FINAL: All Quiet (1979) vs. Paths of Glory

So it comes down to the two top seeds. This is the first of my tournaments that this has happened. Seems appropriate, however. I'm going to wait a couple of days so people can weigh in on which movie they feel is the better WWI combat film.

VS.

As per tradition, the finals are based on the previous categories partly because I can't think of four more categories that work.

PLOT                                              Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = A+ (10)
ACTING                                         Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = C (6)
COMBAT                                        Paths = A (9)          All Quiet = B (8)
ANTI-WAR                                    Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = A+ (10)
REALISM                                       Paths = A (9)          All Quiet = A (9)
DIALOGUE                                    Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = B (8)
SOLDIER BEHAVIOR                   Paths = B (8)          All Quiet = A (9)
ENTERTAINMENT                        Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = A (9)
EFFECTS, ETC.                              Paths = A (9)          All Quiet = B- (7)
INTERIORS/EXTERIORS            Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = B- (7)
CINEMATOGRAPHY                    Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = A (9)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT     Paths = A+ (10)     All Quiet = C (6)

PATHS OF GLORY = 115
ALL QUIET = 98

MATCH ANALYSIS: While the match-up was not a surprise, the results were. Most would agree that "Paths" and "All Quiet" are the two greatest WWI movies. You would think the final would have been closer, but if you look at the categories, "Paths" has few weaknesses and "All Quiet" has some of the weaknesses common to the classics of the early talkie days. This explains the low mark for acting and relatively low marks for technical aspects. Both movies are black and white, but the gap of decades makes "Paths" a modern war film. If you perfectly colorized it and released it today for the first time, I feel it would do well (and possibly be more successful than it was). The same could not be said for "All Quiet" (1930). For those who get upset with my view, remember the tournament was to determine the best WWI combat film, not the greatest.

Thanks to everyone who followed the tournament. Sorry it took so long, but it takes time to watch 22 movies. It was a labor of love, however.

#2 Paths of Glory vs. #11 The Lost Battalion

VS.

EFFECTS, SOUNDS, MUSIC:  “Paths of Glory” is not an effects driven movie. It only has the one combat scene, but it is outstanding.  It probably has the best bombardment sounds and effects of any WWI movie. The movie is sparse on music, but what it has is effective.  It was one of the first war movies to use snare drums as the dominant music.  The drum roll at the execution stands out.  GRADE  -  A

“The Lost Battalion” is a made-for-TV movie so you can’t expect outstanding effects.  It tries hard to reach the new generation of movie watchers.  The sound effects are loud and brash.  You hear bayonets going in to human flesh.  The machine gun noises are among the best.  The other effects are of the exploding trampoline style.  Explosions hurl stunt men into the air.  The flame throwers are the most memorable image from the film.  The sounds and special effects are really fiery.  There is also a horrific friendly fire bombardment that includes one of the most awesome effects I have seen in a war movie.  A shell literally blows Lt. Gaedeke up.  The film has little music.  Surprisingly, the music is not used to rev up the action.  GRADE  -  B

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  Paths of Glory  -  9    Lost Battalion  -  8

INTERIORS AND EXTERIORS:  “Paths of Glory” makes a point of contrasting the exteriors of the generals to those of the soldiers and the same for the interiors.  The trench is well-constructed, if a bit too wide (probably for the famous tracking shot).  It has the best no man’s land of any WWI movie.  The craters and the barbed wire are strewn, as they should be.  Throw in the rubble of a house. There is even a crashed plane.  This is contrasted with the immaculate grounds of the chateau.  The inside is “splendid, superb” as Gen. Broulard marvels.  The movie was partly responsible for the public’s image of “chateau generals”.  Meanwhile, Dax stays in a Spartan bunker that looks authentic.  GRADE  -  A+

The trench in “Lost Battalion” looks like it was constructed for a made-for-TV movie.  It is too pristine.  No man’s land looks artificial.  It is small scale.  Most of the movie takes place in a forest.  Whittlesey’s bunker is generic, but the command bunker has some style to it.  GRADE  -  C

HALFTIME SCORE:  Paths of Glory  -  19    Lost Battalion  -  14

CINEMATOGRAPHY:  “Paths of Glory” is the crown jewel in Georg Krause’s long career as a cinematographer.  It is an outstanding effort.  The movie is a clinic on cinematography.  You have the famous tracking shots of Dax moving along the trench between the soldiers and then leading them through no man’s land.  The camera follows him through the chaos.  Later, the camera follows Broulard as he walks through waltzing guests at his chateau.  The court-martial features off-center shots and deep focus.  GRADE  -  A+

Jonathan Freeman is an award-winning television cinematographer.  He was obviously influenced by  “Saving Private Ryan” for the frenetic battle scenes.  The movie is very much in the new style of war movie visuals.  Lots of quick cuts, some hand held shots, some slo-mo, some shifting perspectives.  There is even an homage to “Paths of Glory” as Whittlesey reenacts the walk through the trench pre-battle.  GRADE  -  B-

