Picture 3: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

The first title I've heard about prior to watching and the second war film to feature. A classic anti-war film following German soldiers in the Great War that the Nazis banned their population from viewing so they could maintain their nation's appetite for war.

It shows you that it doesn't matter what side were you on back then - the mental and physical trauma is absolute. The soldiers turn in a few months from hopeful, patriotic boys in the classroom to shells of men. After a while they seem understandably confused about why they are fighting and how it all began. If they survive and return home they are faced with a deluded patriotic populous who have been lied to by the media about the realities of the western front. It is a film with little hope - that is the point. Still, it was at times cheering to see that even in the darkest of times, the men in question can find space for the simplest of pleasures and even a touch of humour.

It puts the stressors of 21st century living in perspective. Thank goodness 2014 - 2018 was relatively uneventful in comparison.

Reflections on the human condition:

1. No one goes into war thinking themselves to be the "bad guy".

2. Even in the darkest of times - the human spirit can prevail.

3. Suffering is relative.

Rating:

8/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

2. Wings (1928)

3. The Broadway Melody (1929)