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   ecofan74 Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   In the 1930 movie All Quiet on the Western Front, the viewer experiences a number of the scientific and technological innovations that defined World War I.  Specific among these innovations are those pertaining to the realities of trench warfare:  the machine gun, the hand grenade, poison gas, and air-to-air combat, among others.  By illustrating the devastating effects of these innovations in its striking battle scenes, the movie puts the horrors of war on display for the viewer.

   The 1979 TV movie loses much of this aspect in its adaptation of the Remarque's novel.  Since the focus of this movie is the character of Paul and his developing negative attitude toward the war.  While this would seem to necessitate displays of the horrors of warfare, the military innovations that characterized warfare in the First World War take on a lesser role than in the 1930 movie.

   Both movies seek to illustrate the horrors of war through the very detailed presentation of the different military technologies used during the First World War.  In both movies, the viewer experiences the effects these weapons wrought on the soldiers in the trenches.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/quiet-western/historical-context

   http://www.enotes.com/world-war-i-almanac/technology

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   Posted by ecofan74 on Wednesday June 17, 2009 at 7:13 PM