“You think it’s beautiful to die for your country? The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for your country, it’s better not to die at all. There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good is it?”
Most of the power of Lewis Milestone’s Best Picture winner derives from its literary source material. Most of the power of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel derives from its real-world source material. Young soldiers fight for their lives against all of the dangers of World War I trench warfare: nationalist hysteria, commanding officers, shells, bullets, bayonets, dirt, disease, vermin, hunger, loneliness, guilt, fear, insanity, and the ignorance of society. The characters are technically German, the actors speak English, but they just as easily could be French or any other nationality. Although it was produced in the early days of sound, the production values still impress alongside any other war epic made since.
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