the stories of fighting on horses with swords and stuff. Destroying the enemy and the victory. You lose the fact death is there. Especially at such an age where you are easily influenced, naive and rebellious and want to go out into the world really. Not to mention the newspaper were all filled with propaganda too.
This is the first war movie I've ever seen that felt like a horror movie. This one absolutely devastated me, as it should. Its a masterpiece and deserved every award it received.
This kind of horror is what I like to call "The Horror of Man", or "The Brutality of Man" I believe this kind of horror film movie is more impactful/emotionally driven is because it's true. Man (humans) as a species are ruthless, horrifying, terrifying, and many more unspeakable things. This was real, these events happened, and to me it's terrifying that man can succumb to this kind of way
“The war ends. The winners celebrate, the politicians shake hands, but the women are still waiting for their sons and husbands to return home. And the children their father and brothers.”
This is the first movie EVER that I watched that wouldn't let me go. To this day, I sometimes still sit in my room and just think about this movie, especially the scene where Paul was in that hole with the French soldier. It's the perfect depiction of how humanity is both incredibly beautiful and horribly cruel. Paul was terrified for his life, then his instincts and his training kicked in and he stabbed the man. And then he broke down when he couldn't take the gunshots, the explosions and the wheezing and choking from the soldier anymore, so he stuffed dirt into his mouth to silence him. And ultimately, we got a glimpse of the person Paul was before all of this. Kind-hearted, warm, empathatic, caring, nurturing and loving to everything around him, always trying to stay positive and preserve the beauty and life in everything. He tried to undo the damage, he cleaned the man's mouth, he gave him water, cleaned his face, tried to get rid of the blood that would just keep coming, tried to bandage the wound even though it was clear to see that it wouldn't work. We've seen Paul lose everything, but even in his darkest moment, deep down he still kept his humanity. Underneath it all, he was still this pure, innocent and naive boy that went to war with his friends, thinking it was just some vacation spent with pretty girls, good food and songs by the fire until he'd return and be welcomed back a hero. Also, the moment he saved the new recruit was so impactful to me, because the boy is just the same as Paul was at the beginning of the movie. It's a great way of Paul essentially saving himself in the last moments of his life. He saved a boy that was just like him from becoming just another dead body in a senseless war, just like him. He saved the boy, so he can live the life that Paul dreamt of, or atleast hoped for in the end, but never got to have. And the worst scene that always makes me ball my eyes out, is when he stumbles out of the trench, bleeding from his stab wound, and he's looking up, eyes searching...the camera follows his gaze...and he cannot even see the sky in his final moments. Not even the sky. Just ashes and smoke. The sky is usually so symbolic in moments when people die, representing tranquility, serenity and peace. It makes their world stop for a moment, giving them an end where they don't have to worry about anything. Just look at the sky, and the tranquil blue and the fluffy, pure white white clouds. Let the fresh and crisp air fill your lungs and carry your soul and spirit away with the wind, becoming one with peaceful nature and the cycle of life. Even that was taken from Paul. All he was left with was dead bodies, the taste and the smell of blood and gunpowder, screams, ashes and smoke. Even in his final moments, he had nothing that could've brought him peace. Nothing but a scarf, that used to be of a pristine white color and smell like flowers and his friends. Now drenched in his own blood. Beautiful representation of all the people who were lost to time and were never remembered by name, because their tags were never discovered or simply left behind.
If you loved this you should go watch the original 1930 movie and there is also a movie from 1979. And read the novel too. There are some huge differences but if you liked this you sort like the original source material, for sure.
If you notice, Kat, Tjaden, Albert, and Franz were the only ones keeping him sane throughout the whole movie. Once all of them are gone, Paul becomes vicious and merciless throughout the final battle.
@@suisseofficerpong Practically they were kids, they were too young and weak to know and face a war. I can't imagine how bloody sad was for them to leave home and once in battlefields notice they likely were never coming back.
If you notice at the end, the rookie soldier collecting the dog tags didn't grab the main characters due to being distracted by the scarf....it's supposed to represent all the fallen soldiers who were NVR identified
I agree, though.... I'm normally such a staunch proponent of the original language but as it started I automatically felt understanding and thought to my self "watch it however you feel like.." possibly because it's just so dang heavy.
I agree the acting would be better in the original language as well as be more realistic, it would have been better to not have British actors do the dubbing. However, I have to mention that I personally prefer subpar dubbing over subtitles for 3 reasons 1) I personally read somewhat slow and I sometimes have to keep pausing and focus mostly on reading and trying to keep up with the subtitles, especially if they are speaking quickly. 2) Sometimes the subtitle fonts colors blend into the background being unreadable (ie. white subtitles on white background, black on a black background, etc.) 3) Sometimes I like to have the movie running on a different tab on my laptop and open a new tab to look up something I want to know more about. For those reasons I personally choose to go with the more subpar dubbed version to enjoy the film without missing out on the visual and with no frustrations. That is just my personal opinion, to each their own.
"He fell in October, 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front."
You gotta watch it in the original German now! The emotion in the actors’ voices make a huge difference, such as at 22:30, and them speaking in German makes it a more authentic experience.
I am from Germany and my great uncle from my fathers side was a soldier in WW1. He went missing somewhere in the Somme area in France at the beginning of October 1918, about 6 weeks before the end of WW1. He never was found. This movie gets me everytime watching it.
As an old man now, I find it refreshing to see a young person these days show real empathy, sympathy and sensitivity. Everyone seems so desensitized and vacant now. Bless you for caring about such things.
I'm only 34 and I know what you mean. Everybody seeming so... desensitized. And if you express emotions you're "weak?" Whatever. Expressing emotions that are difficult to talk about takes GUTS!
The boy at the end wasn't a friend of Paul's. He was a raw recruit who was new and scared and Paul in that last battle was the grizzled vet like how Kat was when Paul was the new guy, it was the story coming full circle hence why the boy started collecting dog tags like how Paul did, Paul saved that boy's life so he could live the life that Paul himself became an empty shell of.
@@TheSteiner12 yeah. Also why does everyone cry when they watch the movie. I have seen lots of bits and pieces of it and it tbh just looks like your typical war film. Idk if its just me but blood, guts and stuff in movies is tbh not a big deal in my mind like I know what I pay to watch which is about war.
@@pspublic13 cause if you know your watching a film that involves war, murder, mystery, horror, or any other type of movie like that you know there is gonna gore, blood, death and other stuff like that. Idc if you cry a bit at it but when ppl legit have breakdowns it's kinda annoying to be honest. Like I get this is based on real events but this happened over 100 years ago and this movie is showing day to day life of a german soldier in ww1. You'd legit expect people to die, get exploded, gassed, burnt to a crisp cause its a *War* film.
@@jaymessmoyer340 probably coz not everyone is a souless sociopath like you and me. not saying any camp is wrong, just giving the most likely explanation
@@codexnecroit's meant to, it represents the stark contrast between expectation and reality of the war. It's jarring because it doesn't belong, it's foreign to everything else on purpose
Bullshit. He never said that. Do you know what he could say? He could say: "What other fathers will think? ". After an offer from Nazi army to exchange his son Jacob to fieldamarshal Paulus. Jacob died in concentration camp.
