All Quiet On The Western Front - 3rd Best Picture Winner

All Quiet On The Western Front – 3rd Best Picture Winner

1930

#48

Starring:

Louis Wolhiem

Lew Ayres

Directed By:

Lewis Milestone

1929-30 Academy Awards
Winner:

Outstanding Picture

Best Director

Other Films Nominated:

The Big House

Disraeli

The Divorcee

The Love Parade

So, this is the first of these Best Picture winners that I have previously seen. Being such an old film, this is, of course, in part to my father - this was one films that he had in his collection that was borrowed by one of my high school teachers for the class to watch. (Possibly in 11^th grade)

This is the first Best Picture winner to take its story from a book, in this case of the same name, and published in 1929. It was the second “talkie” to win for Best Picture, the first war talkie to win. It is still seen today as a great epic and powerful film because of its honest portrayal of the horror of war.

As I write this, I have the movie playing in another pane on my screen. I can see most of the image though I admit Im listening more than watching. At the moment Im about 45 minutes into it. Here's the thing. I had to pause it about 30 minutes in because of the breaking news in the real world. Bombs going off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The eerie part? They apparently went off just around the time I started watching the movie. 

I'm not a runner. I know a few, have a few family members that like it. Heck I didn't even know that today was the Boston Marathon. (Honestly I didn't know they ran it on a weekday. Always thought those things were Saturday/Sunday events...) I thank the Lord I don't know anyone that was there as a runner or as a spectator. 

And I find that I'm oddly desensitized to what's going on. Sure I was basically following the breaking developments on Twitter - heck that's the first place I turned. And I told my dad what was going on and about the reports of how many had gotten hurt. But I find myself only mildly surprised at what's happening and the fact that I've got a war movie playing in the background - I'm almost indifferent. (Though I did have to turn in down because of how loud the explosions seemed) Seeing a picture of the scene with blood on the sidewalk and when I should be horrified, I just repost the picture and move on.

This movie isn't some love story. Its war. Bright, young, idealists thinking they are doing their patriotic duty that come to find the harsh realities of being on the front line - stuck in bunkers and holes in between times of fighting. Losing your friends and fellow soldiers in horrible deaths. Dying of sickness and injuries if you manage to survive getting hurt on the line. Not getting enough food or anything you really need if you manage not to get hurt. 

I stopped the movie again. I'm now at an hour and 11 minutes in. I'd closed Twitter and FB for a bit, figured things were quiet for a second. Now I see the reports of a possible 3rd explosion. More suspected and confirmed devices found. The growing list of the injured.

But now I'm marveling at how connected the world really is. Just a mere 2 hours from the time of the first explosions, there has been plenty of video and now still images coming in from all around the area. And the growing group of those hearing about what has happened from all around the world and who have come to social media to check on friends, family, or just offer general condolences to the world at large.

Whatever this turns out to be, we are all affected.

I understand why this movie was given its awards, nominated to Best Of lists time and time again over the years. It is part of the long history of what media can do when treated not just as entertainment but as a way to show the truth and give everyone a reality check. While yes, they are acting, they didn't actually die, the explosions are fake and sometimes just sound effects, it still speaks to something in every person. 

We may not fight on the front lines, but when war and fighting happens, we are all affected. 

I can't speak to knowing how to stop violence, honestly I can't see that it will ever stop. People will still clash over ideas and beliefs and some will go so far as to think that hurting those that are different or believe different is the best way to change something, no matter how many times and in how many different ways the world has been shown time and time again that violence doesn't work out how those that perpetrate it plan it to. 

More so I think it is our response to violence and those that have different ideals that will change things in this world.

Case in point - I did not vote for the man, do not think he should have his job, but I agree with him on this - 

"On days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats. We are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens." - Barack Obama