All Quiet On The Western Front Page #4

Franz?

They're robbers here.

Robbers.

They stole my watch!

I always told you, nobody should

carry as good a watch as that.

- They took it while I was under ether!

- Franz, you'll get it back.

Do you feel all right?

- Just look at my hand.

- That's because you lost...

so much blood.

Just eat decently and you'll

get well again.

You must eat. What's the main thing.

It looks good too.

I have such a terrible pain

in my foot.

Every toe on my right

foot hurts.

Well, how can your foot hurt

when your leg's been...

I know what you mean!

I know!

I know now!

They cut my leg off.

Why didn't they tell me? Why...

Why didn't they tell me?

- Franz! Franz!

- Now I can't walk anymore!

You must be thankful that you've

come off with only that.

I wanted to be a

forester once.

You can yet. They make artificial

legs that are wonderful.

And you're through too. You can

go home. Think of that.

We brought your things

for you. See?

Put them under the bed.

That's a marvellous pair

of boots.

Look at that leather!

What comfort.

I was just thinking.

If you're not going to be using

these, Franz...

why din't you leave

them with us?

What good are they to you?

I can use them.

My boots give me blister

after blister...

Well, we'll be going,

Franz.

Oh, don't go. Stay just

a little while longer.

- I'll come right back. We'll be

coming soon again, Franz.

- I know you'll be feeling better.

- Bye.

- Bye.

- Good-bye, Franz.

You think he'll last till after mess?

- I don't think...

- Done for.

Boys, you go along.

I'll see you later.

Good-bye. All right, Paul.

I'm sorry, Paul.

I wouldn't touch a thing of

his if he could use it.

I'd go barefoot over barbed wire for

him if it'd do him any good.

Only... Only why should some

orderly get those boots?

I understand, Mueller. We're

all alike out here.

And good boots

are scarce.

Tell the doctor to come,

please.

Doctor, the man in the next bed

would like to see you, sir.

I've done everything I can for him.

There's no helping him.

Poor little fella.

He says next time,

Franz.

Do you think I'll ever

get well?

Why, of course.

- Do you really think so?

- Sure, once you get...

over the operation.

I don't think so.

Franz! Don't talk nonsense. Why,

you'll be as good as new.

They fix up worse things

than that.

Perhaps you'll go to the

convalescent home...

in Klosterberg among

the villagers.

Then you can look out of the

windows, across the fields...

to the two trees

on the horizon.

The loveliest time of the year

now when the corn ripens.

You can go out without

asking anyone.

You can even play piano

if you want to.

Oh... Oh, but, Franz, you must

try to sleep now.

O God...

this is Franz Kemmerick...

only 19 years old.

He doesn't want to die.

Please don't let him die.

Paul.

- Paul.

- Franz.

Take my boots home

for Mueller.

Oh, no, Franz, no.

And if... Paul...

you find my watch,

send it home.

Franz!

Doctor! Doctor!

Doctor!

Doctor! Where's the doctor?

Why isn't there a doctor here?

Doctor, come quick!

- Franz Kemmerick is dying!

- Which one is that?

- Amputated leg.

- I've amputated a dozen legs today.

- Bed 26, sir.

- You see to it.

I'm due in the operating room.

One operating after another since

Sixteen dead today, and

yours is the 17th.

There'll probably be 20

by the morning.

You're looking good.

Very good today.

What's your hurry? Hey! I'll bet

he stole those boots!

I got it, Kat.

Listen:
"The sum of an

arithmetic series...

is S = A + L x N over 2."

Interesting, isn't it?

What do you wanna learn

that stuff for?

One day you'll stop a bullet

and it'll all be worthless.

I get a lot of fun out of it.

My boots!

Mueller.

I saw him die.

I didn't know what it was like

to die before.

And then... then I

came outside...

and it felt...

it felt so good to be alive that

I started in to walk fast.

I began to think of the

strangest things...

like being out in the fields.

Things like that.

You know... girls.

And it felt as if

there were...

something electric running from

the ground up through me.

And I started. I began

to run hard.

I passed soldiers and I heard

voices calling to me.

I ran and I ran.

I felt as if I couldn't breathe

enough air into me.

And... And now I'm hungry.

I don't mind the war now.

Be a pleasure to go to the front

in boots like these.

It's a good invention

just the same.

If you crack each separate louse, think

of all the energy you use up. Watch.

Burned to death.

How was patrol? Bad?

Must've been terrible if they had

time to gather the harvest.

We passed a cherry tree and when

he saw it, he went crazy.

I could hardly drag him away.

It was... beautiful.

I have a big orchard with cherry

trees at home.

When they're in full blossom...

from the hayloft it looks

like one single sheet.

So white.

- Perhaps you can get leave soon.

- You may even be sent...

back as a farmer.

A woman can't run a farm alone.

That's no good, you know?

No matter how hard

she works.

Harvest coming on again.

What's the matter

with him?

Got a letter yesterday from his wife.

He wants to get back to his farm.

We'd all like to get

back home.

I wonder what we'd do if it were

suddenly peacetime again?

Get drunk and look

for women!

I'd go looking for

a Cinderella...

that could wear this

for a garter.

And when I'd found her, nobody'd

see me for two weeks.

I'll go back to the

peat fields...

and those pleasant hours

in the beer gardens.

And there's worse things

than cobbling too.

Look. My family.

I oughta give you a kick in the

backside for starting all this.

It's all right for all you to talk.

You've got something to go back to.

Wives, children, jobs.

But what about us? What have

we got to go back to?

- School?

- Why not?

You know everything already.

A man can't take all that rubbish

they teach you seriously...

after three years of

shells and bombs.

You can't peel that

off easily.

They never taught us anything

really useful...

like how to light a cigarette in the

wind or make a fire out of wet wood...

or bayonet a man in the belly instead

of the ribs where it gets jammed.

What can happen to us

afterwards?

I'll tell you. Take our class.

Out of 20, three are officers...

nine dead...

Mueller and three others

wounded...

and one in the madhouse.

We'll all be dead someday,

so let's forget it.

Hurry up! Get in there!

Hurry up!

Himmelstoss!

What's up?

- What are you, crazy?

- It's Himmelstoss!

Himmelstoss? There is justice

in the army!

Well, well. So, we are

all here, huh?

A bit longer than you,

Himmie.

Since when have we become

so familiar?

Stand up and click your heels

together! All of you!

- Take a running jump at yourself!

- Who's your friend?

Would somebody get General

Ludendorff a nice, comfortable chair?

I command you as your

superior officer!

- Do you want to be court-martialed?

- I do!

There's going to be a big

attack tonight...

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