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  Paths of Glory  -  29    Lost Battalion  -  21

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:  “Paths of Glory” has an outstanding cast of characters and all the main ones are indelibly portrayed.  Two in particular deserve mention:  Mireau and Saint-Auban.  At first, Mireau appears to care for his men, but when a promotion is dangled in front of him, he sells them out.  Later, he threatens to open artillery fire on these same men.  His arc from ambitious to pure villainous is notable.  Maj. Saint-Auban is a forgotten figure, but he is the classic lackey kissing Mireau’s butt.  Every main character is a distinct person.   This is crucial for the condemned men.   GRADE  -  A+

“The Lost Battalion” tries hard to distinguish the main characters. The character development is a bit simplistic.  Whittlesey is the New York lawyer who grows into leadership.  He has a stoical veteran as his second-in-command.  Gen. Alexander is the stereotyped bullheaded brass.  The doughboys are stock characters, but they are distinct (if you watch the movie more than once).  Some of their deaths are tugging.  GRADE  -  C

FINAL SCORE:  Paths  -  39

                           Battalion  -  27

MATCH ANALYSIS:  The inevitable blow-out.  These categories left “The Lost Battalion” at a severe disadvantage.  Three of them were production-oriented and “Paths” was a major production.  Those same categories were influenced a lot by the directors involved.  “Paths” was directed by possibly the greatest war movie director of all time.  Stanley Kubrick was a master and Russell Mulcahy did several music videos for Elton John.  “Nuf said.  “The Lost Battalion” is the best WWI movie made in the last twenty years, but in this case, older was better.  Still, making the final four was quite an accomplishment for a made-for-TV movie.

#1 - ALL QUIET (1930) vs. #12 - ALL QUIET (1979)

VS.

EFFECTS, SOUNDS, MUSIC:  “All Quiet” (1930) has great effects for a movie released in 1930.  Like most WWI movies, the bombardment effects are impressive.  However, the effects director tends to have his bombardments appear as a perfect line of explosions.  No artillery barrage could have been that accurate.  There is certainly a lot of earth thrown around.  The sound effects tend toward noisy over quality.  Most of the shells whine.  There are some really cool staccato machine gun sounds.  As far as music, there is no soundtrack.  I believe it is better to have too little music than too much, but a little would have enhanced the film.  GRADE  -  B-

 “All Quiet” (1979) is a made-for-TV movie so you can’t expect spectacular effects.  The bombardment effects are fine.  The sounds are excellent.  When the men go through the barbed wire, you hear the tinkling.  Surprisingly for a modern war movie, there is not much of a soundtrack.  Alyn Ferguson was a well-respected composer for mostly TV productions.  He was not looking to win an Emmy for his work here.  The soundtrack does not tug at emotions or tell you how to feel.  Most scenes have no music.  GRADE  -  C

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  1930  -  7    1979  -  6

INTERIORS AND EXTERIORS:  “All Quiet” (1930) is weak on interiors.  The dugouts are too simple.  There are no bunk beds evident.  This is not accurate for depicting the elaborate underground structures the Germans constructed.  The billets are fine, but lack much mise en scene. The military hospital is too pristine and quiet.  No one is screaming in pain.  There was no chaos.  No man’s land is excellently recreated.  There are plenty of shell craters and barbed wire.  The trenches are fairly generic and there is little evidence of the zig-zag nature of the real trenches.  GRADE  -  B-

“All Quiet” (1979) has a bunker scene with bunks.  It is sturdily built.  Several billets are in bombed out buildings.  The hospital looks more realistic than in the 1930 version as it is crowded and busy, but still too quiet.  The classroom and Paul’s home appear to have verisimilitude    No man’s land is medium scale, but a crane shot shows it as appropriately pock-marked.  The trench is zig-zag in configuration and a later scene even has a fire-step.  The towns in France show the effects of bombardment (but that just might be the Czechoslovakian locales the movie was filmed in).  GRADE  -  A-

HALFTIME SCORE:  1930  -  14    1979  -  14

CINEMATOGRAPHY:  “All Quiet” (1930) was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards.  Arthur Edeson was one of the great Old School cinematographers.  He was fond of shots through doorways and windows.  As you watch the movie, you are aware of the movie’s composition.  It is one of the reasons the film is considered a masterpiece.  Although made in 1930, the big trench battle is a tour de force with tracking shots and the POV shots of the machine guns mowing down the fodder.  The movie is most famous for its shots of the French jumping into the trench.  GRADE  -  A

John Coquillon filmed the new version.  He also did “Cross of Iron” among many other movies.  His efforts are workmanlike and there are few bells or whistles.  I did not drop my jaw a single time.  It’s above average for a made-for-TV movie.  Some of the cinematography makes nods to the original, like the severed hands on the barbed wire and the hand-to-hand combat.  GRADE  -  C

