All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) - Fatal distraction!

In the first scene, Paul Baumer (Richard Thomas) is chastised by his teacher (Donald Pleasence) for lack of attention in class, (specifically for furtively making a sketch of a small bird). He is ridiculed as an 'idealist' and a 'dreamer'.
In the final trench scene, Paul sympathetically chivvies his exhausted soldiers into staying alert for their own safety. Yet moments later he himself becomes (fatally) distracted by a small bird, the same symbol of beauty that had so irritated his mentor three years previously. Other ironic subtleties reveal themselves here. Paul now seeks solace in smoking, a habit he had until now totally despised. (Recall how he had haughtily rejected his teacher's proffering of a cigarette!). Most tellingly, the movie links the image of Paul's drawings as the metaphor for the idealism of the new generation, a hope that died with Paul in the mud of those hellish trenches.
If you enjoyed this excerpt, I recommend the complete film now superbly re-issued (with cuts restored) on blu-ray dvd.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• World
• War

[PierreAntoine1000]

After 5 years of 'Waltons' medriocrity, Richard Thomas was finally (in 1979) given a part worthy of his acting talents. A great performance in a greatly underrared film I think. Ok, he plays Paul Baumer as uber John-Boy but that's quite in character. He looks pretty good here too but why oh why does he feel the need to flaunt that huge mole on his left cheek?

[Gymroids]

@PierreAntoine1000 As far as we know, Richard T. never regarded his distinctive facial birthmark/mole as anything but a positive. In this film he made it very much a part of how he chose to look as Paul Baumer.

[SvNNL]

I don't get the ending...

Was he like all alone in the trenche, why shud he?

[Gymroids]

@SvNNL He was decidedly NOT alone in the trench. There was a lull in the fighting & having done his rounds checking the morale and welfare of his exhausted young recruits, he sought some peace and solace at the unoccupied end of the trench. His fatal mistake was to momentarily lose concentration & become exposed to a sniper's bullet.

[silentserv3r]

moral of the movie is to teach children that drawing birds.. will indefinatally... get you killed.

[zrectnat]

dumb ass

[14sJakeB190]

It was pretty sad at the end. most of the soldiers there are kids.

[justsomedude777]

War SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrOldskoolmetal]

@5:40 Good Night John Boy!

[truvianni]

@Tharagus Gavrilo Princip was not a terrorist but a Servian Nationalist and his assasination of Ferdinand of Austria was hardly an attack on a whole nation so to say that the allies were terrorists would be not be true under any stretch of the word.

[truvianni]

@jackgraham96 Most of if not all of the news which made it to America regarding the war came from Britain so this should also be taken in to consideration.As should the fact that the US had lent millions to allies which would have been another reason for them to enter on their side.Of course not that the US did much in WWI anyway as the war was basically over by the time they entered.

[truvianni]

@PierreAntoine1000 I agree with you it was a good performance and perhaps this film was overlooked because of the original version

[MrBlaze54321]

@MsSplayer Get a history lesson WWI had absolutely nothing to do with the nazis just bad leadership and many rash and bad decisions...

[stears555]

@jackgraham96 I sent you a public message with a video link 

[stears555]

@jackgraham96 Belgium is an artificially created nation, nor the holland nor the french part don't want their forced artificial union. Less then 10% of the british war-propaganda was true about germans in belgium. However the British history tuition spokes about ancient grrece gypt and roma, and after fall of roma story started the history of Britian. Therefore ww1 British average mass people believed every fantastic negative stories about the "less known" german people. :))))))