What Are The Similarities Between All Quiet On The Western Front And Glory

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and Glory (1989), are two epic war dramas with unmatched levels of realism. Director Lewis Milestone’s film, All Quiet on the Western Front and Edward Zwick’s Glory both follow a similar plot structure and do a wonderful job contrasting the horrors of war and the beauty of life. All Quiet on the Western Front follows Paul Baumer, a German soldier, during WWI. The film begins with Paul listening to a speech from Professor Kantorek about saving the homeland. Paul becomes inspired and enlists with many others to join a new regiment. The soldiers then go to basic training, which is very different than what they are expecting. The soldiers eventually make it to a combat zone where they encounter a lack

The film begins with Shaw returning home after being wounded in a battle. He accepts the position of Colonel and commands the first all African American regiment for the Union. The regiment begins a very difficult training regimen. After discovering that his soldiers are not being given the proper supplies or pay, Shaw stands up to his superiors and gains the respect of his men. The regiment eventually gets into combat and is victorious with little casualties. In the third act of the film, Shaw volunteers the regiment to be the first regiment to attack Fort Wagner. During the assault, Shaw dies, along with half of his men. In the ending credits, the film states that the bravery of the soldiers resulted in the Union accepting more African Americans into the army, which Lincoln credited with turning the tide of the

The film does a wonderful job of showing the horrors of war, and does so with little effort. Sound design is one of the most effective design elements in the film. During the attack scenes, the artillery sound effects blare and screech at the audience. This creates a very uncomfortable and tension filled effect because of the horrific sounds. When these harsh sounds sync with the visually striking shots, the audience feels very uneasy, which helps them understand the horrors of the war. There are many moments where uneasiness and tension builds without the use of sound. For example, the ending shots of the film are very quiet as Paul reaches out to touch the butterfly. When Paul is intercut with shots of the sniper, tension builds as the audience begins to fear what is coming. After Paul dies, the audience sees the beauty of the world and the horror of the world in the same shot: Paul’s arm, and a beautiful butterfly. The final shots of the film when images of the regiment are first arriving dissolved with images of a cemetery offer the audience one last look at the horrific deaths and the true cost of