All Quiet On The Western Front

"ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT"

This story is neither an...

accusation nor a confession...

and least of all an adventure...

for death is not an adventure...

to those who stand

face to face...

with it. It will try simply to...

tell of a generation

of men who.

even though they may have...

escaped its shells, were

destroyed...

by the war...

- Thirty thousand.

- From the Russians?

No, from the French.

From the Russians we capture

more than that every day.

Mr. Postman.

War is war and schnapps is schnapps,

and business must go on.

You didn't leave the mail

yet this morning.

Ah, I'm sorry, Mr. Meyer.

Hello, Himmelstoss. Anything

for us today?

- No, no, Master Peter.

- Oh, there must be something.

Here, here you go, young lad.

There. This is the last mail

deliver anyhow.

- What?

- Tomorrow I change uniforms.

- You're going in the army?

- Yes, I was called.

I'm a sergeant in the

reserves, you know.

I'll be called my self, if it doesn't

end in a few months.

- It will, though.

- I'm sure you're right, Mr. Meyer.

...defending our country,

our father land.

Now, my beloved class, this

is what we must do.

Strike with all our power.

Give every ounce of strength...

to win victory before the

end of the year.

It is with reluctance that I bring

this subject up again.

You are the life of the

fatherland, you boys.

You are the iron men

of Germany.

You are the gay heroes who

will repulse the enemy...

when you are called upon

to do so.

It is not for me to suggest

that any of you...

should stand up and offer

to defend his country.

But I wonder if such a thing is

going through your heads.

I know that in one

of the schools...

the boys have risen up

in the classroom...

and enlisted in a mass.

But, of course, if such a thing

should happen here...

you would not blame me

for a feeling of pride.

Perhaps some will say...

that you should not be

allowed to go yet...

that you are too young, that you

have homes, mothers. Fathers...

that you should not

be torn away.

Are your fathers so forgetful

of their fatherland...

that they would let it perish

father than you?

Are your mothers so weak that

they cannot send a son...

to defend the land which

gave them birth?

And after all, is a little

experience...

such a had thing

for a boy?

Is the honour of wearing

a uniform...

something from which

we should run?

And if our young ladies glory

in those who wear it...

is that anything to be

ashamed of?

I know you have never desired

the adulation of heroes.

That has not been part

of my teaching.

We have sought to make

ourselves worthy...

and let a claim come

when it would.

But to he foremost

in battle...

is a virtue not to be

despised.

I believe it will he

a quick war...

that there will he

few losses.

But if losses there must be...

then let us remember

the Latin phrase...

which must have come to the

lips of many a Roman...

when he stood embattled

in a foreign land:

"Dulce et decorum est

pro patria mori."

"Sweet and fitting it is to die

for the fatherland."

Some of you may

have ambitions.

I know of one young man who has

great promise as a writer...

and he has written the first

act of a tragedy...

which would be a credit to

one of the masters.

And he is dreaming,

I suppose...

of following in the footsteps

of Goethe and Schiller...

and I hope he will.

But now our country calls.

The fatherland needs leaders.

Personal ambition must

be thrown aside...

in the one great sacrifice

for our country.

Here is a glorious beginning

to your fives.

The field of honour

calls you.

Why are we here?

You, Kropp, what has

kept you back?

You, Mueller, you know how

much you are needed?

Ah, I see you look

at your leader.

And I, too, look to you,

Paul Baumer...

and I wonder what you

are going to do.

- I'll go.

- I want to go.

Count on me.

- Me too.

- I'm ready.

I'm not gonna stay home!

Follow me!

Enlist now!

- No more classes!

- No more classes!

- Don't be a quitter!

- Come on, Behn!

Stick together. That's what

we've got to do.

- Let's all stick together.

- Come on, Behn.

All right.

All right.

- I'll go.

- That's the way!

Let's go!

Hey! Let's sing!

Come on!

Keep in line there,

soldiers.

Anything you say,

General.

Detail, halt!

Left face!

Get into uniform, ready to

report. Fall out!

I betcha a place like this gets

you in good condition.

You have to be for the

long marches.

I'm gonna get in the

cavalry and ride.

No cavalry for me.

Infantry's where you

see the fighting.

Where are all the guns? That's

what I want to know.

Oh, you don't get a gun for

a long while yet.

If I'm gonna bump off the enemy,

I gotta have some practice.

Bayonet drill. That's

what I want.

You won a medal that

times, Mueller.

You wait. In about a month I'll

be covered with them.

Say, keep your boots

out of my face!

Why, it's an Honor to have those

boots in your face.

They're the best pair in the army!

My uncle gave them to me.

Just look at that special

imported leather.

Put them anyplace you like,

except in my face.

Not even a kitchen maid'll

look at me in this!

Attention!

Well, for the love of...

It's Himmelstoss!

- So it is.

- And all dressed up.

Hello, Himmie. You didn't think you'd

see me again so soon, did you?

- You see my rank?

- Sure.

Fall back, then!

Himmelstoss, we certainly

are glad to see you.

What did you say?

- I was going to say...

- Never mind!

What's the matter with you?

When you address your superior

officer, say "sir"!

- Where'd he get such a nice uniform?

- Any mail for us, Himmie?

- Quiet!

- My dear fellow, you're shouting.

Ah, come on, Himmelstoss.

We know ya. Take off the

false whiskers.

- I believe you mean it!

- You'll find out that I mean it.

But only three days ago you

were our postman.

Silence!

Come back here!

Line up!

Line up! Get in some kind

of a line!

All of you! Line up,

I say!

What a pretty sight that is!

Have you never heard

of standing in line?

You make a fine mess of it.

Well, I'll have to

teach you.

We'll append the whole

day on it, huh?

You may be stupid but

I'm used to that.

And then there'll be plenty

of other things too.

Oh, I'll not neglect you.

You're not much to

begin with...

but I'll do my best.

I see that we have come here with

a slight misunderstanding...

and we'll correct that,

too, won't we, huh?

And the first thing to do is to forget

everything you ever knew.

Everything you ever learned,

forget! See?

Forget what you've been and what

you think you're going to be.

You're going to be soldiers,

and that's all!

I'll take the mother's milk out of you!

I'll make you hard-boiled!

I'll make soldiers out of you

or kill you!

Now... salute!

Detachment... lie down!

Head down!

Keep your head down,

Baumer!

Detachment... get up!

Now sing!

Do you call that singing?

Detachment, halt!

So... we have no spirit, huh?

We are in no mood

for recreation.

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