All quiet on the Western Front

I haven't got a clue how I have missed Im Westen nichts Neues for so long. It's so famous as a title, I'm ashamed to have not seen it sooner. The film covers:

1. the pre-war education of schoolboys, and the enlistment of the young German recruits
2. the soldiers' arrival at the front of World War I
3. the experiences of the cruelties and horrors of war in trench warfare
4. the hero's homecoming, return to the front, and ultimate death

I wondered whether, whilst watching, it would drag on too long but quite the opposite. Considering how long ago this was made, the change from scene to scene was very engaging. For a plot (in German) click on the excellent German Film Institute's page Follow the further links to read the original documentation which shows the film was banned, one week after its Berlin release, in pre-Nazi Germany. The Net is a wonderful thing!

Whilst writing this I wondered if we'd seen an English or German version and none of the three of us could remember! Quite an interesting occurrence! It must have grabbed our attention in a unique way! As the film is still so effective it's no surprise that it was banned so close to the Second World War!



Apparently Universal Pictures, not wanting to lose major business agreed to censor various scenes of German cowardice, German regret at shooting a French solider, etc. A lovely example of how censorship misses the big picture - if you'll excuse the pun.

Einen ganzen Vormittag spielen zwei Schmetterlinge vor unserm Graben. Es sind Zitronenfalter, ihre gelben Flügel haben rote Punkte. Was mag sie nur hierher verschlagen haben weit und breit ist keine Pflanze und keine Blume. Sie ruhen sich auf den Zähnen eines Schädels aus



[Reviewed by Nuthatch]

I found this film really absorbing as it seemed very modern for such an old film, both in its construction and the sentiments it conveyed. Action sequences are interspersed with the lead character's (narrator's) reflections on war and its futility and wastefulness. WW1 did mark a turning point in attitudes to war and we can see this in the contrast between the teacher's presentation of war as a great and glorious enterprise and the narrator's disgust with the sordid realities of life at the front. There is very little heroism, just a multitude of ways for men to kill and be killed. What is interesting is that it is still controversial and challenging today - perhaps we haven't moved on very far? [Reviewed by Nightjar]

(Stonechat also enjoyed this film but will not be adding her thoughts as she has migrated for the winter.)

The Chorus

The teacher equals saviour metaphor has been done before a few times, but it's nice to see it in French. What more can I say beyond giving you the plot:

En 1948, Clément Mathieu, professeur de musique sans emploi accepte un poste de surveillant dans un internat de rééducation pour mineurs ; entre délation et sévices corporels, le système répressif appliqué par le directeur, Rachin, bouleverse Mathieu. En initiant ces enfants à la musique et au chant choral , Mathieu parviendra à transformer leur quotidien.

I watched the 'specials' on this DVD and then realised how good the costumes were. The music is moving, apparently performed by the actor himself - unlike Audrey Hepburn, Deborah Kerr and few other Hollywood dames. Nicely produced standard fare [Reviewed by Nuthatch]

I really enjoyed this touching, human story about a disappointed musician (Mathieu) who takes up a position as a teacher in a correctional school and transforms the lives of at least some of the boys in his care by introducing them to music. One boy, in particular, discovers a hidden talent that leads eventually to a successful career and international acclaim. The grimness of life in such an institution is well depicted and the film is realistic in its portrayal of the differing responses of both staff and boys to Mathieu's music project. I thought everything about the film was elegantly understated and this, for me, was what gave it its special charm. [Reviewed by Nightjar]

(Stonechat also watched this film but, as she has now flown the nest to take up residence in more Northern climes, she will not be able to add her review.)