Film Review: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

STORY

Young Paul Bäumer and his school friends join the Imperial German Army. They get excited when the uniforms are handed over to them and begin to romanticize their gallantry on the battlefield. Not a single clue do they have what they are about to watch as they are moved to the Western Front to fight trench warfare against the French.

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BOOK

In 1928, the German novelist Erich Maria Remarque published “Im Westen nichts Neues” based on his experience when he joined the army to fight the great war. The book achieved widespread critical acclaim and sold 2.5 million copies in the first 18 months.

Two years later, the book was adapted into an American film “All Quiet on the Western Front”. The film won both the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Oscar, the first to do so. Also, the first to win Best Picture that was based on a novel.

Unsurprisingly, the author was declared ‘unpatriotic’ by the government in the following years, and his books were banned, removed from the libraries, and burned. There had never been a film produced in any part of the world that adapted this novel until none other than a German film production decided to adapt it.

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REVIEW

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is based on the final events of the first World War dramatizing blood-boiling painstaking action sequences that reflect the mental and physical trauma the German soldiers faced and suffered.

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ANTI-WAR

The most successful point about the film is that it is a period film that magnificently establishes and serves its purpose to be an anti-war film. Usually, films based on war try to glamorize the heroics of one and satanize the other. Some war films focus on basing the film on a depressive note highlighting a tragic story that suffered during the war. But the essence of this film lies in the negative nature of the war. This film successfully proves that war brings no hope but despair.

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HUMANISM

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is extremely human with a realistic approach towards the mannerism and wants. For example, a few soldiers witness some French women walking in the fields. It is such a delight for them to watch after such rough times on the field. One of the soldiers couldn’t resist and spent some time with one of them and returned with a woman’s scarf as a souvenir. When the soldier shows the scarf to his friends, each of them smells and feels it. An accurate and very understood affection the human is bound to take pleasure in after fighting on the field.

There are a few such scenes that recognize trying to establish some sense to the most powerful people in the world today. An illiterate soldier asks Paul to read his wife’s letter to him. A soldier collects the lockets of identifications and spots the one who saved him before. The one that was very compelling was when Paul repeatedly stabs a French soldier and distances himself. Seeing him dying remorses him and then he makes an unsuccessful attempt to save him but it is too late. The message was clear in this incredibly shot scene, the war brings no peace but destruction.

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GAS

The significance of gas masks has been highlighted in this film. Somewhere in the first 20 minutes, the German troop is immediately alarmed by the gas attack and ordered to wear a gas mask. In the midst of the film, 60 of the missing troops are killed by the gas because they mistakenly took off their masks soon.

The use of this psychological weapon of a chemical attack was the counterattack of the French. Because it was the Germans who introduced this poison gas when they used it in the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium in April 1915. If I am not wrong, this was the first ever poison gas attack in warfare history. How ironic to see the German Army being the victim of what they created!

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UNIFORMS

One of the most critical observations about this film is at the beginning of the film. Rational and thoughtful. When the soldiers get killed in the war and buried in their coffins. Their uniforms are washed, pressed, properly starched, sewed, and made to look new and fresh product that gets reused by the new recruits who wore them excitedly.

This matter can be taken lightly or pressed in a positive or a negative matter. Fully depends if you are okay with that or if you find it rubbish. From a positive angle, it is the transfer of honor from one to the other.

From a negative and a more critical perspective, the uniforms were handed over without respecting the martyred because the uniforms could have been delivered to the families. Perhaps the film wants to show that the-then army didn’t want to invest in the new uniforms. Or maybe this is how it is in some parts of the world. I have no knowledge about it but in all honesty, I feel the uniform of the martyred either should be handed over to their family or bury the martyred in that uniform.

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ARMISTICE

The film remarkably settled the balance of the noisy battles and the table-talk silence. The latter part is the people in power trying to outdo each other. I found out on the internet that the scene of the armistice is not in the novel. But I am okay with it because including the events of the armistice was extremely important as the film intended to show how the first World War actually concluded.

It is highly accurate that the armistice was signed between Germany and the Allied Governments at 5am and would take effect at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. And the battle was intentionally fought until 11 am.

But I am not sure about the real reason behind the six-hour delay. Why the war has to end at 11am? Why not at 5am when the armistice is signed? There were nearly 11,000 casualties on the final day of the war. 3000 of those lost their lives in those six hours. A very costly delay but the film took the responsibility to dramatize the fight of those six hours that you may rather call brave and courageous or foolish and madness.

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CLOSING REMARKS

I didn’t base my film review to develop a discussion about history but to inform the readers that ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is one of the most human films based on a great war and reflected on its consequences. An anti-war film that does not allow to glamorize heroism but rather dramatizes it as the need of the hour.

The ugly sense of blindness about the harsh realities of war are well dramatized. The displaying of horrifying war action sequences in compelling cinematography is breathtaking. This film would have looked more realistic if directed in monochrome.