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  1930  -  23    1979  -  20

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:  There are ten significant characters in both movies.  The 1930 version does a great job on three of them:  Paul, Kat, and Tjaden.  Himmelstoss is one note.  We know he is a postman who lets power go to his head.  The squadmates are hard to distinguish without a scorecard.  GRADE  -  C 

The 1979 version spends more time establishing the various personalities.  In particular, the new version is much better at Paul’s arc from naïve schoolboy to cynical veteran.  Almost every scene centering on Paul is an improvement over the original in developing his character. A subtle theme is Paul’s eventual smoking of cigarettes. The movie makes a point of identifying his comrades in an early voiceover.  GRADE  -  A

FINAL SCORE:  1930  -  29

                           1979  -  29

MATCH ANALYSIS:  Wow, another tie.  I think under the circumstances I am going to advance the original.  Using a boxing analogy, if you want to take the crown from the champ, you have to beat them decisively.  I do not feel the categories were the right ones for determining which is the better movie, but I have to stick to the format.  I am working on a future post that will determine which movie is the better version of the novel. 

ALL QUIET (1930) (1) vs. OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (9)

VS.

REALISM:  Erich Remarque, who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front, was a veteran of WWI.  The movie recreates the realism of the book.  This starts with the opening scene that reflects the enthusiasm of the German people for the war.  The training camp scenes give a taste of Prussian discipline.  At the front, director Milestone did a remarkable job with the trenches, dugouts, and no man’s land.  The film includes references to the rats, the lice, shell shock.  The battles are as realistic as one could expect with the technology available.  Paul’s trip home shows the cluelessness of the public to the facts at the front.  GRADE  -  A

“Oh! What a Lovely War” is not meant to be literally realistic.  In fact, much of it is surreal.  One scene has the cavalry as a merry go round.  The Brighton West Pier represents the home front.  Perhaps surprisingly, the front is earthy and unsentimental.  It throws in little touches like early gas masks and canaries to warn of gas attacks.  The most realistic aspect of the film is the depiction of the leaders.  They are damned by their own words and attitudes.  GRADE  -  C+

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  9    Lovely War  -  7

DIALOGUE:  “All Quiet” is not a dialogue driven movie.  It has few famous quotes, but the soldier banter is natural.  There are two scenes where dialogue is strong -  when the soldiers discuss the war and when Paul returns to his old classroom and describes the war to the new potential cannon-fodder.  GRADE  -  B

“Lovely War” uses a lot of primary source material so the words coming out of the mouths of the kings and generals are real.  The rest of the dialogue is fine and not flowery.  If you count the numerous period songs, then the dialogue is outstanding.  The songs are an integral part of the story and are not just background or filler.  GRADE  -  A

HALFTIME SCORE:  All Quiet  -  17    Lovely War  -  16

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR:  “All Quiet” is one of the best movies in delineating German soldier life in WWI.   You can learn a lot about soldier life in WWI from this movie.  The movie is especially strong in its depiction of soldier camaraderie.  The bonds are forged in the furnace of the trenches.  The film throws in numerous details of the hardships the soldiers endured.  It hits many of the “lacks”:  food, female companionship,  sleep, hygiene   GRADE  -  A

“Lovely War” is not really focused on depicting soldier life.  The vibe is apt.  The arc takes the men from patriotic enthusiasm to jaded cynicism.  The black humor is relevant.  The very British behavior may be a little clicheish, but there was a certain stiff upper lip quality to the British soldiers of the Great War.  GRADE  -  B

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  26    Lovely War  -  24

ENTERTAINMENT:  “All Quiet” is a faithful presentation of the most famous war novel.  The movie was a box office success and garnered the Best Picture award.  The plot is a near perfect imagining of the effect the war could have on a group of young men who volunteer with no real knowledge of war and end up tasting the fruits and ashes of that war.  It was smashing entertainment for the 1930s, but is a bit outdated today.  This is mainly attributable to the archaic silent movie style acting of much of the cast.  All things considered, it holds up remarkably well and can be viewed numerous times if you are a war movie fan.  GRADE  -  A

“Lovely War” is a unique take on the war.  It is probably the most female-friendly of the movies in the tournament.  The songs are numerous and very entertaining.  Unfortunately, you have to be historically literate to really enjoy the movie.  It is something of a niche film.  Since most people are only vaguely familiar with the history of the war, it is not entertainment for the masses.  It is more educational than entertainment.  GRADE  -  B

FINAL SCORE:  All Quiet  -  35

                           Lovely War  -  32

MATCH ANALYSIS:  This was an intriguing match-up between movies with contrasting styles.  “All Quiet” is justifiably considered to be a masterpiece, but “Lovely War” deserves to be considered one of the best WWI movies.  Certainly, “All Quiet” should have advanced in a tournament to determine the best WWI combat film.  It is the quintessential movie of its type.  “Lovely War” is a square peg in a round hole. As a musical set in the war, it is without peer.  My suggestion is to pair the movies up to get the full WWI experience.  Watch “All Quiet” for the foot soldier perspective and watch “Lovely War” to see how they got into that mess.