On the topic of Anti-War films, especially ones where the cast is German, I HIGHLY suggest "Das Boot" from 1981. The best, in my opinion, submarine movie ever made. Since you have a fear of boats and sunken ships, it'd be amazing to watch you react to a movie that's all about claustrophobic underwater operations. If you do end up watching it, please do so with subtitles instead of the English dub. The dub is by no means bad, as almost all of the actors dubbed their own lines in English, but it doesn't capture the same feeling as the original German dub.
either das boot (directors cut) oder stalingrad (1993). best anti war movies out there imho. for both please take the english subbed version and not the english dub, not bad but cannot capture the feeling.
Das Boot is AWESOME. I 1000% agree with this recommendation. There's an amazing mini-series version that's 7 hrs long, and a modern (2019) HBO TV series set in the U-Boat base at La Rochelle. It feels like it was made at the same time, in the early 80's. It's also awesome.
@@the-wordplay-dojo not a fan of the new series, the 7 hours mini series would be too heavy for a reaction tho and she might end up claustrophobic if binging xd
A little note: while tanks had been designed in 1915, they didn’t truly see combat until 1916 and even then in smaller numbers. From 1917 onwards the production numbers finally allowed them to be used on a large scale. So even at the beginning of 1917, and the war ended in November 1918, unless you were at the real big battles you probably didn’t see many tanks if any. Many german soldiers were horrified having to confront a metal monster like that and some were so terrified that they surrender at the mere sight of tanks on occasions.
Technically the Germans were able to make some tanks, the A7V, but only like 2 dozen and were only used occasionally, they also had a few captured Mark 4 tanks.
The blonde boy that took the handkerchief in the end was not one of his friends. He was one of the new recruites. Paul directed him from their arrival until the charge. He probably otherwise would have been shot for objecting too.
I watched this when it first came on Netflix and it was a horrible masterpiece. It really showed what people went through and it was just magnificent and horrifying at the same time. I hate that we are the “smartest” entity on earth, but yet this is the sh*t we have put people through.
It’s a product of nature. Ants fight wars with billions of casualties daily. We are just, bigger, better in some ways, but in the end, still animals, still adhering to the laws of nature. We can hope to change as always though
Most war movies about the German perspective are made in German language, only with subtitles or a mostly not that good english dubbing. But great movies overall. Some even nominated for Oscars in the past. Some movies come to my mind who had international success. Downfall was a masterpiece, same for Das Boot or Stalingrad(1993). Generation War was a three movie series about German soldiers on the eastern front in Russia. With that said, All Quiet on the Western front often makes me think about my own families past. My great grandfather died in France late october 1918, two weeks before the end. Survived the entire war since 1914, just to die so close to the end.
Intriguingly - though not surprisingly, I'm sure - much of the German account of the Western front mirrors the tone and mood of the British accounts. Since the 1960s, anyway, when the British depict the Great War, the overall villain is more likely to be a cold-blooded British General than a German soldier...
war is war: you cant escape it if you try your dead or set to prison you have live or death war is the place where you die or survive but lose a limb i watched this film with me grampa he had flashbacks i fell sorry for him
As for the German raid right before 11 o'clock on November 11... I think most nations did something simillar (trying to gain terrain/honour/prestige in the last hours of the war). I know for a fact that the Canadian Corp (then part of the British Empire) raided (and re-captured) the town of Mons, Belgium a few minutes before 11 o'clock. The British army had their first defeat of the war at Mons in 1914, so the Canadian commanders tought it would "clean Imperial honour" to retake it before the war ended. So they requested the "honour" to attack... And British Field Marshal Douglas Haig was way to happy to allows it. Giving the British (or even Allies ?) their last victory of the war. War is hell... Sometimes it is needed to protect your country/freedom (like WWII or the Falkland War) some other times it is useless (like WWI, the Vietnam War or the Afghanistan War) but it always leaves deep traces on a generation... and thousands of dead bodies.
Wilfred Owen, the great British Poet, was killed in the last week of the war, after the armistice had been signed but not gone in to effect, and after writing a letter to his mother that he thought he was going to make it after all.
Yes in reality the Germans didn't launch any offensives on the last day but the entente did resulting in another 3k dead on that day. I guess they reversed it for the storytelling while still showing the senselessness of it all. Would have been a weird watch to suddenly switch perspective to a French general giving the speach
Even the Americans attacked on that day. There was a congressional investigations done into the commanding officer for ordering the attack even though he knew the war was technically over soon. The last man to die on the western front died at 10:59 am. The last of the fighting officially ended 3 days later when the German guerillas in Africa surrendered (the only Germans to win pretty much all their battles).
The attack on Mons was basically over by the time the armistice was confirmed to be going ahead. In reality the scenario as shown in the film wouldn't have happened - the only person there whose life was in danger was the general, and that's from his own men. Best case scenario they'd have laughed in his face and told him to "verpiss dich".
Отчасти это правда, но когда речь идёт о защите страны, но в ином случае........ да и в целом........это безумие и череда преступлений и кошмаров.......... Мне, как вожатому детского лагеря и ныне IT специалисту 1С тяжело наблюдать за текущей войной, но население ничего не сможет сделать......... оно в заложниках режима. В той войне у солдат были причины сражаться до последней капли крови, было другое время, но сейчас......... сейчас нет смысла даже в локальных конфликтах и жаль, что Первая мировая война не стала последней...........
After watching the german version, the english syncro seems weirdly calm."Gettin' shot at, best keep your noggin' down bruv" is the general idea.Not horrible, but odd.
Actually some Monarchs did participate in the war effort, more often symbolic, but people like Elizabeth II in ww2 or Albert the 1st of Belgium in WW1 (Belgium was similar to France, only completely flooded) When Belgium was attacked and almost completely taken after refusing an ultimatum, Albert remained in the North of his country. He lived a few miles behind the front and frequently visited the frontline. (Generals did this too as it boosts morale). The Queen worked as a nurse in that time. He was a huge upgrade from his predecessor and Uncle Leopold who... did some things in the Congo (kill 10 000 000 people). Another cool story although he wasn't a Belgian soldier but a British one was the Belgian born Adrian Carton de Wiart. Man fought in the Boer War, WW1 and WW2, lost an arm, was shot seven times, lost an eye, escaped a prison camp, tore of his own fingers and survived two plane crashes. About WW1 he wrote "Frankly, I had enjoyed the war."
I’ve never cried harder when Kropp was burned. That whole battle scene made me bawl with my jaw dropped wide open. The tanks, the pyro-people with the flame throwers. I legit felt like Paul did, dead, after that movie.
The score, and sound design for this was incredible. And the cinematography was superb, from the gritty war scenes to the calm, beautiful landscapes which provided a break from the war and some purely abstract studies with light that added dreamy quality. We saw this at home but I really wished we saw it in a theater.
That part where the French leader was all pooped up about the croissants not being fresh made me almost as mad as Kats senseless death. Fantastic movie and reaction.
The hardest part of this movie to watch, was when he stabbed the frenchman. He first tried to kill him, and then he was trying to help. So that was the hardest part for me.
When Paul first got the uniform, it originally belonged to a friend named "Heinrich", who was sent to fight and whose friend died. The name of the first user, namely "Heinrich Gubert", is written on the tag that the officer threw.
As well made as this version is, the 1930 version that won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director resonated with me because it almost looked like real combat footage made at the time. Plus that version has the character of Himmelstose, a kindly mailman who becomes a sadistic drill instructor, illustrating how war brings out the worst in people.
