Runtime:
96 minutes
Directed
by: G.W. Pabst
Starring:
Fritz Kampers, Gustav Diessl, Hans-Joachim Mobis, Claus Clausen,
Jackie Monnier
From:
Bavaria Film/Nero-Film AG
Here is a movie I am glad is not as obscure as it used to be:
I rarely purchase Criterion titles as soon as they become available,
but that is what I did with this movie. I've known of it for a few years
now and copies are on YouTube but they are of a truncated version
that's about 7 minutes shorter; as I read the original cut is the way to
go, I put off the film until I could stumble upon it in its proper
form. Well, I am glad Criterion released it; the picture of course looks
nicer than what is on YouTube.
It was by happenstance that this came out at around the same time as All Quiet on the Western Front. Both are based on novels about German troops in World War I dealing with the savagery of trench warfare, where to gain even an inch is an achievement; life at home when they are granted leave is not good so they can't wait to return to the battlefront, and you see some of the leads die. They even have similar long tracking shots and natural sounds, resulting in eerie quiet between all the gunfire and explosions. The main difference was that Western Front came from Hollywood so they were able to have a wide scope while this came from Germany and was more intimate. I say both films are great and well worth seeing if the topic sounds of any interest to you.
To mention a modern example most people would know, the World War I battlefield as seen in Wonder Woman was accurate to how trench warfare was. It was gray and dreary, chock-full of mud and grime and smoke in the air and neither side could gain any ground; No Man's Land was a nightmare and both Western Front and this movie nailed that spot-on. It was pretty horrifying what they had to go through, all the noise and bombardment, barely having any time to sleep. Both movies are a cold slap to the face in terms of hitting you hard how chilling their experience was. Western Front was not cheery but Westfront is incredibly bleak. Aside from getting to know the characters in the first few minutes as they hang out in someone's house and a random musical/comedy interlude lasting a few minutes (it was entertainment at a camp), this motion picture is no nonsense about putting the characters through hell. Here, one soldier going home for a brief amount of time goes wrong, and home is doing badly anyway as there's a food shortage.
Yet the movie was not a miserable experience for me and I still don't feel depressed after seeing it last night. I was transfixed as I watched all that occurred. G.W. Pabst is a director that doesn't get as much attention as his contemporaries, like Fritz Lang; I am guilty of that myself as this is the first film of his I have seen; I know he made some classic silents I know I need to see; this was his first talkie. I give high marks to the Criterion release and I am happy they put out the complete version of a movie I hope more people watch and at least give a chance to.
It was by happenstance that this came out at around the same time as All Quiet on the Western Front. Both are based on novels about German troops in World War I dealing with the savagery of trench warfare, where to gain even an inch is an achievement; life at home when they are granted leave is not good so they can't wait to return to the battlefront, and you see some of the leads die. They even have similar long tracking shots and natural sounds, resulting in eerie quiet between all the gunfire and explosions. The main difference was that Western Front came from Hollywood so they were able to have a wide scope while this came from Germany and was more intimate. I say both films are great and well worth seeing if the topic sounds of any interest to you.
To mention a modern example most people would know, the World War I battlefield as seen in Wonder Woman was accurate to how trench warfare was. It was gray and dreary, chock-full of mud and grime and smoke in the air and neither side could gain any ground; No Man's Land was a nightmare and both Western Front and this movie nailed that spot-on. It was pretty horrifying what they had to go through, all the noise and bombardment, barely having any time to sleep. Both movies are a cold slap to the face in terms of hitting you hard how chilling their experience was. Western Front was not cheery but Westfront is incredibly bleak. Aside from getting to know the characters in the first few minutes as they hang out in someone's house and a random musical/comedy interlude lasting a few minutes (it was entertainment at a camp), this motion picture is no nonsense about putting the characters through hell. Here, one soldier going home for a brief amount of time goes wrong, and home is doing badly anyway as there's a food shortage.
Yet the movie was not a miserable experience for me and I still don't feel depressed after seeing it last night. I was transfixed as I watched all that occurred. G.W. Pabst is a director that doesn't get as much attention as his contemporaries, like Fritz Lang; I am guilty of that myself as this is the first film of his I have seen; I know he made some classic silents I know I need to see; this was his first talkie. I give high marks to the Criterion release and I am happy they put out the complete version of a movie I hope more people watch and at least give a chance to.
No comments:
Post a Comment