All Quiet on the Western Front
is one of the greatest war films of all time. Based on a novel and made in 1930, it tells the story of a German soldier fighting in World War I. It is an anti-war film, in which the young protagonist is caught up in the perceived glory of serving his country.
Dulce et decorum est –
sweet and fitting it is to fight for one's fatherland. Upon deployment, he quickly sees that he was deceived; there is no glory in the blood and the slaughter. In one of the most famous scenes in the history of war films, Paul, our young soldier finds himself pinned down in a pit with a Frenchman, the enemy, who he had stabbed, but was not dead yet; the Frenchman clings to life all night, gasping and bleeding out, and Paul has no choice but to watch this man suffer from a wound inflicted by his hand. He speaks to his enemy, apologizing, musing that in a different life they could have been friends, and promising to write to his family.
In war, it can be easy to give in to the propaganda and blindly support one's own side, but a closer look at the other sides reveals that they are people, too; people who also only want to live in peace and freedom. Personal confliction can occur – which brings us to our topic:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Tinseltown presents two screenings of the epic film
as the most recent installment in the Cinemark Classics series. It tells the true story of T.E. Lawrence (played by Peter O'Toole) and his service in the Middle East during World War I. While there, he sees the other side of the conflict and is torn between his native Britain and his friends on the other side.
Lawrence of Arabia
will play twice, at 2:00 and 7:00. Tinseltown is located at 4400 Towne Center Drive. Further theater information can be found at the Tinseltown website.
Image: Internet Movie Database