I have seen all three the one from 1930 is also my favorite. one of the reasons for looking like real combat was because the director hired german combat troops as extras and had the main cast trained in the German style and tactics. The scene of the two arms on the wire was put into the film when one of the extras told the director how he saw it happen.
I watched the movie to it’s original language, which is German (with subtitles), and it was the most impactful movie I have watched. I feel bad for the men who died on that field.
Fun fact: even after 11 AM skirmishes still happened between armies, for example, a German sniper attacked a truck with french soldiers returning home, another is when fifty American soldiers charged at a German trench at 11:25. And yes, the general would in fact get in trouble, since he recieved orders not to attack and leave the men to enjoy their last minutes on the front,.plus he knew exactly well that his troops wouldn't be able to capture the territory in just 15 minutes
One of the worst tbh, it's a REMAKE of the old one + originally the story is from a book named "all quite on the western front" and as i studied the book, i hate the film for literally not making any sense, i mean it might look good, but it shouldn't be called by the same name as the book
Hi I just wanted to say i really love seeing your view and emotional connection to these films. As a British Veteran and now military historian it is really amazing to see that such films bring forward so many questions of war. Most are to either enthral or show horrors through violence but what all Quiet on the Western Front showed more arguably than any other is the emotional toll such activity plays on the average person
Other "anti-war" WW movies I can recommend are *"Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)"* and *"The Eternal Zero (2013)".* Both from Japanese perspective. And please reupload your reaction to *"Grave of The Fireflies".* Thanks. 🙂🙏
Does Come & See count as anti-war? I suppose not, despite depicting war as relentlessly atrocious. But that's not a film I recommend to anybody lightly...
Glad you reacted to this. Kind of prefer seeing these foreign films with the original live dialogue in the particular language with English subtitles, but whatever floats your boat.
They didn’t know what it’s like it because that’s why they were so excited to do it but once you start doing the war you realize how scary and hard it is and that’s why are you figured out that you do not want to get into the warn you want to go back, but there’s no stopping it until the whole thing is over
@@Real_NicoPlayer we have men in mud filled trenches fighting over small amounts of land. It’s just WW1 with more modern uniforms and equipment, that’s it
@@Mercury_cougar_lover223 No! The scale of the fighting is very different. You have small platoons and groups fighting. There are not hundreds of men running across no mans land and getting mowed down by machine guns.
@@Mercury_cougar_lover223 Tell me you know nothing about modern warfare without telling me, etc. No, modern 'trench' warfare is NOTHING like ww1. It's all much smaller scale tactical engagements with far more emphasis on mobility and technology. No-one is charging across fields into machineguns because it doesn't work in today's wars.
I also had to cry a lot with this film , all these many young men who had lost their lives there. It hurt my heart. The film is played so realistically and you had a picture of how things had turned out on the war front in WWI. My grandfather fell as a young man in WWII at the Battle of Stalingrad/ Russia. Unfortunately we don`t know where he is buried there . It`s very sad.💞🙏 RIP
I think this excerpt from battlefield one can sum up a lot of the ambition the youth had to fight in the war, and the grim reality of it all too “We came from all over the world. The innocent, the arrogant, and the brave. We thought the war was to be our right of passage, a grand adventure that would make us all equal in our quest for glory. But instead of adventure we found fear, and in war, the only true equalizer, is death.”
Watched it the first time in a theatre and it was the first time nobody was moving or saying anything during the credits. I had goosebumps all over my body.
I read the novel in 10th class (germany "gymnasium") and the scene when he stabbed the french and tried to save him afterwards was much more cruel there. They fought for life and death at first, then he stabbed the enemy, but in constrast to the movie where the scene was rather short, it took hours. Paul (the main character) was even sleeping in this artillery-crater this night before he got back. Furthermore the french man didnt die as quickly, he layed there for hours, gasping for air as he slowly bled out. And Paul heard that the entire time.
Its been said multiple times but i feel films should be watched in their original language, dubbed versions are never as good. Loved this film, really shows the horror that is the meatgrinder of war.
Around 30:00 « the kid doesn’t know what they’ve been through » true but at the same time the kid has been living in his farm near the frontlines for at least a year and inside occupied territory for just as much, with only a small amount of supplies reaching their farm, and it was shown at two occasions they were robbed of meat, a precious meal during war time, with the harsh winters and the conditions at the time he probably lost a brother or sister from starvation or disease and other members of his families during the battle of La Marne or Verdun, so bullets and bombs aside the kid has probably been through as much maybe more than they did
It's hard to express the admiration I have for how real you are in these reactions. There are so many other reactors who use canned and forced emotional responses. Thank you for having the courage to put yourself out there as you are.
As someone who wants a career as an AFSOC (air force special operations command) Combat Controller this stuff makes it a really hard choice for me knowning im volunteering for the worst horrors of any war I am involved in but I think it's the right choice for me. Humanity has fought each other for centuries. It will never change. I think it's good to prepare for war but to try and keep peace. Peace through superior firepower.
This version of the film is really good! If you are interested, you should check out the 1930 version, the extras are veterans of WW1 and did the battle and bootcamp scenes. For a 1930 film it's pretty graphic, very well done from start to finish.
The sound you were hearing is called the “Led Zeppelin Theme”. It was used throughout the movie to build tension and suspense. It was also used to communicate to the viewer that something bad was about to happen. Really interesting sound design.
I saw this film yesterday and I thought it was very good as well. The hardest part for me to watch was the scene in the shell crater. You are right that the movie is told in such a way that it is very personal compared to other movies. I remember reading the book a long time ago. Even though this film diverges from the book a lot, I thought they did a great job at recreating the sense of regular people being trapped in a horrible, neverending nightmare. Another good anti-war war film is The Thin Red Line about the Battle of Guadalcanal during WW2.
This one and the original 1930’s one both show really how bad war is without having a really good hero story. Instead of making Paul a cool badass war hero, it makes him a scared young boy. 10/10 remake in my opinion.
If you want another one from the German perspective, you should watch "Das Boot" Director's cut (The Boat) in German with english subtitles. The best submarine movie ever imo.
I've seen all of the 3 movies that have ever been released and read the book too, All Quiet on the Western Front is UNDOUBTLY one of the best freaking things that has ever appeared in my life.
The pure terror in their eyes as they watch people die around them, It breaks me to know that they had to go through that, signing up to go to war thinking it was going to be fun, they never truly knew that they were going to die...
2 scenes stick with me. the recycling of uniforms. showing a little of the mundane logistics of waging war, but knowing each name patch is a son, father, brother, cousin... and kat's letter from his wife.
My grandpa went to war in Vietnam and before he left he told my mom "War without casualties is a blessing and a miracle" those were his last words before he left. One day after Vietnam there came a letter, and inside of the letter was a note from my grandpa. It said "Hey Callie I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, I wish I could've seen you grow up, these words will be my last words hopefully not. We are being pinned down by our enemy, I'm sorry for the things I said to you and your mother. I love you and I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you." And inside the letter beside the note was a medal, it was the purple heart in honor of the fallen soldier Pascal Decena. I love you grandpa thank you for defending our country.
Some people really recommend watching the older (1930) film (also an Oscar winner) for the realism, many of the actors actually served in the war and knew how to carry out drills etc.
Oh, the beautiful face of those smiling soldiers, it was so sad. As a Turk, I watched this movie and I wish it had a happy ending. Even if this was a novel, it was really sad.
