Introduction
The portrayal of World War One in film has often been that of which shows the war as the as a depressing and hopeless struggle. The victories of World War One are not celebrated the same way he allied victory of World War Two is shown in movies. It could be argued that film began to peak after the end of the Third Reich and since the second World War was still fresh in the minds of many, it received the majority of attention. However, the way film has evolved and changed its stance on the Great War.
To understand this change we must take a closer look at both past and present films and recognize the differences and subtleties of substance regarding the First World War. All Quiet on the Western Front, the 1930 film represents an early portrayal of the horrors of the war told from the German side of the trenches. Lawrence of Arabia, a 1962 British film represents the successes of acting in portraying more obscure but still heroic stories of the great conflict. Passchendaele, a Canadian 2008 produced film, represents the war as a defining moment in Canadian history and approaches the war as a more historical event.
By researching these movies, we are provided with a historical and a contemporary version of the same conflict. By analyzing these films, we are able to gain an understanding on how we revise our history after time, and it turn represent that in film. World War I represents a turning point in history, it also represented a historical case study that has been approached differently throughout modern film. By understanding these portrayals, we are able to gain a larger perspective on the conflict as a whole.
As a society we often look to film to answer our questions regarding history. Often times our vision of time is formulated by what we watch in movies. By understanding this connection, we must then ask if what we watch is similar to the actual events. By researching ideas and perspectives on war we are able to apply this to film and understand whether what we see, is actually what happen. This is a distinction we must understand. World War One historically is seen as a watershed moment in time. It must be examined whether or not film truly represents the importance of this conflict
All Quiet on the Western Front
This film, produced in 1930, was an attempt to portray the horrible nature of war. The film follows squads of German soldiers are initially excited at the prospect of war, and then find out its horrible nature as the film progresses. The soldiers see the horrible conditions of trench warfare, and end up battling sickness and rats, more then the enemy. The film was based on the book by Erich Maria. The author of the book was himself a German veteran who experienced the war first hand.[1] It was his experience that leads to the graphic depiction of the novel and therefore the movie,
This depiction is one that is both vivid and realistic. The movie comes straight from a primary source in the author and therefore reflects a firsthand account of World War One. This depiction is important because it shows World War One the way those at the time saw it. Very often, film will look at history and apply present values to past events. Since the author was an original witness of the event, All Quiet on the Western Front represents a different perspective then contemporized versions.
The soldiers’ perspective is dirty and brutal and the movie does not hide this fact. This is important to recognize because film is often times used to glorify or alter events. Rather then hide the facts to the audience, the film provides people an understanding why thousands of returning soldiers chose not to speak of their experiences. By providing the audience with clear visuals, the film takes both those who were too young, and those who didn’t go overseas right into the heart of the battle.
By providing an accurate first hand account, The Film, All Quiet on the Western Front shows the ability of the film media to tell accurate stories. The war was a watershed moment in History, and the soldiers’ tale was often disregarded for the more grandiose stories of politics and strategy. This film provides an exception to the saying that “History is written by the victors.”
It is in this way that this film represents Communication as tool to provide truth. We are often subjected to the accounts of governments and revisionist historians. The film is an example where we given a common man view of a larger conflict. This small view is not insignificant. In a time where literacy was for the elite, the common man was left without means to explain the world around him. Film based on first-hand literacy was able to provide the world with a graphic depiction of the atrocities that were inflicted upon the common soldier during World War One.
Lawrence of Arabia
This 1962 Academy award-winning British film portrays the struggles of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who would lead Arab tribes against Ottoman Turks during the First World War. The film features the well known actors Peter O’Toole who plays Lawrence and Sir Alec Guinness who plays Prince Faisal. The movie is seen as one the best of the 21st century and is considered perhaps the very peak of British film-production.[2]
This film is important because it represents a part of World War One that is often regarded. Most depictions of the conflict depict the squalor conditions of the Western Front in France and Belgium. By depicting the war against the Turks in Arabia, the film is able to provide a story that is new and interesting to audiences. This shows films ability to adapt story-telling in a way that creates awareness of the past. The story of the war in Arabia, although crucial the fall of the Ottoman Empire, is not often discussed when referring to the war. Film is able to take the story of T.E. Lawrence and combine it with good story telling and acting to make a brilliant film that communicates a story that did not previously have a medium.