 

PATHS OF GLORY (2) vs. WESTFRONT, 1918 (7)

VS.

REALISM:  “Paths of Glory” is a realistic depiction of the state of the French army in 1916.  Although not a true story, it is an accurate indictment of French command and tactics.  The big battle is as close as a WWI movie comes to the horrors of crossing no man’s land under a torrent of shot and shell.  The subsequent court-martial of three soldiers is designed to punish the unsuccessful unit.  This is not particularly realistic, but did happen.  All of the armies used the threat of execution to “motivate” the men.  Where the movie is strongest is its portrayal of the brass.  Generals Broulard and Mireau represent the crass attitude some French generals had toward their charges.  The pigheaded frontal tactics are spot on.  The execution of men for cowardice in spite of extenuating circumstances is sadly not an aberration.  GRADE  -  A

“Westfront, 1918” does a good job enlightening the audience about conditions on the Western Front.  Director Georg Pabst was famous for his sober realism.  The trenches and no man’s land look like you might see in a documentary.  The movie adds little touches that indicate the screenwriter knew his war.  There is a messenger dog.  The soldiers spend time picking lice.  A main character gets shell shock.  GRADE  -  A

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  Paths  -  9    Westfront  -  9

DIALOGUE:  The dialogue in “Paths” is crackling.  This is a good thing because the movie is mostly a courtroom drama which means it is dialogue driven.  Broulard is a loathsome character not just for what he does, but also for what he says.  The whole cast gets to share in the many quotable lines in the film.  When Broulard asks if his men are men or mice, Dax responds:  “If I had the choice between mice and Mausers, I’d take the mice.”  When Paris ruminates about his life prospects compared to a roach, Ferrol smashes the roach and says:  “Now you have the edge on him.”  The contrast between what the idealist Dax says with regard to the war and what the generals say leaves little doubt about the nature of the war.  GRADE  -  A+

“Westfront” is not dialogue driven.  It has a dearth of standout quotes, although the final conclusion of “it’s everyone’s fault” is a great summation of the war.  The movie is more interested in depicting the soldier experience at the front and in combat than in giving them voices.  Considering this, we can be thankful that what dialogue there is is not sappy.  The men talk like soldiers probably because many of the actors were veterans.  GRADE  -  B

HALFTIME SCORE:  Paths  -  19    Westfront  -  17

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR:  “Paths” is not a movie about soldier life.  It spends much of its time on the behavior of the commanders.  The three condemned soldiers well-represent the common poilu.  However, there is little coverage of the men in the trenches.  The behavior of the men pre-battle, during the battle, and after the battle is a tutorial on the French army in 1916.  The “lambs led to slaughter” aspect is predictive of the mutinies that roiled the army one year later.  The most telling scene is the final scene where a hooting crowd at a cantina is silenced and brought to tears by the singing of a German chanteuse.  GRADE  -  B

“Westfront” was released the same year as “All Quiet” and has similar themes.  It concentrates on a small group of men, too.  An advantage “Westfront” had was it was a German movie about German soldiers.  That might explain why it is more cynical and bitter than Milestone’s film.  It is just a matter of degree as both films are excellent in showing the bonding and comradeship that occurs in the trenches.  “Westfront” depicts the reluctance of soldiers to volunteer.  A rare occurrence in a war movie.  It also gets the exhaustion of war right.  GRADE  -  A

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  Paths  -  27    Westfront  -  26

ENTERTAINMENT:  It is amazing that “Paths” was not a big hit when it was released.  It is a classic mainstream war movie.  It has the big battle scene for combat junkies. It is drama without the melo.  The acting is great, as is the dialogue.  It tugs the emotions of the audience effectively.  It has no weaknesses.  You are entertained when you watch it, but you also feel you have accomplished something by watching it.  It is a bucket list movie.  GRADE  -  A+

“Westfront” is also a must-see war movie.  A must-see for war movie fans.  Unlike “Paths”, it was not aimed at the general public.  Pabst could not have conceived of the project as a box office magnet.  His direction ended up making the movie very entertaining from my perspective, but the unremitting grimness reduced its allure to the average viewer.  Note that it came out the same year as “All Quiet” and yet many less people have seen it.  This is a shame, but not surprising considering that “All Quiet” is more traditionally entertaining than Pabst’s work.  Part of the reason for this is “Westfront” does not flow smoothly from scene to scene.  It is a character-centric film that lacks in character development a bit.  GRADE  -  B

FINAL SCORE:  Paths of Glory  -  37

                           Westfront, 1918  -  34

MATCH ANALYSIS:  This was a match between two of the best WWI movies.  Hopefully,  the game performance of “Westfront” will encourage more to watch it.  It probably deserved to go further in the tournament, but ran into a behemoth.  “Paths” will be tough to beat, but the upcoming categories might uncover some weaknesses.  So far, it has shown no chinks in its armor.  It is telling that both these movies offended the powers that be in the nations of the armies they depict.  Kudos to both of them for this badge of honor.   

