Started my journey through the history of the Oscars and the Best Picture category. I know they are not necessarily the best pictures released world wide in any given year, but these pictures are readily available in some format at my local library, online, etc.
Last night I watched the 1929/30 Best Picture "All Quiet on the Western Front"
An excellent anti war piece based on the book "Im Westen nichts Neues" a novel by Erich Maria Remarque a German veteran of World War One. Made at a time in our history when the World was still recovering from the terrible loss of a generation of the Western World's youth and devastating economic depression.
The movie is filled with striking images but the scene that sticks with me is the return of our "hero" to his home town after 3/4 years away at the front. He is just recovered from a severe wound. No one at home understands him, what he has seen, what he is going through.
His teacher is readying another group of young recruits/victims with his propaganda based lectures.. His Father and his friends don't see the damage done to the boy they see only his uniform as they discuss strategy over beer at a local beer garden. The only one to see his suffering is his mother (ill herself) she sees how he has changed but can do little about it due to her illness, and he doesn't want to burden her with his problems because of her illness. Our hero's answer is to get back to the front where his friends/comrades understand and death and destruction await...
8 Jahhdog howls out of 10!
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