Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie" or "Comrades of 1918" is a German black-and-white sound movie from 1930, so this one was made shortly before the Nazis came into power. The director is Georg Wilhelm Pabst again, one of the most successful filmmakers of his generation. I don't know any of the cast, but writer Ladislaus Cajda, who adapted the novel here for the film, worked with Pabst on several occasions and has his name attached also to a couple big films from that era. "Westfront 1918" runs for slightly under 90 minutes, at least in the version i saw. i see other runtimes here on IMDb and these may either include lost segments or just fewer frames per second.The movie is about a group of German soldiers during the days of World War I. War is depicted here as something gruesome, something that needs to be avoided at all costs because of the pain and casualties it brings. You can imagines that Hitler and his gang did not like this approach at all as they identified with war as something heroic, something inevitable in order to bring Germany to glory. From that perspective, it is certainly an interesting watch, even if Pabst obviously couldn't know yet what would happen in the next 15 years. Being banned by the NSDAP is quality an attribute that makes a film worth seeing, but sadly it is just the approach that is right and interesting. I cannot say I cared for the story here or for any of the characters in particular. Overall, just not a good watch. Thumbs down.

LeonLouisRicci Inevitable Comparison to the Great American WWI Movie Filmed the same Year, All Quiet on the Western Front, the Lewis Milestone Film is Decidedly Better on just about Every Level. But that Movie is One of the Greatest Ever Made and Director Pabst Version is a Fine Film but not the Complete Composite and Lacks the Grand Scope of the Other.It is Very Interesting for American Audiences though, as it was Made in Germany and from the Defeated Countries Point of View and In Fact it was Labeled Defeatist by the Right Wing there and was Criticized for it. But it is more a Film about the Devastation of War on All Soldiers and Their Respective Countries. Not from a Nationalistic Point of View Per Se.It is a Bleak and Bombastic Movie as One would Expect from the Fine Filmmaker. The Realism is Striking and it is a Down and Dirty Account of a Very Dirty War. What with Trench Warfare and Chemical Bombs. Pabst doesn't Shy Away from any of that and is in Fact Part of the Gut-Wrenching "Charm" and Message of this Movie that was Banned as soon as Hitler came to Power (what wasn't?).Worth a Watch for Film and Military Historians and should be Given a Go even from those not Friendly to Subtitles. The Dialog is Sparse and there is much Social Concern and the Civilian Drama Works as Well as the Military Melodrama.

Boba_Fett1138 This is a movie that actually doesn't really have a main plot-line in terms of following one main character and have a clear beginning, middle part and end. Just like war there is no logic in it and things just happen within this movie as the movie moves along. It puts you right in the middle of things and shows you the madness of war.It handles all different kinds of aspects from the war. It doesn't only show the situation from the viewpoint of the young soldiers but it also focuses on the family and girls back home. It doesn't do this by featuring it too prominently but picks out an handful of minor characters and just a couple of sequences to get the message across. This works out really well and it doesn't feel melodramatic or anything like that. Modern movies can really learn something from this.But of course foremost the movie gets set in the trenches, somewhere in France. The movie is filled with some WW I battle sequences, which are all surprising good and authentic looking. Guess lots of materials and places from WW I were still around during the production of this movie so they did not have an hard time recreating the look and feeling of the battles fought out in the trenches.It was the first sound movie from Georg Wilhelm Pabst and this shows. Nothing too major, it are just some little things showing you that 'talkies' hadn't been around yet for very long and Georg Wilhelm Pabst wasn't also too experienced with it yet. He pretty much shot this movie in the same way as he would had filmed a silent movie.The movie is of course also original with the fact that it tells the story from the German point of view. While watching this movie you don't actually ever give you the feeling you're watching the movie from the 'evil' and bad point of view. All parties are more or less victims within a war and things are not as black & white as they always seem. Simply a real good and effective WW I production, especially when considering that it got shot way back in 1930.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

wes-connors It is incredible that the U.S. and Germany, in between two Great World Wars, would simultaneously produce two very similarly-themed films - this one, and "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930). The sounds of war are eerily alike - relentless, disturbing, horrifying… "Westfront 1918" is less drama, and more documentary-style than its cousin. The war scenes are remarkable; but so is an interlude when Gustav Diessl (as Karl) goes on leave, expertly directed by G.W. Pabst. This part is slightly better than the Lew Ayres (as Paul) leave in "All Quiet on the Western Front"; and, it is more realistic. However, "Westfront 1918" is less memorable in its final "emotion grabbing" scene (and, overall). Still, it's an excellent film. ******** Westfront 1918 (1930) G.W. Pabst ~ Gustav Diessl, Fritz Kampers, Hans-Joachim Moebis