ALL QUIET (1979) (12) vs. SGT. YORK (4)

VS.

REALISM:  “Sergeant York” is as realistic as you can expect for a movie made in the Forties that was aimed at lauding a true American history.  The movie has verisimilitude in its interiors.  The country store and the York home are examples of the attention to detail put in by the set designer.  The hillbilly characters and life style is also real.  The movie is realistic in its portrayal of the ignorance of the backwoods to events in Europe and the pacifism that turned to patriotism upon U.S. entry.  The military scenes are less true to reality.  Boot camp is depicted as similar to a fantasy camp.  The movie is not interested in making the military look like a questionable occupation.  The combat is fine in showing the attack York participated in.  A lot of effort (and explosives) went into recreating no man’s land.  York’s individual exploit is fairly close to what actually happened with some Hollywood touches that war movie lovers will notice right away.  GRADE  -  B

“All Quiet…” is as realistic as Remarque’s book is.  The film takes all its scenes from the novel.  Although it was a made-for-TV movie, effort has gone into making the sets realistic.  The trenches, bunkers, and no man’s land are outstanding.  The arc of Paul and his classmates from naïve patriots looking forward to a great adventure to jaded veterans is appropriate.  The attitude of home front civilians also rings true.  No movie could better present the effect of the war on the German soldiers’ morale.  It is also outstanding in portraying the strong bonds between soldiers, especially those who go to war together.  GRADE  -  A

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  9     York  -  8

DIALOGUE:  “Sergeant York” is full of hillbilly talk.  It is truly quaint, but the actors pull it off and it adds to the feel of the film.  A typical line is “war is agin the book”.  It helps that the actors, led by Gary Cooper, manage to pull off the accent with aplomb.  Being a patriotic movie, the dialogue is not biting.  However, it does not make you shake your head much.  The worst it gets is the exchanges between York and the cliché Brooklynite.  GRADE  -  B

“All Quiet…” mirrors the dialogue of the book which is all you need to know.  Paul gets the lion-share of the lines and also does some narration.  The narration is appropriately somber and cynical.  “My knowledge of life is limited to death”.  The banter is natural.  The bond between the men is apparent from the way they talk to each other.  GRADE  -  A

HALFTIME SCORE:   All Quiet  -  18    York  -  16

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR:  “Sergeant York” does not have much on soldier behavior.  Heck, it does not even get to boot camp until the 1:15 mark of the film.  The movie is a biopic so it concentrates on one soldier.  And he is not a typical soldier.  He has to be convinced to fight.  GRADE  -  C

“All Quiet” tells the tale of a small unit of German soldiers from boot camp through the last days of the war.  Remarque was a soldier in the Great War and we can assume he put his personal experiences into his book.  The training camp scenes show that the German experience was similar to other armies.  Paul and his mates do not robotically shed their civilian attitudes toward authority which shows that German young men were not that different to other nationalities going through cinematic boot camp.  When they reach the front they are taken under the wing of the veteran Kat and learn the real deal.  The movie is best when it is in the dugout with the men.  They deal with the rats, lice, and other problems.  What they endure cement their bonds to where when Paul returns home, he realizes his real home is at the front.  GRADE  -  A

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  27    York  -  22

ENTERTAINMENT:  “Sergeant York” was perfect entertainment for its time and audience.  It is old fashioned, but pushes all the right buttons.  The main character is a hero who overcomes personality flaws by finding the Lord.  It is a classic redemption story.  There is a romance that is predictable, but heart-warming.  The movie is filled with interesting characters and anchored by Cooper’s spot-on portrayal of Hollywood’s version of a backwoods hero.  Along with the character study, we conclude with a thrilling combat scene.  What is not to like?  Especially if you are old.  GRADE  -  A

If you consider the novel to be entertaining, and I suppose some people find it too depressing to be entertaining, you have to like “All Quiet” (1979).  The movie takes many of the scenes from the book and commendably recreates them.  The cast is outstanding and Richard Thomas gives best performance of his career.  Keep in mind that this movie brought the novel to the small screen so it was free entertainment.  The flash back format gives the narrative some pizazz. The theme of lost innocence is clearly explored.  It is an anti-war movie for the Vietnam generation.  GRADE  -  A

FINAL SCORE:  All Quiet  -  36

                           Sgt. York  -  31

MATCH ANALYSIS:    I have made no secret that I feel the remake of the classic original is shamefully underrated.  I do not understand why people disrespect it.  It is possible to like the 1931 version and appreciate the updated version.  There is something to be said for modern war movies if the plot is good and the acting is satisfactory.  The technology gives them an advantage in translating the war experience to the screen.  In “Sergeant York” we have an example of a classic that holds up well over the years, but in this tournament it was hurt by its being predominately a biography more than a war movie.  It barely made the second round due to that fact.  It stood little chance against a competent rendering of the greatest war novel ever written.   

