Changes in my view of Germany

Arely 2022-03-20 09:01:56

I used to dislike modern Germany very much.

Junkers nobility, militarism, iron and blood, The Last Lesson, Gas War, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, Mein Kampf, National Socialism, Auschwitz, Anne's Diary, all of which run through Germany for hundreds of years Each of the nouns of history is full of darkness and sin. In my old opinion, the word Germany was as sinful as Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.

But when I first saw the movie, my opinion changed a lot. The German soldiers I saw were not hideous, bloodthirsty orcs, but normal-looking normal people, including well-educated, suave students. When the protagonist finally retreated with the old squad leader on the back of the enemy plane, I also prayed that they would come back safely, but in the end only one person survived. In the ending, the protagonist was shot and killed, which can be regarded as a kind of relief.

Of course, this does not mean that the nature of the war of aggression has changed in any way, but even if the people are not completely innocent, those who should be punished should be those who advocate hatred.

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Extended Reading
  • Deon 2022-01-03 08:01:12

    When I watched the first half, I didn’t figure out who the protagonist was (not the one in the movie poster), but I only found out that it was Paul in the second half. I watched "Blood Battle at Hacksaw Ridge" last year and "No War on the Western Front" today. They are all anti-war themes. The actor of "West" is not as special as "Blood". He is passionate and ignorant. After going to the battlefield, there is a shortage of food, poor accommodation conditions, cannonballs flying, and his life is like grass. There is no blood splatter effect, so the shock is less powerful. At the end, Paul returned to his hometown for vacation. He was already disheartened by the war, but the old men in his hometown were still talking about the war, and the old teachers were still agitating the students. On the battlefield, the chilling Paul returned to the battlefield. He stretched out his hand to catch a butterfly while hiding in the trenches, but was killed by the enemy. This ending was somewhat absurd and poetic. Although Westerners have always been militants, at least they still have people who can make these anti-war films, these films that expose the ridiculous and cruelty of war, but our war films still always tout the heroes of the battlefield and put the war on The depiction is both great and tragic. Sad!

  • Brain 2022-01-03 08:01:12

    After the seemingly "fuck" in the first twenty minutes, the scenes of the war are in good condition. The long shots of the war scenes are real and beautiful, and the delicate performance of the friendship of comrades in the war. The second half extends into the anti-war theme. The idiot in the tavern makes the protagonist and the audience together. I feel chilly, the ending is tragic, but I have to admit that it was a classic, but unfortunately the transition editing of the whole film made me straightforward, so it is a small regret in terms of the degree of completion of the whole film.

All Quiet on the Western Front quotes

  • Paul Bäumer: We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all.

  • [last lines]

    Second orderly: Your deal. Get his name and number?

    Medic Orderly: Yeah. Corporal Stanislaus Katczinsky, 306.