All Quiet on the Western Front: Making Oscar Best Picture “Noise” (Netflix)

My close friend Warren loves war movies, and, if you love them too, you shouldn't miss this one.  (If you don't like them, you might want to pass.)  It has garnered considerable acclaim and has received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.  I don't think this film is in the same class as "Bridge Over the River Kwai" or "Saving Private Ryan," but it's a very good movie and deserves its nomination.  The movie is based on the classic novel of the same name written by a German writer, Erich Maria Remarque, which was published in 1928.  The first film adaptation was made in 1930 and was directed by Lewis Milestone.  This was a much better film than the second one made in 1979, directed by Delbert Mann.  The modern iteration is the first German adaptation (I saw the dubbed version).  It's simultaneously a war and anti-war movie that exposes the horrors of war and the agony of the soldiers who are forced to fight in it.  (I saw the film on Netflix, but I think it's a Big Screen movie.) World War I – also known as "the Great War" – was fought from July, 1914 to November, 1918.  It was the bloodiest war in history up to that point.  Nine million soldiers died, 23 million were wounded, and 5 million civilians died from military activities.  On one side were "The Allies": primarily France, Great Britain, and Russia (with the U.S., joining in 1917), and on the other side were Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.  The movie has very realistic and exciting (although gruesome) battles, with guns, tanks, and fire torches.  The soundtrack is very loud too, emphasizing the sounds of the weaponry.  The plot primarily follows a young recruit named Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer) who is completely overwhelmed by the horror and absurdity of the situation.  He eventually establishes a close friendship with Kat (Albecht Schuch).  Despite Paul and Kat being Germans, I developed sympathy them and were rooting for them to stay alive.  (Remember, they weren't Nazis!) The French were extremely unfair to the Germans, with respect to the eventual peace treaty created at the war's conclusion.  This subsequently led to great hardship on the German people, eventually contributing to the rise of Hitler and WWII.  The release of this movie is timely with the war in the Ukraine, the Chinese/Taiwan issue, the chronic Israel/Iran conflict, and North Korea being led by a lunatic.  Hopefully, one of these hot spots won't start WWIII, but, as Murphy's Law says, "If something can go wrong, it will."  Let's all hope for a peaceful outcome in the Ukraine, although that seems unlikely at the moment. Bottom Line: A silver lining to being 75 is that I can't get drafted!