It is in this way that film as a communication device is able to provide the public with education of interesting topics not explored by regular curriculums. The story of T.E. Lawrence, although interesting, would not be as well known without the film to provide a common theatre for it. Film is able to educate audience at the same time as entertaining them. The legacies of uncommon heroes are saved for history through the depictions in film.
The Film differs from All Quiet on the Western Front because it relies on acting and well written dialogue to tell the story of T.E. Lawrence, the story of Arabia is explained though word rather then shared experience. The film uses the medium of communication and expresses story through acting and conjecture. The exploits of individuals are shown through film and acting.
Passchendaele
This Canadian film, produced in 2008, is the product of the actor Paul Gross. The battle of the Passchendaele represents a turning point in Canadian history. It recognizes the single greatest battle in Canadian History, and Canadian passion and bravery are proved during this battle. It would be after this battle that Canadian soldiers would be known as “stormtroopers,” for being the first line of defense in the battle. The story focuses on the efforts of one soldier (played by Gross), who fights during the battle and goes through a series of personal conflicts on his was the well known battlefield[3]. The movie represents the heroic Canadian soldiers during the conflict and focuses upon there efforts.
This movie represents a more contemporary take on World War One. Rather then rely on the brutally witnessed by first hand account, the movie intends to create a knowledge about the efforts of Canadian soldiers. This means that actions are dramatized and based on mythologies and stories about the war, rather then eye witnesses.
This is a distinct type of story-telling. World War one is an important time in Canadian history however since Canada was still marginally under British control, there efforts are perhaps regarded as simply colonial support. The film and gross succeeds in provided awareness of a Canadian story. This is important because since most movies are ripe with American bias due to the influence of Hollywood movies, the heroes of other cultures and countries are often times portrayed with an American point of view. Since the film is Canadian produced, it is able to create and portray our own mythologies without bias.
The “War Epic” is an extremely popular genre of movie. Gross wanted to take this genre and give it a Canadian perspective. He was able to do so. This is important because it shows the ability of a common communication tool like film to take a conflict and help us explain cultural stories and myths. World War One is seen very different by the Canadians who fought in it and their story is celebrated by this film.
This film shows how we can use the medium of film to explain mythology. Unlike All Quiet on the Western Front, this film relies on story-telling rather then first hand accounts. This movie is designed to inspire a nation about the bravery and commitment of Canadian soldiers. The conditions of World War One are depicted but their existence is not the point of the story. Mankind has always created cultural myths to celebrate our history. Passchendaele represents mankind’s history of storytelling, and film is the perfect medium for the story of Canadiana during World War One to be celebrated and recognized.
Conclusion
Since the beginning, film has had the ability to tell the story of war. The First World War has been depicted several different ways through film. The case studies shown in this paper represent three distinct methods, that film has been used to communicate this conflict. These methods, although similar in technology represents three distinct communication theorems of story-telling. All Quiet on the Western Front is a film that uses eye-witness accounts of the Great War and applies them straight to film. This eye witness account provides the viewer with a graphic depiction of the atrocious conditions of the average soldier during the Great War. This shows that film has the ability to take the conflict in reality, and portray it to an audience in a very real way. Lawrence of Arabia represents the ability in film for acting to take center stage and provide the viewer with a heroic story. The story of the War in Arabia is not a well known one except for what is depicted in this film. The stories of the Great War often focus on the Western Front. The film allows us to see past this side of the conflict and understand that the war was in fact a `world wide` experience and not just a European one. Passchendaele represents a war film created outside of Hollywood. By taking an American genre in the War Epic, and telling a distinctly Canadian story, the film is able to perpetuate the mythologies of Canadian heroicism during the First World War. This is important because the telling of mythologies has been an integral key in telling the histories of mankind. In all three case studies, we are able to communicate the idea that we are indeed storytellers.
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