Y'know, joining the army thinking that you'll be a hero and if we die you will remain a hero, but when you actually see it, you just fight for you're life
That is a really great reaction. Another anti-war movie I wholeheartedly can recommend is "Das Boot" (The boat), about a german submarine crew in the second war. It is... tense and an equally unusual perspective maybe. There exist multiple versions, but recommendable are the 1984 BBC miniseries (300 minutes) ideally, or the 1997 "Director's Cut" (208 minutes) as second best pick. But missing 100 min of impression really makes a difference in atmosphere and depth of impression.
I was 17 years old when I joined the army I went to basic right after high school to join the army infantry and I was happy and smiling. But when my first deployment came my first battle was in Fallujah and I was scared to death when I had bullets flying past me about 10in from my head. Than my adrenaline kicked in.
I know it's been said but watching these in their original languages just puts a whole different level to the emotion. Always reading subs can be annoying and you feel like you'll miss something on screen but it you miss so much more. If you ever watch Das Boot(German Submarine film, AMAZING) watch it with the german, not dubs please.
I know it's a late comment but this is blowing up recently so I just wanted to say, I originally saw it in german since that's how it was on Netflix! But for TH-cam, it was switched to english so people could enjoy it without having to read subtitles :)
no cry baby
Best horror story so far in this decade.
Nice reaction, this movie is a masterpiece, I’m planning on buying original book because man… it’s awesome
If you think this is sad, my grandpa served if Vietnam and the last thing he sad to my mom was "War without casualties is a miracle and a blessing." - Pascal Decena
My mom once got a letter in the middle of the day, she opened it and it came out with a letter and a medal. And the letter said "If or once you get this this will be my last stand because they have us on the line, I'm sorry I couldn't be their to see you grow up. I love you and hopefully ill go home." - Pascal Decena
I love you grandpa thank you for protecting us.
to tatu to tatu to ta du
The book was written by a man who was a German soldier. The main character was inspired by him specifically. And if I recall correctly, the scene with Paul in the hole with the Frenchman was a real thing that happened.
The author had been training to be a teacher, which he finished after the war. Im Westen Nichts Neues was published in 1929, and immediately had a few persons who criticized the novel for being overly sensationalized, including veterans who had been in the trenches and hospitals. It was banned by German & Italian governments in the 1930's, of course. Because of his fame & income from the book, he was able to leave Germany before WWII erupted and eventually passed away in Switzerland in 1970. He was survived by his 3rd wife, actress Paulette Goddard.
According to Wikipedia; "On 31 July 1917 he [ER Remarque, the author] was wounded by shell shrapnel in his left leg, right arm and neck, and after being medically evacuated from the field was repatriated to an army hospital in Germany, where he recovered from his wounds. In October 1918, he was recalled to military service, but the war's armistice a month later put an end to his military career."
Another great WW1 memoir/book is Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger.
Make this scene more brutal and hard to watch...
It was a true event according to the author. The awful, brutal takeaway was that almost as soon as our eponymous Paul gets back to his trenches and finds his unit and friends he begins to acknowledge that the promises he made to the dying man would go unfulfilled. Paul had promised him(self) that he would deliver the Frenchman's effects and look in on his family when his whole world was just the two men sharing a shell hole, but soon knew he never would. That world didn't exist anymore, and never would again - as ethereal as the promise proved to be.
It is difficult to put my finger on exactly what it was about that exchange: a brutal killing, an apology, an honest promise, and it's ultimate dismissal as pointless just seemed to poignantly encapsulate the brutality and impersonality of that war. Just another squalid death, the particulars of which were experienced by two dead men - one on borrowed time.
Storm of Steel was better, not like this doom and gloom bitchy book. It was written by a man who actually volunteered and fought from the start til the end of the war unlike Remarque who was conscripted and fought for only a month and was sent home because he got injured.
It's important to note until more recent wars like the Korean and Vietnam war, people had no idea what war actually looked like, that's why these boys were so excited to go off to war, they saw it as a chance for adventure and all their friends were going so it was part of peer pressure too.
and they are fed stories of heroism and glory. so much so masculinity is linked inseperably from it. being a coward was unthinkable to little boys. they get a constant stream of propaganda. some are outright lies, but most are sanitized and pumped to seem like "super heroes" these days.
I kind of agree. But since war existed, you'd have to know that people are going to die. For them not to even consider it is strange to me. There's not informed, and then there is ignorance to basic human realities.
@@cheebees That's where propaganda comes in, and it's really not like recruitment propaganda around military service has ever gone away. Storytelling around war absolutely tended toward selling it as an adventure, and it still does - even in cases where the story might nonetheless be considered gritty and grim.
@@cheebees Big difference between reading about it and letting a boy's imagination run wild, then seeing it on the big screen with the actual violent reality
@@cheebees before today. Back then in ww1 and the previous old wars it was seen as glorious, heroic, powerful, not bloody and gruesome and traumatic. War was for men and it was a man duty to fight and protect the women and children behind him and his land. Come back with awesome war medals and have the ladies. That how war was seen. Death was told but not in ways to horrify, it was just “well the soldier died honourably in battle’ . So death was foreign to boys and well everyone. But basically when ww1 started it was exciting, a chance to grow up so fast for these 16-19 year olds to be like the older men and those that fought in older battles. Time to show off to the ladies in their uniform and confidence and ego. Death? Couldn’t happen to me, would be their thought process. All the stories of fighting on horses with swords and stuff. Destroying the enemy and the victory. You lose the fact death is there. Especially at such an age where you are easily influenced, naive and rebellious and want to go out into the world really. Not to mention the newspaper were all filled with propaganda too.
This is the first war movie I've ever seen that felt like a horror movie. This one absolutely devastated me, as it should. Its a masterpiece and deserved every award it received.
Watch “Come and See.” That is a horror/war movie.
It doesn't feel like it's structured like a movie and that's how the real world is.
This kind of horror is what I like to call "The Horror of Man", or "The Brutality of Man" I believe this kind of horror film movie is more impactful/emotionally driven is because it's true. Man (humans) as a species are ruthless, horrifying, terrifying, and many more unspeakable things. This was real, these events happened, and to me it's terrifying that man can succumb to this kind of way
I watch this movie with my sister and she had WW1 dreams and she had ptsd for 4 days
@@rurulovnu it's terrifying
“The war ends. The winners celebrate, the politicians shake hands, but the women are still waiting for their sons and husbands to return home. And the children their father and brothers.”
That's a horrible truth man...
In war there are not winners just Widows and orphans
Men suffer, die and sacrifice everything but of course it's still somehow women most affected? piss off
This is the first movie EVER that I watched that wouldn't let me go. To this day, I sometimes still sit in my room and just think about this movie, especially the scene where Paul was in that hole with the French soldier.
It's the perfect depiction of how humanity is both incredibly beautiful and horribly cruel.
Paul was terrified for his life, then his instincts and his training kicked in and he stabbed the man.
And then he broke down when he couldn't take the gunshots, the explosions and the wheezing and choking from the soldier anymore, so he stuffed dirt into his mouth to silence him.
And ultimately, we got a glimpse of the person Paul was before all of this. Kind-hearted, warm, empathatic, caring, nurturing and loving to everything around him, always trying to stay positive and preserve the beauty and life in everything. He tried to undo the damage, he cleaned the man's mouth, he gave him water, cleaned his face, tried to get rid of the blood that would just keep coming, tried to bandage the wound even though it was clear to see that it wouldn't work.
