Citizen Kane

I am sorry to say that i dislike this movie. It's plain and simple and i don't think my mind can be changed. I saw all the symbolism and connections and universal truths but for some reason i could not stay interested. Perhaps it was the black and white, however All Quit On the Western Front was very enjoyable for me. Maybe it was, like Mr. Bennet explained in class, that mood played a huge part in it and i havn't been having the best couple of months. Nonetheless, it did not keep me interested except for one theme. The theme of the loss of innocence with the sled being rosebud and the symbol really appealed to me. He died alone in a castle he built to honor himself and was alienated from anyone and everyone. In the end he drove his wife away, the one who didn't know who he was in the beginning but liked him anyway.


What kind of person would he have been if he stayed with his parents?

I really don't know why i don't like this movie. I watched it over at home and I felt nothing for the characters, i wasn't really held in suspense or my moods swayed. I hope this doesn't affect my grade... lol

Citizen Kane

I am very excited for this movie. I cant wait to find out what "rosebud" means. The beginning of the movie, with its surreal, weird, and astounding cinematography is a definite attention grabber. I know it is not well thought out or insightful like my other posts, i just think it will be a good watch and anticipate it greatly.

Family of War

"All Is Quiet on the Western Front" is truly a work of art. It holds so much symbolism, beauty, and truth. Definitely my favorite theme of the movie was family. This theme comes up when the movie shows you how a person is completely changed with the constant threat of death and the certainty in your mind that you are next to die. You can no longer look with loving eyes at your family or in Paul's case, his sister and mother, and know that there is this darkness lurks beneath all things. Your family could never understand, so your family becomes the men that sat right beside you in the darkness; in the trenches and understand your pain, your fear, and your joy. This is seen with Paul's and Katczinsky's relationship towards the end of the movie. When he died on Paul's back I thought it was symbolic for how all the men in war carry this heavy burden around wherever they go in war.

I also found the ending scene another example of dehumanization in that Paul does not die in a hellish firefight and he doesn't go out with guns blazing. Paul dies from reaching for the only beauty he appreciates in the entire war, a butterfly.

The War Rages on in "All Quiet on the Western Front"

The movie at this point has taken a break from the constant death and fighting; turning to another basic male need. Women... Although these scenes seem comedic and light it secretly portrays the awful state of things. One example is that the woman seemed uninterested in the soldiers until food was presented to them. Either french women are really, really turned on by bread and salami or hunger is common in Germany occupied France. Another careful addition that the director places in the movie, is when the Paul and his friend are looking at a poster of a woman and fantasize about her as if she were a real woman. Even though she is in fact a picture Paul talks about asking her out and talking to her and discussing how old she might be. In this scene he says "shes our age, shes 17". This brought everything down to Earth for me. These men so young(about our age) and already exposed to war and the frailty of life and death. Most of them have not experienced true love and yet they die all the same. Death is an unbiased creature.

The Death Of Paul's Friend

It is not the movie itself that impressed me but Mr. Bennet's qouting of the german philosopher. It goes "When you hear a close friend has died your first impulse is to laugh". When you first hear this it sounds as if Mr. Bennet is a crazed maniac that wants you to kill your closest friends but from Mr. Bennet's story and Paul's ecstatic joy you could tell that there might be some truth to this. It seems like you begin to appreciate life and  a general euphoria washes over you and you are not glad for the death itself but you are glad that you are alive. It seems as if our humanity does not follow moral or logical emotion. Just think about it, why would a person feel the need to "LAUGH" above all else when a friend dies. We are indeed mysterious beings and as adolescents we still have so much to learn and discover about the human condition.

I am an existentialist because the concept of an underlying force micromanaging our lives and answering our pleas for help is ludicrous. Realizing this is essential to start to appreciate life in all its madness, randomness, and beauty.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Lewis Milestone(Battle scene)

IF the goal was to horrify then this scene passes with flying colors. It may not be that it was so graphic or scary but the fact that I am seeing it from an analytical point of view, you see things for what they are. The raw realism that this is what actually happened. That a person who you see in front of you can die at any moment. A person will cease to exist right in front of your eyes and realizing the same fate awaits you is horrifying. And just thinking about how death stops life in its tracks, all the things you will aspire to, the things that you will achieve and the experiences you are going to have, no longer exist and no longer matter.

The technical aspect of the scene I cant see because i don't understand enough on the subject but it is interesting to learn and think about the camera angles the director's intended mood and message of a scene.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Lewis Milestone

I know this is black and white and what may even be called a dependence on the crisp, clean look of modern movies (2000 and on ---->). This does not mean however i do not keep an open mind. Mr. Bennet's explanation of how rigorously and precisely film makers will direct and produce the film blew my mind. This is because I realized that everything that is done in a movie has a purpose and reason. This of course means that movies use foreshadowing, symbolism, and metaphors. As in books movies can reveal truths of life through story telling. The movie at hand is a movie set in wartime and spiked my interest when introducing a character (Krasinsky) who is able to find any morsel of food within 25 miles. It has been interesting to analyze how the movie is developed and not just the story the movie has to tell.