{"id":8233,"date":"2023-03-10T18:12:56","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T23:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=8233"},"modified":"2023-04-23T13:47:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T17:47:19","slug":"all-quiet-on-the-western-front-isnt-likely-to-change-many-minds-about-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-isnt-likely-to-change-many-minds-about-war\/","title":{"rendered":"All Quiet on the Western Front isn&#8217;t likely to change many minds about war"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-rating-star\" style=\"text-align:left\" itemprop=\"reviewRating\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Rating\"><p><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2b50<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2b50<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2b50<\/span><\/p><span style=\"display: none;\" itemprop=\"worstRating\" content=\"0.5\"><span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"display: none;\" ><span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"display: none;\" ><span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"display: none;\" ><span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"is-rating-unfilled\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"is-rating-unfilled\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"display: none;\" itemprop=\"bestRating\" content=\"5\"><span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"is-rating-unfilled\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n\t<path class=\"is-rating-unfilled\" fill=\"#993300\" stroke=\"#993300\" d=\"M12,17.3l6.2,3.7l-1.6-7L22,9.2l-7.2-0.6L12,2L9.2,8.6L2,9.2L7.5,14l-1.6,7L12,17.3z\" \/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span><\/span><span itemprop=\"ratingValue\" class=\"screen-reader-text\" content=\"3\">Rating: 3 out of 5.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n<p>What is left for any new war film to say today, after landmarks like these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The Deer Hunter<\/em> and <em>Platoon<\/em> scratched open American society&#8217;s unhealed scabs over a pointless, unwinnable (indeed, lost) war.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dark comedies like <em>M*A*S*H<\/em>, <em>Catch-22<\/em>, and <em>Blackadder Goes Forth<\/em> ruthlessly mocked clueless generals, while still being compassionate towards those that sacrificed themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Saving Private Ryan<\/em> permanently disrupted the war film formula, utilizing new storytelling techniques and filmmaking technology in service of empathy, viscerally placing the audience in the meat grinder that so many of the Greatest Generation were marched into.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More recently, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/1917-is-not-the-first-single-take-movie-but-its-one-of-the-best\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5671\">1917<\/a><\/em> and <em>Dunkirk<\/em> both employed formal experimentalism to tell war stories on an individual and geopolitical scale, simultaneously.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I know there are many other key highlights in the genre (I didn&#8217;t even mention one of my personal favorites, <em>Paths of Glory<\/em>), but you get the idea: the best war movies have opened eyes and shifted public opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Berger&#8217;s 2022 adaptation of <em>All Quiet on the Western Front<\/em> seems rather quaint in comparison, perhaps negatively affected by being seen mostly on small screens, via Netflix. It&#8217;s comprised of a series of vignettes that bluntly illustrate the obvious truths that every sensible person with a conscience already knows: what we think of as &#8220;war&#8221; is mechanized, industrialized slaughter on an obscenely huge scale, with soldiers as game tokens pushed around a map by armchair generals far behind the front line. As Stanley Kubrick&#8217;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/foolproof-and-incapable-of-error-christopher-nolans-70mm-unrestoration-of-2001-a-space-odyssey\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4535\">2001: A Space Odyssey<\/a><\/em> famously satirized, despite thousands of years of civilization, war is a ritualized version of clans of cavemen having it out with clubs and rocks, for temporary control of a fetid pond, at least until the next famine, drought, or wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then again, recent history has seen corrupt warmongers like George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin stage costly invasions for power and profit. So maybe every new generation of moviegoers does occasionally need new war films to rub their faces in the ugliness and brutality of war. But is <em>All Quiet on the Western Front<\/em> going to pierce the propaganda bubble in, say, Russia? And even if it did, would it change any minds that haven&#8217;t already been made up?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edward Berger&#8217;s lavish, gruesome All Quiet on the Western Front is very clear that war is bad, but could do more to condemn today&#8217;s warmongers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2],"tags":[2152,2156,2158,653,2157],"class_list":["post-8233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3-stars","category-movies","tag-2152","tag-edward-berger","tag-germany","tag-war","tag-world-war-i"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-2022.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-28N","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":130,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/lord-of-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":0},"title":"Lord of War is a Nicolas Cage treasure hidden in plain sight","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"I initially dismissed Lord of War when the trailers and posters first appeared. In other words, it got caught in the crude mental filters that routinely handle my first-pass \"ignore\" of all the crap that flows through my eyes and ears all day every day. But when my regular email\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;4 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lord of War","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/lord-of-war-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1355,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/ridley-scott-kingdom-of-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":1},"title":"Repent Later: Ridley Scott&#8217;s Kingdom of Heaven","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Ridley Scott's video introduction to the Director's Cut edition of Kingdom of Heaven claims it is more than a merely extended version of the film. The Director's Cut represents his intentions, and is \"the best version\" of the film. The most significant restoration he singles out is a subplot involving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;4 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kingdom of Heaven onesheet image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Kingdom-Of-Heaven.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Kingdom-Of-Heaven.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Kingdom-Of-Heaven.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Kingdom-Of-Heaven.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Kingdom-Of-Heaven.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5671,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/1917-is-not-the-first-single-take-movie-but-its-one-of-the-best\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":2},"title":"1917 is not the first single-take movie, but it&#8217;s one of the best","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Every review or casual comment about 1917, from pan to praise, will all begin with the same undeniable fact: it's an astounding technical achievement. While far from the first apparent single-take feature-length film, it's certainly one of the most seamless. Better, the feat is partially insulated from charges of gimmickry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1917","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1917.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1917.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1917.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":755,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/in-the-valley-of-elah\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":3},"title":"David vs. Goliath in Paul Haggis&#8217; In the Valley of Elah","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"April 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"In the Valley of Elah is a dark story about the psychological damage of war, certainly not a recipe for an entertaining night at the movies. This blogger will cop to finding it difficult to work up the enthusiasm to sit down for a movie on such a troubling topic,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;4 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/in-the-valley-of-elah-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/in-the-valley-of-elah-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/in-the-valley-of-elah-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/in-the-valley-of-elah-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/in-the-valley-of-elah-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5121,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/avengers-infinity-war-2018-movie-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":4},"title":"Avengers: Infinity War collapses under the weight of its own continuity","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"September 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Like a teeter-tottering pile of mint-condition, unread, bagged & boarded collector's edition comic books, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is quickly collapsing under the weight of its accumulating continuity. Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War may be an edifying experience for the dedicated fan who's seen all 19 or so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Avengers Infinity War","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/avengers-infinity-war.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/avengers-infinity-war.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/avengers-infinity-war.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/avengers-infinity-war.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/avengers-infinity-war.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5740,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/what-makes-steven-spielbergs-war-of-the-worlds-unique-also-sabotages-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":8233,"position":5},"title":"What makes Steven Spielberg&#8217;s War of the Worlds unique also sabotages it","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"November 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Although easily overlooked among the Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmographies, I actually rather enjoy their 2005 War of the Worlds remake. Unfortunately, what makes it unique also sabotages it: It's practically a requirement for the alien invasion genre that the protagonist be the big hero that saves the world.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"War of the Worlds","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/war-of-the-worlds-2005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/war-of-the-worlds-2005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/war-of-the-worlds-2005.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/war-of-the-worlds-2005.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/war-of-the-worlds-2005.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8233"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8608,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233\/revisions\/8608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}