We've seen Paul lose everything, but even in his darkest moment, deep down he still kept his humanity. Underneath it all, he was still this pure, innocent and naive boy that went to war with his friends, thinking it was just some vacation spent with pretty girls, good food and songs by the fire until he'd return and be welcomed back a hero.
Also, the moment he saved the new recruit was so impactful to me, because the boy is just the same as Paul was at the beginning of the movie. It's a great way of Paul essentially saving himself in the last moments of his life. He saved a boy that was just like him from becoming just another dead body in a senseless war, just like him. He saved the boy, so he can live the life that Paul dreamt of, or atleast hoped for in the end, but never got to have.
And the worst scene that always makes me ball my eyes out, is when he stumbles out of the trench, bleeding from his stab wound, and he's looking up, eyes searching...the camera follows his gaze...and he cannot even see the sky in his final moments. Not even the sky. Just ashes and smoke.
The sky is usually so symbolic in moments when people die, representing tranquility, serenity and peace. It makes their world stop for a moment, giving them an end where they don't have to worry about anything. Just look at the sky, and the tranquil blue and the fluffy, pure white white clouds. Let the fresh and crisp air fill your lungs and carry your soul and spirit away with the wind, becoming one with peaceful nature and the cycle of life.
Even that was taken from Paul. All he was left with was dead bodies, the taste and the smell of blood and gunpowder, screams, ashes and smoke. Even in his final moments, he had nothing that could've brought him peace. Nothing but a scarf, that used to be of a pristine white color and smell like flowers and his friends. Now drenched in his own blood.
Beautiful representation of all the people who were lost to time and were never remembered by name, because their tags were never discovered or simply left behind.
If you loved this you should go watch the original 1930 movie and there is also a movie from 1979. And read the novel too.
There are some huge differences but if you liked this you sort like the original source material, for sure.
If you notice, Kat, Tjaden, Albert, and Franz were the only ones keeping him sane throughout the whole movie. Once all of them are gone, Paul becomes vicious and merciless throughout the final battle.
Damm
It's so brutal cause so many of them are literally kids
and yet, they basically all died. it was so sad.
@@synesthesia.aestheticnot kids but like young they’re around like 14-17 i think.
@@suisseofficerpong Practically they were kids, they were too young and weak to know and face a war. I can't imagine how bloody sad was for them to leave home and once in battlefields notice they likely were never coming back.
If you notice at the end, the rookie soldier collecting the dog tags didn't grab the main characters due to being distracted by the scarf....it's supposed to represent all the fallen soldiers who were NVR identified
Also distracted because he recognized Paul as the guy who saved him, and realizes he died in his place
What means NRV ?
@@Helldiver111 never
@@Helldiver111i guess he meant to put “never”
@@cosmothecourageous4580thanks
You definitely should have watched the actors perform in their natural language
Indeed. That dub was horrible. Damn...
Yeah
Paul's actor was much better in German. So emotional.
I agree, though.... I'm normally such a staunch proponent of the original language but as it started I automatically felt understanding and thought to my self "watch it however you feel like.." possibly because it's just so dang heavy.
I agree the acting would be better in the original language as well as be more realistic, it would have been better to not have British actors do the dubbing. However, I have to mention that I personally prefer subpar dubbing over subtitles for 3 reasons 1) I personally read somewhat slow and I sometimes have to keep pausing and focus mostly on reading and trying to keep up with the subtitles, especially if they are speaking quickly. 2) Sometimes the subtitle fonts colors blend into the background being unreadable (ie. white subtitles on white background, black on a black background, etc.) 3) Sometimes I like to have the movie running on a different tab on my laptop and open a new tab to look up something I want to know more about. For those reasons I personally choose to go with the more subpar dubbed version to enjoy the film without missing out on the visual and with no frustrations. That is just my personal opinion, to each their own.
In any war it doesn’t matter what side you are on. Each side experiences hell
True
"He fell in October, 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front."
You gotta watch it in the original German now! The emotion in the actors’ voices make a huge difference, such as at 22:30, and them speaking in German makes it a more authentic experience.
100% agree I actually never watched it in English
true
@@MONKECAVEMANsame, just chuck on some English subs, I do the same with all foreign films or shows such as money heist back when that was popular
Pero llevá subtítulos en inglés?
@@leonplay9034 Si, los subtitulos estan en español tambien
The friendship between Paul and Katt is so good.
Ikr
My favorite characters in this movie are Paul and katt
*Was
I am from Germany and my great uncle from my fathers side was a soldier in WW1. He went missing somewhere in the Somme area in France at the beginning of October 1918, about 6 weeks before the end of WW1. He never was found.
This movie gets me everytime watching it.
No he didn't.
He probably got blown to bits. Respect.
Mis respetos para tu ancestro, saludos desde México hasta Alemania
Mine also did, but in Russia and he was Austrian
@@aarons6935 You’re not the one to say
As an old man now, I find it refreshing to see a young person these days show real empathy, sympathy and sensitivity. Everyone seems so desensitized and vacant now. Bless you for caring about such things.
I'm only 34 and I know what you mean. Everybody seeming so... desensitized. And if you express emotions you're "weak?" Whatever. Expressing emotions that are difficult to talk about takes GUTS!
Trust me there are a lot of us still out there 😊
“It’s the old powerful men that declare war, but it’s the youth that fight in it”
The boy at the end wasn't a friend of Paul's. He was a raw recruit who was new and scared and Paul in that last battle was the grizzled vet like how Kat was when Paul was the new guy, it was the story coming full circle hence why the boy started collecting dog tags like how Paul did, Paul saved that boy's life so he could live the life that Paul himself became an empty shell of.
oh you are right thats crazy
First time seeing it in english and I must say in german its way more emotional and everything. A lot is lost in the english Version.
Ikr i wish she watched it in german
@@TheSteiner12 yeah. Also why does everyone cry when they watch the movie. I have seen lots of bits and pieces of it and it tbh just looks like your typical war film. Idk if its just me but blood, guts and stuff in movies is tbh not a big deal in my mind like I know what I pay to watch which is about war.
@@jaymessmoyer340 Why does it bother you that others cry about the movie?
@@pspublic13 cause if you know your watching a film that involves war, murder, mystery, horror, or any other type of movie like that you know there is gonna gore, blood, death and other stuff like that. Idc if you cry a bit at it but when ppl legit have breakdowns it's kinda annoying to be honest. Like I get this is based on real events but this happened over 100 years ago and this movie is showing day to day life of a german soldier in ww1. You'd legit expect people to die, get exploded, gassed, burnt to a crisp cause its a *War* film.
@@jaymessmoyer340 probably coz not everyone is a souless sociopath like you and me.
not saying any camp is wrong, just giving the most likely explanation
VKunia: "The thing that I'm really liking about this movie so far is--"
Movie: DUN DUN DUUUUN
XD
I think I know what they were going for with the soundtrack, but those big synths feel so out of place for a WWI movie, to me at least it does.
@Codexnecro Same. I couldn't stand it, and have NO idea what the hell they were thinking putting it into a WWI film.