One of the biggest achievements of the film is that despite the fact that it is a German film based on the Imperial German Army, the audience will not distinguish it but consider it as a loss to humanity showing no concern about what side you are on.

The film is a dead man’s poetry that flew away and sunk into the mud. It is one of the most honest representations of the tragic human phase of the fighting soldiers who died in the most brutal fashion with a picture of his wife and kids in their pockets.

RATING: 9.3/10

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Film Review: The King’s Man (2021)

The King’s Man is the third chapter in the Kingsman series of films that takes the audience more than a hundred years back to present what were the causes and factors involved that gave birth to the Kingsman organization. Directed by the same guy, Michael Vaughn, this film touches on so many important political events that happened before, during, and after World War I.

The Kingsman films are basically a comic book series ‘Kingsman‘ written by Mark Millar and the artwork by Dave Gibbons. Kingsman is so far consisting of three parts, starting with ‘The Secret Service‘ of 6 issues. Then ‘The Big Exit‘ which is only 1 issue. And then ‘The Red Diamond‘ of 6 issues. Keeping in mind, Mark Millar gave birth to Kingsman in 2012 and Michael Vaughn picked the literature in 2014; so the Kingsman franchise in all formats has made steady progress in just 10 years.

Rhys Ifans as Rasputin in 20th Century Studios’ THE KING’S MAN. Photo credit: Peter Mountain. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

History has been one of my favorite subjects. Therefore, time-traveling with Kingsman to one of the most important political events in history was necessary. Of course, the events were not historically accurate. Hitler didn’t kill the Tsars, Mata Hari didn’t seduce Woodrow Wilson, Rasputin wasn’t a fighter, and many more.

There may be two reasons for these inaccuracies. One is that Michael Vaughn took the liberty to present the film with such theatrical license to become how the history would look like to build a purpose of giving birth to an organization.

The other reason is maybe this is how the original source of the comic book series is written. And if that is so, then the historical inaccuracy does not become a problem because the writer has the liberty to present his/her audience the way he/she wants to write a fictional story on a real event. There is no argument in that. There are tons and tons of fictional novels based on real events and that is completely okay. If anyone still has any objection, let me drop this to you, Joker was once Iran’s representative to the United Nations *cough*.

One more fact that we need to acknowledge is that Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons themselves are the executive producers of all three Kingsman films. So no one should have any problem with any portion of the story if the Gods of that universe are the ones financing these films.

Michael Vaughn’s direction was quite different than the previous two installments. But I must say, the direction was pretty complex in the middle of the film. I felt the film was deliberately running fast, they have to catch the train and reach the platform where the organization will come into existence. But also, Michael Vaughn usually paces the screenplay.

The casting of this film is so elite and perfect. Ralph Fiennes in the leading role as the Duke of Oxford was marvelous thought. He perfectly suits a franchise like Kingsman. Tom Hollander! I mean what a smart and intelligent pick for the triple role of Tsar, Wilhelm, and George. Giving such heavy roles to the same actor was funny and clever as two of the three, Tsar and George were identical. To my utter shock, Rasputin is played by Rhys Ifans. Never imagined him being Rasputin. What a thought! He looked so Rasputin in superb makeup. And I found this Rasputin in physical presence better than Ben Cartwright‘s in the limited series, The Last Czars.

And then the fast action sequences, that have been important elements of Michael Vaughn’s filmography, will not disappoint. Rasputin’s fighting was fun to watch, I was laughing at this action sequence because Rasputin was fighting with elements of Russian folk dance.

Maybe the film is not appreciated because of the complex direction in the middle of the film and is quite different than the first two Kingsman films. But I recognize the importance of this film and I think it was quite alright. I liked the idea of how one evil sent his followers to bring hell on the global powers. This film is extremely political and may also be the reason that Kingsman fans showed less fondness as compared to the other two. But I believe, this film stays untouched by the graceful aesthetics and makes no harm in this Kingsverse. With the development in the mid-credit scene, I wait for its continuity.

Ratings: 8.2/10

THE ART OF WAR – Meadows of Conflicts

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“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask: ‘Mother, what was war?'” – Eve Merriam

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Sometimes I am deeply stuck between the two sophisticated sides of coins – war and peace. Some experts of social reforms (lawyers of submissions) claim that war is noble to create peace. In few cases, peace becomes an art of deception to frame a war, reconciling depravity.

Segmentation of ‘Man’ differs with words he follow and give at once. Few words alarm the falsification of righteousness and reflect ego factor. Flesh and bones, cells and veins unite to bargain human ego to sustain the cradle of indignity and culprit the affected.

Stubbornness shake the zero-movement of determination, jealousy and anger recruits assassins of loyalty, rudeness hires counselor of injustice in the state of hate, deception chesses the throne and disappointment bleeds the regime of treasury, oops I mean treachery*.

