Two Classic DVDs
I am not actually reviewing these two films. Rather I am just making a few comments. Very recently I decided to rent two films that have been around for a long time and have something in common. One film is Hiroshima, mon amour and the other one is All Quiet on the Western Front.
Hiroshima takes place some time after World War II. The story focuses on a French actress Elle (Emmanuelle Riva) who is in Hiroshima making a film about peace. She meets a Japanese man Lui (Eji Okada) and they start an affair. Both of them are married and both of them have heavy baggage that they carry around with them. Lui recalls the bombing of Hiroshima and
talks about how his people suffered because of this. Elle tells Lui about her first love, a German soldier, and the consequences of that entanglement. The film is about trying to bury memories and what happens when you decide to remember. It also has a lot to say about the horrors of war. Hiroshima is beautifully directed by Alain Resnais and skillfully written by Marguerite Duras (from her book).
All Quiet on the Western Front won a Best Picture Oscar and a Best Director Oscar for Lewis Milestone. It is based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque, who fought in World War I and became a pacifist afterwards. The screenplay was written by George Abbott and Marshall Anderson. Lew Ayres plays the protagonist Paul Baumer, a German soldier who is at first gung ho about going off to war. However, after a while he comes to the conclusion that war is not worth it because of all of the damage that it does. Of note - the DVD extras mentions that Ayres refused to fight in World War II. He was a vegetarian and didn't believe in killing of any kind. He eventually went overseas as a non-combatant.
What these two films have in common (besides the fact that they are both in black and white) is that they are anti-war. And they are both timeless. As someone who is against all of the wars and violence in the world these two films really hit the spot. The damage done in Hiroshima is nothing compared to what can happen with all of the high tech weapons out there today. The war fought in All Quiet is not World War I - it is every war. So if you want to see some great anti-war films check these two out. You won't be sorry that you did (and don't forget to see Clint Eastwood's masterful Letters from Iwo Jima which is another great anti-war film).
Hiroshima takes place some time after World War II. The story focuses on a French actress Elle (Emmanuelle Riva) who is in Hiroshima making a film about peace. She meets a Japanese man Lui (Eji Okada) and they start an affair. Both of them are married and both of them have heavy baggage that they carry around with them. Lui recalls the bombing of Hiroshima and
talks about how his people suffered because of this. Elle tells Lui about her first love, a German soldier, and the consequences of that entanglement. The film is about trying to bury memories and what happens when you decide to remember. It also has a lot to say about the horrors of war. Hiroshima is beautifully directed by Alain Resnais and skillfully written by Marguerite Duras (from her book).
All Quiet on the Western Front won a Best Picture Oscar and a Best Director Oscar for Lewis Milestone. It is based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque, who fought in World War I and became a pacifist afterwards. The screenplay was written by George Abbott and Marshall Anderson. Lew Ayres plays the protagonist Paul Baumer, a German soldier who is at first gung ho about going off to war. However, after a while he comes to the conclusion that war is not worth it because of all of the damage that it does. Of note - the DVD extras mentions that Ayres refused to fight in World War II. He was a vegetarian and didn't believe in killing of any kind. He eventually went overseas as a non-combatant.
What these two films have in common (besides the fact that they are both in black and white) is that they are anti-war. And they are both timeless. As someone who is against all of the wars and violence in the world these two films really hit the spot. The damage done in Hiroshima is nothing compared to what can happen with all of the high tech weapons out there today. The war fought in All Quiet is not World War I - it is every war. So if you want to see some great anti-war films check these two out. You won't be sorry that you did (and don't forget to see Clint Eastwood's masterful Letters from Iwo Jima which is another great anti-war film).
posted by Film Fanatic | 7:59 PM
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