THE BIG PARADE (3) vs. THE LOST BATTALION (11)

Well, we are now through the first round and there were some upsets. We have a #12 seed moving on - All Quiet (1979). Here are the second round match-ups.

#1 - All Quiet (1931)
#9 - Oh! What a Lovely War

#12 - All Quiet (1979)
#4 - Sergeant York

#11 - Lost Battalion
#3 - The Big Parade

#7 - Westfront, 1918
#2 - Paths of Glory

VS.

REALISM:   “The Big Parade” is weak on realism.  The soldiers go through little hardship, other than stale cake from home.  The first part of the combat payoff has the Americans advancing in lines through a forest.  This is actually a true depiction of the naivete of the American army in its early battles.  We had learned little from the experiences of the British and French.  And the filmmakers had learned little of the effects of machine gun fire on lines of men.  The night attack is also shown in lines which would have been appropriate even in crossing no man’s land, but it is staged at night.  This would have been uncommon.  The artillery fire is the most realistic thing about the combat.  GRADE:  Big Parade  -  C

“The Lost Battalion” is above average in realism.  The weak moments can be attributed to its made-for-TV nature.  The trench and no man’s land are authentic, but some of the fighting defies logic.  For instance, in some of the fighting, the Americans leave cover to confront the superior German forces in the open.  During artillery bombardments, they do not hunker down.  There is more hand-to-hand fighting than would have occurred.  On the other hand, the hardships the men went through are accurately depicted.  The film includes the lack of food and ammunition and the suffering of the wounded. GRADE  -  B

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  Battalion  -  8    Parade  -  6

DIALOGUE:  Being a silent movie, the dialogue that makes the title cards is sparse.  Most of the dialogue spoken by the actors must be inferred.  This is a good thing because I can guess that if we had to listen to all of it, it would not be an improvement.  At least it is not flowery.  It just is not special.  The attempts at jokes are uniformly lame.  GRADE  -  C

“The Lost Battalion” throws in a lot of faux soldier banter.  The screenwriter picked up a copy of “Early 20^th Century Brooklyn Slang” and sprinkled his research throughout the film.  The interchanges between Gaedecke and Rosen smack a lot of those between Rivera and Friedman in “A Walk in the Sun”.  The combat may be R-rated, but the dialogue is decidedly PG-13.  Much of it is pious.  The words put in the German officer’s mouth are what Hollywood can imagine a sympathetic German saying about the amazing Americans.  GRADE  -  B-

HALFTIME SCORE:   Battalion  -  14    Parade  -  13

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR:  “The Big Parade” skips over training and plunks the trio on the Western Front.  Their billeting at a French farm is all fun and games.  Like living in a frat house, there are pranks and ribbing in a lame sort of way. Their naivete is not far from the cluelessness of the newcomers from across the Atlantic.  The movie gets the camaraderie right and the way the war brought men of different backgrounds together. However, the film is not really interested in giving the audience an accurate picture of what the soldiers went through.  Go to France, make some friends, fall in love!  GRADE  -  C

“The Lost Battalion” does attempt to show how the soldier’s lived.  The movie splits time between command decisions and soldier interaction before going full combat mode.  The comradeship is apparent.  The movie makes a point of having the veterans instruct the newbies.  Much of this is patronizing to anybody familiar with the AEF, but for the average viewer it is instructive.  The screenwriter gets the brash attitude of the Yanks down.  But some of the characters are not gung-ho.  GRADE  -  B

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  Battalion  -  22     Parade  -  19

ENTERTAINMENT:  “The Big Parade” is mainly a romance set in war with a buddy picture aspect thrown in.  It is not aimed at the macho combat groupies.  It is pretty good entertainment for a silent movie that wants to please both males and females.  If the men can sit through the character and relationships development, they get a fairly kick-ass combat payoff.  It holds up well over the years, but it is not something you could show students with any success whatsoever.  You must like classic films to like “The Big Parade”.  GRADE  -  B

“The Lost Battalion” is almost the exact opposite movie from “The Big Parade”.  For instance, there is not a single female in the movie. It is definitely a movie aimed at a male audience.  Unless you are a female who is hot for Rick Schroder.  Some of the movie comes close to combat porn.  It is amazingly intense and graphic.  If you enjoyed the opening to “Saving Private Ryan”, you will enjoy much of “The Lost Battalion”.  The fact that it is a true story accurately rendered makes it more entertaining than it otherwise might be.  GRADE  -  A

FINAL SCORE:  Lost Battalion  -  31

                           Big Parade  -  27

MATCH ANALYSIS:  I am a big fan of all war movies, no matter the era.  “The Big Parade” is one of the best silent movies set in WWI.  I was impressed with it the first time I saw it, but it does not improve with repeat viewings.  It is Old School which can be a good thing.  However, since the plot is dusty, it has a hard time going up against a modern war movie with a competent plot.  A movie like “The Lost Battalion” (even one with a made-for-TV budget and the constraints of that medium) has huge advantages in cinematography and effects.  When you look at the quantity and quality of the combat and the surprisingly good acting, it is not surprising that it won comfortably.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) (1) vs. PRIVATE PEACEFUL (16)

VS.