Result? peace is countless in pieces, negotiations turn into egotiations, unity is rattled and differences are settled. Raw becomes jaguar’s paw and scars of the beatings aid war.

So I am deeply stuck between the two sophisticated sides of coins – war and peace. Human races through millenniums and centuries have witnessed over a scores of wars and more than a thousand battles.

“Casualties – mockery to humanity or shall I say it was the other name of calamities”

 

The best example is World War II which unarguably has the biggest number of death toll with approximately 60 million – 80 million casualties. Invasions and conquests of Mongol Empire lies second to death troll estimated at nearly 30 million to 60 million casualties. But still there is a major difference in events of war casualties happening in time period. By time, WWII was historically the worst carnage.

If I consider 60 million similar figure from both the wars, then it took 118 years in Mongol Empire case (1206-1324) to total that figure as compared to only 6 years in WWII (1939-1945). That means over 508 thousand casualties per year or over 42,372 casualties per month or almost 1400 casualties per day or 58 casualties per hour or a casualty in almost 50 seconds in Mongol Invasions and Conquests as compared to 10 million casualties per year or over 833 thousand casualties per month or 27,400 casualties per day or almost 1150 casualties per hour or 19 casualties per minute in WWII.

In a picture that captures the violence and sheer destruction inherent in war perhaps more graphically than any other ever published in LIFE, Marines take cover on an Iwo Jima hillside amid the burned-out remains of banyan jungle, as a Japanese bunker is obliterated in March 1945.

In a photo that somehow comprises both tenderness and horror, an American Marine cradles a near-dead infant pulled from under a rock while troops cleared Japanese fighters and civilians from caves on Saipan in the summer of 1944. The child was the only person found alive among hundreds of corpses in one cave.

“Weapons and Ammunitions – they kept upgrading with the passage of time from stones to drones”

 

> Use of gunpowder firearms and field artillery can be traced back in early 16th century when Babur and his 15,000 men fought Ibrahim Lodi and his army more than double of former in the first Battle of Panipat. Lodi also fought with 1000 war elephants but Babur’s warfare strategic move of usage of cannons hit hard on Lodi’s elephants as the animals got scared and collapsed on firing sounds of cannons. Elephants collapsed on Lodi’s own men which swiftly reduced all chances of winning the battle over Babur. Despite the fact, Lodi’s were more than double, Babur convincingly won the battle, killed Lodi with more than 15,000 casualties stamped under Lodi’s. That battle marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire.

> Even uniforms and safety kits like helmets and shields were upgraded with the passage of time. By the time of World War I, most of the soldiers were fighting in war wearing cloth caps. In 1915, metal helmets were introduced by the French.

> Arrows have been hood’s best friend and there have been many failed attempts by the opponents. But what if I tell you that once in history of wars, the enemies gifted their opponents the weapon to prove their genius attempt towards suicide?? No I am not talking about Oliver Queen!!!

In Tang Dynasty, there was a Chinese general, Zhang Xun. In 756 A.D., once in a battle, his troop ran out of arrows and were in no position to fight the battle and take on opponents. General came up with a strategy and ordered his troops to play war drums and make noises the same night to make the enemies sense a sudden attack. The troops then placed and lowered straw dummies down the wall. The dummies became warrior and the enemies shot many arrows as possible. That was not enough, Zhang Xun risked the bizarre and entirely risky strategy the next night again and enemies again took no notice and shot more. Enough stock of arrows to conquer!!

Elements on earth are compromised with the sieging of inhabitants armed with tools of combat. Sometimes they are called soldier, sometimes rebel, sometimes dacoit, sometimes saint and have many other names.

For centuries, the kings, the commanders, the generals, the militants have been under process to occupy the land of other and put on law and order. This was the surviving theory in order to live long and in peace. One army/empire entered the other land, fought with them and occupied. There were two options for you and there still is – either you rule or get ruled over, either you fight or stay a casualty, either you raise your voice or just hear (if not listen).

There were strategies in war, formed and implemented. Followed like Bible, hard as marble. All combatants who fought each other in every war, were tested by the formation of strategies. Armies were divided/subdivided, ranks were graded among the officers, field attack probabilities were measured on their navigational maps, warfare wages and expenses were counted, weak and strong factors of both sides were considered, combat fields were tested, marching orders were roared, maneuvering were practiced, hostages were either unharmed in the name of peace or enjoyed with lust. With all these numbers, the one army who subjected and framed these in more better and superlative ways tasted victory, occupied the land and ruled.

With that practice, many empires entered the aura and left, some ruled with agony and suddenly disappeared, some ranks later became pranks but some survived and lived for long with pride. 

The Art of War will continue. Thanks for the read and you may give your opinion below and share with your fellow readers. Keep calm and wait for the next chapter….

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