@@codexnecro It’s not a synth. It’s an organ-like musical instrument from the era (I forgor what it’ called lmao)
@@codexnecroit's meant to, it represents the stark contrast between expectation and reality of the war. It's jarring because it doesn't belong, it's foreign to everything else on purpose
“1 death is a tragedy. 1,000 deaths are a statistic.”
-Joseph Stalin, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union
Bullshit. He never said that. Do you know what he could say? He could say: "What other fathers will think? ". After an offer from Nazi army to exchange his son Jacob to fieldamarshal Paulus. Jacob died in concentration camp.
How he felt toward his own people btw
@@snipz127 these are not his words since his son died in this war too.
@@Foria777 I'm referring to the 6-10 million Russians that died from Stalin not WW1
@@snipz127 inform you about Jacob Stalin who died at nazi concentration camp during WWII. As well as some other children of chiefs of USSR government.
the quote that perfectly summarizes this show is
"War is old men talking and young men dying."
On the topic of Anti-War films, especially ones where the cast is German, I HIGHLY suggest "Das Boot" from 1981. The best, in my opinion, submarine movie ever made.
Since you have a fear of boats and sunken ships, it'd be amazing to watch you react to a movie that's all about claustrophobic underwater operations.
If you do end up watching it, please do so with subtitles instead of the English dub. The dub is by no means bad, as almost all of the actors dubbed their own lines in English, but it doesn't capture the same feeling as the original German dub.
either das boot (directors cut) oder stalingrad (1993). best anti war movies out there imho. for both please take the english subbed version and not the english dub, not bad but cannot capture the feeling.
What, even better than U-571??? (Sorry, joking!)
Das Boot is AWESOME. I 1000% agree with this recommendation. There's an amazing mini-series version that's 7 hrs long, and a modern (2019) HBO TV series set in the U-Boat base at La Rochelle. It feels like it was made at the same time, in the early 80's. It's also awesome.
@@petersvillage7447 Until I read the (sorry, joking) part........I was ready to explode.
@@the-wordplay-dojo not a fan of the new series, the 7 hours mini series would be too heavy for a reaction tho and she might end up claustrophobic if binging xd
This film deserves its 4 Oscars (including Best international film and Cinematography)
Thought the same as she said she doesn't know why it's not more popular ;-)
Too bad for you, David. Volker Bertelmann's peers disagree with you. They voted to say, he definitely does deserve this Oscar.
@@Cliohna This commen proves again: the brightest and most beautiful women hail from Germany
@@jayplay1273 simp
@@dawkosvk Should've been Babylon
A little note: while tanks had been designed in 1915, they didn’t truly see combat until 1916 and even then in smaller numbers. From 1917 onwards the production numbers finally allowed them to be used on a large scale. So even at the beginning of 1917, and the war ended in November 1918, unless you were at the real big battles you probably didn’t see many tanks if any. Many german soldiers were horrified having to confront a metal monster like that and some were so terrified that they surrender at the mere sight of tanks on occasions.
Technically the Germans were able to make some tanks, the A7V, but only like 2 dozen and were only used occasionally, they also had a few captured Mark 4 tanks.
At the end the new recruit didnt get his dog tag so his death wasn't even counted
There are no such things as “anti war films” just movies that show the true reality of war
The blonde boy that took the handkerchief in the end was not one of his friends. He was one of the new recruites. Paul directed him from their arrival until the charge. He probably otherwise would have been shot for objecting too.
I watched this when it first came on Netflix and it was a horrible masterpiece. It really showed what people went through and it was just magnificent and horrifying at the same time. I hate that we are the “smartest” entity on earth, but yet this is the sh*t we have put people through.
Smart yet dumb*
Well everyone is greedy and desires power and wealth. Empires are forged through war
It’s a product of nature. Ants fight wars with billions of casualties daily. We are just, bigger, better in some ways, but in the end, still animals, still adhering to the laws of nature. We can hope to change as always though
Most war movies about the German perspective are made in German language, only with subtitles or a mostly not that good english dubbing. But great movies overall. Some even nominated for Oscars in the past. Some movies come to my mind who had international success. Downfall was a masterpiece, same for Das Boot or Stalingrad(1993). Generation War was a three movie series about German soldiers on the eastern front in Russia.
With that said, All Quiet on the Western front often makes me think about my own families past. My great grandfather died in France late october 1918, two weeks before the end. Survived the entire war since 1914, just to die so close to the end.
Intriguingly - though not surprisingly, I'm sure - much of the German account of the Western front mirrors the tone and mood of the British accounts. Since the 1960s, anyway, when the British depict the Great War, the overall villain is more likely to be a cold-blooded British General than a German soldier...
@@petersvillage7447 The German soldiers themselves were indoctrinated and were victims of politics.
Another good German anti-war film (more precisely: co-produced by Germany, USA and Yugoslavia) is "Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz" ("Cross of Iron").
Your enemy was just another soldier who was fighting for what they thought was right-a wise man
war is war:
you cant escape it if you try your dead or set to prison
you have live or death war is the place where you die or survive but lose a limb
i watched this film with me grampa he had flashbacks i fell sorry for him
❤
As for the German raid right before 11 o'clock on November 11... I think most nations did something simillar (trying to gain terrain/honour/prestige in the last hours of the war). I know for a fact that the Canadian Corp (then part of the British Empire) raided (and re-captured) the town of Mons, Belgium a few minutes before 11 o'clock. The British army had their first defeat of the war at Mons in 1914, so the Canadian commanders tought it would "clean Imperial honour" to retake it before the war ended. So they requested the "honour" to attack... And British Field Marshal Douglas Haig was way to happy to allows it. Giving the British (or even Allies ?) their last victory of the war.
War is hell... Sometimes it is needed to protect your country/freedom (like WWII or the Falkland War) some other times it is useless (like WWI, the Vietnam War or the Afghanistan War) but it always leaves deep traces on a generation... and thousands of dead bodies.
Wilfred Owen, the great British Poet, was killed in the last week of the war, after the armistice had been signed but not gone in to effect, and after writing a letter to his mother that he thought he was going to make it after all.
Yes in reality the Germans didn't launch any offensives on the last day but the entente did resulting in another 3k dead on that day. I guess they reversed it for the storytelling while still showing the senselessness of it all. Would have been a weird watch to suddenly switch perspective to a French general giving the speach
Even the Americans attacked on that day. There was a congressional investigations done into the commanding officer for ordering the attack even though he knew the war was technically over soon. The last man to die on the western front died at 10:59 am. The last of the fighting officially ended 3 days later when the German guerillas in Africa surrendered (the only Germans to win pretty much all their battles).
The attack on Mons was basically over by the time the armistice was confirmed to be going ahead. In reality the scenario as shown in the film wouldn't have happened - the only person there whose life was in danger was the general, and that's from his own men. Best case scenario they'd have laughed in his face and told him to "verpiss dich".
"A true soldier does not go to war because he hates what's in front of him, he goes to war because he loves what's behind him"
There is no true soldiers. Only young men and beaurocrats permitted to send them to hell
Aha, oligarchy, for example.
you didn't learn a single thing from this movie did you?
Отчасти это правда, но когда речь идёт о защите страны, но в ином случае........ да и в целом........это безумие и череда преступлений и кошмаров.......... Мне, как вожатому детского лагеря и ныне IT специалисту 1С тяжело наблюдать за текущей войной, но население ничего не сможет сделать......... оно в заложниках режима.
