All Quiet on the Western Front: A Movie To Make You Think

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All Quiet on the Western Front was never written to be like the movies we watch today. When people go to see a movie about war, they typically expect watch a story jam packed with action from start to finish. All Quiet on the Western Front, also has this kind of battle from beginning to end, but was never intended to tell the common sci-fi adventure of which it could be associated to. It is made to speak against the terrible conditions which men had to face in world war won. The movie shows us, that even though there were so many casualties in the aftermath of World War One, there are some things in the world worse than death. The opening of the movie tells how the film is not an accusation, a confession, or an adventure, and the deaths of war not only affect those killed, but also those who did the killing, and everybody around them. The movie is by far not an accusation against those who started the war. It is told from a German point of view, and shows how the different people felt in Germany throughout the war. We know that later on, the Germans were accused of starting the war. If All Quiet on the Western Front wished to blame a side for beginning the war, it would have made Germany look like the antagonist. Another reason, the movie blames no one is because of the main character. Paul Baumer turns from an innocent school boy, to someone who is forced to fight for his country. The young boys only become a part of the German military, because of a sense of nationalism in stowed in them from a loyalty to their Kaiser. We see that the men do not actually mean harm, and cannot be blamed for what they think is right. The quote at the beginning also says the movie is not a confession. We know this is true because of... ... middle of paper ... ...uiet on the Western Front is not a story to be watched for enjoyment, but is intended to be a documentation of what World War One was actually like. We can’t watch and expect things to go all right for the characters, because in the real world, life isn’t fair. The movie does not mean to blame anybody, because after all, both sides are guilty in a war. It is not meant to show why the war happened, or which generals decided it was alright. It is meant to tell the sad story of an average soldier during the Great War. His race, origin, or nationality makes no difference, war is always the same. Both sides partook in killing and have the same guilt. It is because of the guilt that the war affected everybody, from the first killed to the last surviving veteran to die. All in all, All Quiet on the Western Front is a movie which falls into a category all by itself.

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