Nothing New on the Western Front is an intense and moving film, which shows us viscerally and impact fully how the war machine worked, and still works to some extent. It feeds on the blood, sweat, and illusions of young people who are sometimes seduced by the idea of glamour and heroism in fighting for their country, and sometimes are even forced to join the fight. But, forced or not, these co-opted young people go through a true indoctrination, where they are led to believe that they are the only salvation and future of the nation, that if they are worthy warriors, they will have the recognition of their country and their government.
But what these young people don't know is that, in fact, others came before them who died without a name and without honor and who had their bodies buried without at least the honor of wearing the fairy because this is taken away, repaired and sent to the next, and that we see in the first scenes of this film a clear message that in the war machine in this case of Germany in the first war, the uniforms in most cases were worth more than its users.
Next, we have Paul, played brilliantly by (Felix Kammerer) and his friends, going, happy and smiling, into horrors they can't even dream of, without having been properly trained for it.
As they are received with bodies and bombs everywhere, there is not even time to reflect. Paul learns his first lesson in war by helping a fellow soldier put on his mask. Any gesture of humanity can cost him his life, for soldiers do not fight to defend themselves and their comrades, soldiers fight to die for the state. That is the lesson implicit in this scene.
Upon arriving at the trench, the young men have their first shock of reality, but there is nothing that can be done, since they have been swallowed by the machine and are already part of its mechanism. The only thing left is to fight and learn how to survive in a cold and hostile environment.
The despair of one of Paul's friends in the bunker while being bombed is a punch in the gut, it makes you wonder how many young men have died in wars, fighting while desperately wanting to go home, and how many are still fighting wars that are not theirs while all they want is to go home.
It is painful to see all the dreams of glory and heroism vanish into a sea of pain, death and despair that overwhelms Paul, without even having time to cry for his friend. He has to keep moving forward because now he is no longer a human being but an instrument of the state.
Like his dead friend, if he is lucky, he will be one more name on a list because if he is unlucky, neither of this will he be. It is clear here that the state cares little for its soldiers, and their reality is to go hungry, cold, thirsty, and die to be a patriot and "save the country".
The moments of fraternization and peace are only the announcement of more pain and death. With more and more soldiers drag themselves to certain death, the men in command refuse to back down even though the war is all but lost. It is possible to see in the film how much wasted time, with politicking, and ego of those in power cost the lives of millions of innocent men on the battle fronts.
The film shows, clearly and objectively, the luxury and ostentation that the generals and leaders in power live in, while their men starve and die on the battlefield. Although the film depicts the first war, the reality of men and women who give their lives for their countries is not so different today.
What we see most are men and women who go to war to die for their parents, while their families suffer. If these men are lucky enough to return home, they often come back with physical and psychological after-effects, which practically prevent them from continuing, while the state sends more and more men to suffer the same fate so that their leaders can make beautiful speeches on TV and demonstrate strength, power, or "heroism and patriotic struggle" to the world.
And we see how unprepared these men often are when, after a violent battle, Paul finds himself trapped in a hole, in a life or death situation against an enemy, and it becomes obvious to us that the Paul who wanted to go to war and become a hero no longer exists, Not understanding that if he hadn't killed that man, he would be the one who would be killed, he cries over the corpse while looking for a way to redeem himself, vows to look for the man's family to give them his belongings, and ends up discovering that the man, in fact, was a printer who, like him, was sent to the front without even knowing what he was getting into.
While men are dying mutilated and unassisted, their generals are having a lavish dinner, and one of them is still lamenting that it has been too long since there has been a war; this sequence is like a punch in the stomach.
Then a general complaint that the food is not fresh, while negotiating his surrender in a war that they have practically lost. The French generals, to trample on the Germans, set a date and time for the war to end, which, of course, means that many men will still die, to feed the fragile ego of those in power.
Since the war is over, Paul and his friend decide to leave, but on the way, they decide to steal food from a residence. They get some eggs, but as they are leaving, the owner's son catches up with them and ends up shooting Paul's companion.
A boy killing a man for a few eggs, that is the legacy of war. Paul then returns, and the general in command, driven by his ego and dream of grandeur, practically forces his men back onto the battlefield.
Paul finds himself again involved in a life-and-death battle with a French soldier. Just as he is about to be executed, the order for a cease-fire finally comes. The man simply walks away, which makes it clear that no one wants to kill anyone, but they do it out of obligation.
Finally, with spectacular photography and a story that will get on your nerves, Nothing New on the Western Front transports us to the naked reality of war, without beating around the bush or romanticizing it. It's even hard to breathe watching this film, which shows us how war is the height of human stupidity, which leads men to fight like animals, searching for power and glory, forgetting in the process that in fact, in a war there are no winners because even if you win the war, it is at the cost of many innocent lives, parents lose their children, wives lose their husbands and a multitude of orphans are the legacy of war, there is no reward and no glory, whether you are the winner or the loser.
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