В той войне у солдат были причины сражаться до последней капли крови, было другое время, но сейчас......... сейчас нет смысла даже в локальных конфликтах и жаль, что Первая мировая война не стала последней...........
After watching the german version, the english syncro seems weirdly calm."Gettin' shot at, best keep your noggin' down bruv" is the general idea.Not horrible, but odd.
Yeah, the English dub is so calm while the original German is so intense
Actually some Monarchs did participate in the war effort, more often symbolic, but people like Elizabeth II in ww2 or Albert the 1st of Belgium in WW1 (Belgium was similar to France, only completely flooded)
When Belgium was attacked and almost completely taken after refusing an ultimatum, Albert remained in the North of his country. He lived a few miles behind the front and frequently visited the frontline. (Generals did this too as it boosts morale). The Queen worked as a nurse in that time. He was a huge upgrade from his predecessor and Uncle Leopold who... did some things in the Congo (kill 10 000 000 people).
Another cool story although he wasn't a Belgian soldier but a British one was the Belgian born Adrian Carton de Wiart. Man fought in the Boer War, WW1 and WW2, lost an arm, was shot seven times, lost an eye, escaped a prison camp, tore of his own fingers and survived two plane crashes. About WW1 he wrote "Frankly, I had enjoyed the war."
I’ve never cried harder when Kropp was burned. That whole battle scene made me bawl with my jaw dropped wide open.
The tanks, the pyro-people with the flame throwers.
I legit felt like Paul did, dead, after that movie.
One of the best films ever watched. It does sound better and realistic in German.
The score, and sound design for this was incredible. And the cinematography was superb, from the gritty war scenes to the calm, beautiful landscapes which provided a break from the war and some purely abstract studies with light that added dreamy quality. We saw this at home but I really wished we saw it in a theater.
That part where the French leader was all pooped up about the croissants not being fresh made me almost as mad as Kats senseless death. Fantastic movie and reaction.
Oh I thought it had something to do with the croissants possibly being poisoned, but you're probably right
Wut what crossaints
Cope
We need more strong men like this❤
The loud Dunn Dunn dunn throughout the movie is showing the war machine just keep going.
The hardest part of this movie to watch, was when he stabbed the frenchman. He first tried to kill him, and then he was trying to help. So that was the hardest part for me.
When Paul first got the uniform, it originally belonged to a friend named "Heinrich", who was sent to fight and whose friend died. The name of the first user, namely "Heinrich Gubert", is written on the tag that the officer threw.
As well made as this version is, the 1930 version that won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director resonated with me because it almost looked like real combat footage made at the time. Plus that version has the character of Himmelstose, a kindly mailman who becomes a sadistic drill instructor, illustrating how war brings out the worst in people.
I have seen all three the one from 1930 is also my favorite. one of the reasons for looking like real combat was because the director hired german combat troops as extras and had the main cast trained in the German style and tactics.
The scene of the two arms on the wire was put into the film when one of the extras told the director how he saw it happen.
Werent the actors in 1930 version real WW1 veterans? They got to act oit the things they saw and experienced for real.
@@Samppa_linna Yep, many were.
All quite on the western front is a beauty of a film and a piece of art that should be shown to every world leader for anti-war
This film should be screened every year as an anti-war subject for everyone who want a war
Should've watched it in German with subtitles. I learnt that lesson after going through Squid Game with the English dub.
But then you gotta read for three hours
@@Lm-hm3kj is it too hard for you to read?
@@ghostface3140 As VKunia mentioned, even today there are people who struggle to write and read.
@@Lm-hm3kj not a problem at all people who are from countries where they only do subtitles for movies have to read subtitles all the time.
@@Lm-hm3kj sounds like an excuse for being bad at reading
I watched the movie to it’s original language, which is German (with subtitles), and it was the most impactful movie I have watched. I feel bad for the men who died on that field.
Fun fact: even after 11 AM skirmishes still happened between armies, for example, a German sniper attacked a truck with french soldiers returning home, another is when fifty American soldiers charged at a German trench at 11:25. And yes, the general would in fact get in trouble, since he recieved orders not to attack and leave the men to enjoy their last minutes on the front,.plus he knew exactly well that his troops wouldn't be able to capture the territory in just 15 minutes
Albert’s death scene was so horrific and heartbreaking😢
After the scene in the hole with the Frenchman I just closed the movie, and started crying.
One of the best movies from 2022! It’s best in its original language, but the english dub isn’t the end of the world.
One of the worst tbh, it's a REMAKE of the old one + originally the story is from a book named "all quite on the western front" and as i studied the book, i hate the film for literally not making any sense, i mean it might look good, but it shouldn't be called by the same name as the book
@@onniel8318 Disagree
1979 version is superior imo. The only thing the 2022 one had better was the visuals.
Hi I just wanted to say i really love seeing your view and emotional connection to these films. As a British Veteran and now military historian it is really amazing to see that such films bring forward so many questions of war. Most are to either enthral or show horrors through violence but what all Quiet on the Western Front showed more arguably than any other is the emotional toll such activity plays on the average person
"I'm very excited to jump into it" Really setting yourself up for tears with that one
By watching these films you've given great respect to understanding why we always need to fight against war.
I'm sorry but when you saw the first person getting killed and said Holy shi- I laughed my heart out 😂 I'm sorry I shouldn't be laughing but fr 🤣
Other "anti-war" WW movies I can recommend are *"Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)"* and *"The Eternal Zero (2013)".* Both from Japanese perspective.
And please reupload your reaction to *"Grave of The Fireflies".* Thanks. 🙂🙏
Letters From Iwo Jima is such a great film! Haven't seen the other one though.
Does Come & See count as anti-war? I suppose not, despite depicting war as relentlessly atrocious. But that's not a film I recommend to anybody lightly...
@@petersvillage7447 Come and See left me feeling like the main character.
Grave of the Fireflies is such a beautiful movie but so so sad.
Glad you reacted to this. Kind of prefer seeing these foreign films with the original live dialogue in the particular language with English subtitles, but whatever floats your boat.
That’s especially true for me when it comes to war films. Can’t stand watching German or any other foreign soldiers speaking English.
Its kinda wierd saying "foreign films" yk?
Like it aint really foreign. The voice acting is insanely good
The most brutal thing that the german soldier Got crushed over by the first tanks is brutal
They didn’t know what it’s like it because that’s why they were so excited to do it but once you start doing the war you realize how scary and hard it is and that’s why are you figured out that you do not want to get into the warn you want to go back, but there’s no stopping it until the whole thing is over
And you have to remember this is what the war in Ukraine has become, trench warfare in some places.
no warfare has changed a lot but it's similar but more mechanised.. and less messy
@@Real_NicoPlayer we have men in mud filled trenches fighting over small amounts of land.
It’s just WW1 with more modern uniforms and equipment, that’s it
@@Mercury_cougar_lover223 No! The scale of the fighting is very different. You have small platoons and groups fighting. There are not hundreds of men running across no mans land and getting mowed down by machine guns.
@@Mercury_cougar_lover223 Tell me you know nothing about modern warfare without telling me, etc. No, modern 'trench' warfare is NOTHING like ww1. It's all much smaller scale tactical engagements with far more emphasis on mobility and technology. No-one is charging across fields into machineguns because it doesn't work in today's wars.
Thats why there is a saying,
"War is young people dying, and old people talking".