PLOT:  “All Quiet…” is a faithful rendering of the most famous war novel.  This makes the plot outstanding.  For those of you who are reading this from another planet, the movie is the story of Paul Baumer and his mates as they try to survive on the Western Front.  Paul goes from naïve schoolboy to cynical veteran.  The men go through boot camp and then it’s off to the front to experience what the war is really like.  Under the tutelage of a wizened old vet, Paul and the boys learn the ropes.  Along the way they find out that war sucks and few survive.  It’s heart-felt and heart-breaking.  It has several iconic combat scenes.  GRADE  -  A+

“Private Peaceful” is based on a young adult novel.  It is the tale of two brothers and the girl they both love.  She chooses the older Charlie which breaks Tommo’s heart.  The war separates the couple, but reunites the brothers.  Tommo and Charlie are lower class lads who go off to the Western Front where they are harassed by evil sergeant Hanley. He is a stock villain who does everything but twirl his mustache.  The plot builds to the execution of one of the boys for disobeying orders.  It concludes with a trite twist ending.  GRADE  -  C+

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  10    Peaceful  -  7

ACTING:  The only real flaw in “All Quiet” is in the acting.  The cast is not special.  Lew Ayres was not a big star and did not get top billing.  His performance is much too overwrought.  Top billing went to Louis Wolheim who played Kat.  He and Slim Summerville (Tjaden) are the only main actors who don’t chew scenery.  There are several moments in the film where the acting causes giggles.  Although a talkie, the film is distinctly silent in its acting.  Even Ayres, who became a star from his role as Paul, is cringe-inducing at times.  GRADE  -  C

“Private Peaceful” stars the up and coming Jack O’Connell as Charlie and he brings a lot of charisma to the role.  The rest of the cast is not well known, but they are fine.  John Lynch foams at the mouth as the despicable Hanley, but the role was written for that.  GRADE  -  C

HALFTIME SCORE:  All Quiet  -  16     Peaceful  -  13

COMBAT:  It may surprise many that “All Quiet” has only 11 minutes of combat. The quality is high, however.  The big set piece trench warfare scene is a classic.  It is the best at showing the back and forth of trench assaults.  The French evict them in spite of their machine guns and rifle fire, they retreat to their reserve trench, a barrage forces the French back, the Germans counterattack and take the French trench, but they withdraw and everyone is back where they started from!  The scene features some vicious hand-to-hand fighting and one indelible shot of severed hands on the barbed wire.  Combat is secondary to the hardships and rare moments of humanity that Paul and the others undergo.  GRADE  -  B

“Private Peaceful” has only 5 minutes of combat and what there is is small scale.  It is also unrealistically staged.  The no man’s land is merely a field.  No shell craters.  No reason to scare the kiddies.  Besides, it’s a tale of two brothers and their girl friend.  The only part combat plays is to set up the court-martial.  You would think it was a play.  GRADE  -  D

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  All Quiet  -  24    Peaceful  -  18

ANTI-WAR:  “All Quiet” is based on the most famous antiwar novel ever written.  And the movie surely brings the vibe to the silver screen.  This theme that the war was a terrible mistake kicks in from the very first scene and is consistently permeating the film throughout even the home front scene.  The movie includes Paul’s stay in the hospital which is another form of horror.  The body count is reflective of an anti-war movie.  The anti-command sub-theme is exemplified by the Himmelstoss character.  By the way, Lew Ayres became a conscientious objector in WWII due to his involvement in the movie.  GRADE  -  A+

“Private Peaceful” is meant to be anti-war in a lecturing sort of way.  Being aimed at a young audience, the theme is simplified and unsubtle.  The movie does not really show the horrors of trench warfare.  The big tear-jerking moment is the result of villainy that could have been found in civilian life.  If anything, the movie is more anti-upper class.  The Peaceful family is trod upon by their local landlord.  GRADE  -  C

FINAL SCORE:  All Quiet  -  34

Private Peaceful  -  24

MATCH ANALYSIS:  Hey, I had to go through the motions, okay?  This was truly a mismatch.  It was a lightweight up against a heavyweight and it got pummeled.  “All Quiet” is a classic that is arguably still the best WWI movie ever made.  “Private Peaceful” will be forgotten soon.  Not that it was the 16^th best movie in the tournament.  There were definitely worse contenders.  