More like “taking” instead of “talking”
I thought the quote was “war is declared by the elders but fought by the youth”
I also had to cry a lot with this film , all these many young men who had lost their lives there. It hurt my heart. The film is played so realistically and you had a picture of how things had turned out on the war front in WWI. My grandfather fell as a young man in WWII at the Battle of Stalingrad/ Russia. Unfortunately we don`t know where he is buried there . It`s very sad.💞🙏 RIP
Das hast du sehr gut gemacht. Ich hatte Tränen in den Augen...😢
You had me dying laughing with the Sean Kingston stuff 😂
I think this excerpt from battlefield one can sum up a lot of the ambition the youth had to fight in the war, and the grim reality of it all too
“We came from all over the world. The innocent, the arrogant, and the brave. We thought the war was to be our right of passage, a grand adventure that would make us all equal in our quest for glory. But instead of adventure we found fear, and in war, the only true equalizer, is death.”
Watched it the first time in a theatre and it was the first time nobody was moving or saying anything during the credits. I had goosebumps all over my body.
The german helmets are so well shaped it literally looks the best out of all
I read the novel in 10th class (germany "gymnasium") and the scene when he stabbed the french and tried to save him afterwards was much more cruel there. They fought for life and death at first, then he stabbed the enemy, but in constrast to the movie where the scene was rather short, it took hours. Paul (the main character) was even sleeping in this artillery-crater this night before he got back. Furthermore the french man didnt die as quickly, he layed there for hours, gasping for air as he slowly bled out. And Paul heard that the entire time.
Remember war is hell... people make hell(war) 1 bullet 2 wars 80 mil+ deaths (if you know you know)😢
Its been said multiple times but i feel films should be watched in their original language, dubbed versions are never as good. Loved this film, really shows the horror that is the meatgrinder of war.
Then it's distracting. You can either concentrate on the images or the subtitles, never both.
@@crapshotmaybe you're the one who can't concentrate,,, I've been watching films in their original language all my life 💀
Nice reaction! "Generation War" is a 3-episode series showing the German side of World War 2. I enjoyed it a lot!
Winner of 4 Oscars:
Best International Film
Best Original Score
Beat Production Design
Best Cinematography
The 1930 version won two Oscars; Best Picture & Best Director
@@PlumbPitiful EEAAO was hogging the others
Also wow, a youtuber reacting to something the actually have some general knowledge on. Its very refreshing.
Around 30:00 « the kid doesn’t know what they’ve been through » true but at the same time the kid has been living in his farm near the frontlines for at least a year and inside occupied territory for just as much, with only a small amount of supplies reaching their farm, and it was shown at two occasions they were robbed of meat, a precious meal during war time, with the harsh winters and the conditions at the time he probably lost a brother or sister from starvation or disease and other members of his families during the battle of La Marne or Verdun, so bullets and bombs aside the kid has probably been through as much maybe more than they did
It's hard to express the admiration I have for how real you are in these reactions. There are so many other reactors who use canned and forced emotional responses. Thank you for having the courage to put yourself out there as you are.
As someone who wants a career as an AFSOC (air force special operations command) Combat Controller this stuff makes it a really hard choice for me knowning im volunteering for the worst horrors of any war I am involved in but I think it's the right choice for me. Humanity has fought each other for centuries. It will never change. I think it's good to prepare for war but to try and keep peace. Peace through superior firepower.
This version of the film is really good! If you are interested, you should check out the 1930 version, the extras are veterans of WW1 and did the battle and bootcamp scenes. For a 1930 film it's pretty graphic, very well done from start to finish.
The sound you were hearing is called the “Led Zeppelin Theme”. It was used throughout the movie to build tension and suspense. It was also used to communicate to the viewer that something bad was about to happen. Really interesting sound design.
In movie's, I never cry, but I actually shed a small tear..
I saw this film yesterday and I thought it was very good as well. The hardest part for me to watch was the scene in the shell crater. You are right that the movie is told in such a way that it is very personal compared to other movies. I remember reading the book a long time ago. Even though this film diverges from the book a lot, I thought they did a great job at recreating the sense of regular people being trapped in a horrible, neverending nightmare. Another good anti-war war film is The Thin Red Line about the Battle of Guadalcanal during WW2.
This one and the original 1930’s one both show really how bad war is without having a really good hero story. Instead of making Paul a cool badass war hero, it makes him a scared young boy. 10/10 remake in my opinion.
If you want another one from the German perspective, you should watch "Das Boot" Director's cut (The Boat) in German with english subtitles. The best submarine movie ever imo.
I've seen all of the 3 movies that have ever been released and read the book too, All Quiet on the Western Front is UNDOUBTLY one of the best freaking things that has ever appeared in my life.
The pure terror in their eyes as they watch people die around them, It breaks me to know that they had to go through that, signing up to go to war thinking it was going to be fun, they never truly knew that they were going to die...
2 scenes stick with me. the recycling of uniforms. showing a little of the mundane logistics of waging war, but knowing each name patch is a son, father, brother, cousin... and kat's letter from his wife.
Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die. - Herbert Hoover. This Quote is so true.
My grandpa went to war in Vietnam and before he left he told my mom "War without casualties is a blessing and a miracle" those were his last words before he left. One day after Vietnam there came a letter, and inside of the letter was a note from my grandpa. It said "Hey Callie I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, I wish I could've seen you grow up, these words will be my last words hopefully not. We are being pinned down by our enemy, I'm sorry for the things I said to you and your mother. I love you and I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you." And inside the letter beside the note was a medal, it was the purple heart in honor of the fallen soldier Pascal Decena. I love you grandpa thank you for defending our country.
He was apart of the Arty Battalion
i feel bad for paul the last 2seconds of war he died respect him for living this long and aploud him that he survived
I always liked the fact that they used French St-Chamond tanks instead of the more known British models.
The coats and boots ended up being more valuable to the german high command than the men wearing them.
Some people really recommend watching the older (1930) film (also an Oscar winner) for the realism, many of the actors actually served in the war and knew how to carry out drills etc.
Downfall (Der Untergang) is a good WW2 movie from the German perspective
Oh, the beautiful face of those smiling soldiers, it was so sad. As a Turk, I watched this movie and I wish it had a happy ending. Even if this was a novel, it was really sad.
Y'know, joining the army thinking that you'll be a hero and if we die you will remain a hero, but when you actually see it, you just fight for you're life
That is a really great reaction. Another anti-war movie I wholeheartedly can recommend is "Das Boot" (The boat), about a german submarine crew in the second war. It is... tense and an equally unusual perspective maybe. There exist multiple versions, but recommendable are the 1984 BBC miniseries (300 minutes) ideally, or the 1997 "Director's Cut" (208 minutes) as second best pick. But missing 100 min of impression really makes a difference in atmosphere and depth of impression.
I was 17 years old when I joined the army I went to basic right after high school to join the army infantry and I was happy and smiling. But when my first deployment came my first battle was in Fallujah and I was scared to death when I had bullets flying past me about 10in from my head. Than my adrenaline kicked in.
I know it's been said but watching these in their original languages just puts a whole different level to the emotion. Always reading subs can be annoying and you feel like you'll miss something on screen but it you miss so much more. If you ever watch Das Boot(German Submarine film, AMAZING) watch it with the german, not dubs please.
Heyy Vicky New to the channel... this is great content 👏
They sang joyfully while marching not knowing it will be their last happiness...