THE BIG PARADE (3) vs. FIGHTING 69th (14)

VS.

PLOT:  “The Big Parade” is a home front to war front romance.  It is also a buddy film.  The main character Jim is a rich boy who leaves his fiancé to go to war.  He meets “Bull”, the bartender, and “Slim”, the construction worker.  The trios’ unit is billeted in a French barn.  Jim makes a love connection with a feisty mademoiselle named Melisande, but then it’s off to the front for a battle that consumes the last part of the movie.  Many of the scenes go on too long.  The plot is decidedly silent movieiesh.  There are some lame stabs at humor.  The plot builds slowly to the climactic battle which is the highlight of the movie.  GRADE  -  C

“The Fighting 69^th” is a fictional story involving the famous American 69^th Infantry Regiment.  The story centers around the attempts of Father Duffy to reform a street tough named Plunkitt (Jimmy Cagney).  The plot takes the unit from boot camp to battle with Plunkitt’s antics keeping Duffy busy and giving him grey hairs.  It is all very predictable.  It is also blatantly religious and patriotic.  It features an unlikeable central character who doesn’t deserve, but gets, redemption.  A movie like this could not be made today.  That’s a good thing.  The only positive is the portrayal of some real heroes like Duffy, William Donovan, and Joyce Kilmer.    GRADE  -  D

FIRST QUARTER SCORE:  Parade  -  6    Fighting 69^th  -  5

ACTING:  “The Big Parade” stars John Gilbert who was a major silent movie star and was a rival of Valentino as a sex symbol.  He is fine for a silent movie role.  You have to expect a lot of mugging.  There is some chemistry with Renee Adoree.  The rest of the cast was not noteworthy at the time although Adoree made a big splash in the film.  She is adorable.  I know the mugging was considered acceptable back then, but today the performances seem very dated.  Plus, the actor who plays “Slim” is difficult to watch.  He is a bizarre looking dude and his biggest talent is spitting tobacco juice.  His look is as disgusting as Plunkitt’s personality.  GRADE  -  B-

“The Fighting 69^th” stars Cagney and Pat O’Brian so it is strong in its leads.  Cagney could be great, but the character and script let him down.  He chews the scenery like he hasn’t had a decent meal in years.  O’Brian is overly pious, of course.  The rest of the cast is wooden.  GRADE  -  C

HALFTIME SCORE:  Parade  -  13    Fighting 69^th  -  11

COMBAT:  “The Big Parade” has 17 minutes of combat.  There is a lot of trite before you get to it, but it is worth the wait if you don’t expect ‘’Saving Private Ryan”.  The big combat scene starts with the Americans marching in lines through a forest where they encounter snipers and machine gun nests.  The machine guns do not mow them down but instead pick off individuals!  Then the action transitions to an assault across no man’s land.  There are plenty of explosions and after darkness, the renewal of the attack is nightmarish.  In between, the trio takes refuge in a shell crater and have their own little adventure.  It’s all very micro and does not stand out as one of the outstanding combat scenes.  I do not show it in class.  GRADE  -  B

“The Fighting 69^th” has about 9 minutes of combat and it’s mostly of the bombardment of troops in no man’s land.  It is also micro and concentrates mostly on the actions of Plunkitt.  It is also laughably unrealistic.  It tells you a lot when a WWI movie stages its combat  mostly at night.  GRADE  -  D

THIRD QUARTER SCORE:  Parade  -  21    Fighting 69^th  -  16

ANTI-WAR:  “The Big Parade” is average when it comes to condemning the war.  It tries to earn its badge by inflicting hardship on its main characters.  Two of the three soldiers are killed and one is maimed.  Melisande becomes a refugee.  However, this is diluted by a happy ending.  There is no criticism of command or the war in general.  Jim’s decision to go to war is not questioned.  GRADE  -  C

“The Fighting 69^th” is one of the few WWI movies that is pro-war.  The main character is the only one who questions the war and that is because he is a coward.  All the other soldiers are enthusiastic.  One theme is that war brings the country together.  I guess you can’t laud a unit and criticize its war at the same time.  GRADE  -  F

FINAL SCORE:  Big Parade  -  27

                           Fighting 69^th  -  20

MATCH ANALYSIS:   I liked “The Big Parade” better the first time I watched it. This time I found it quite the antique.  The scenes linger way past their expiration date.  It is more of a romance than a war movie.  Thank God for the big combat scene which saves the movie in the end.  It also has a great ending, although its schmaltzy.  I do believe it is overrated and was seeded too high.  But that is because IMDB judged it as a movie, not as a war movie and it got the ”classic” bump.  It had an easy first round opponent in the mediocre “Fighting 69^th”.  It may be a talkie, but it is even more of a dinosaur than “Parade”.  I like Cagney, but he embarrasses himself in this movie.  Instead of concentrating on Donovan and Kilmer, we get Plunkitt.  And Duffy does not come off well as he continues to support an a-hole.