In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for All Quiet on the Western Front, we look at important motifs that help us understand the film.
Cast
- Paul Bäumer – Felix Kammerer
- Stanislaus “Kat” Katczinsky – Albrecht Schuch
- Albert Kropp – Aaron Hilmer
- Franz Müller – Moritz Klaus
- Ludwig Behm – Adrian Grünewald
- Tjaden Stackfleet – Edin Hasanovic
- General Friedrichs – Devid Striesow
- General Ferdinand Foch – Thibault de Montalembert
- Matthias Erzberger – Daniel Brühl
- Written by – Edward Berger | Ian Stokell | Lesley Paterson
- Directed by: Edward Berger
Important motifs in All Quiet on the Western Front
The scarf and dog tags
At the end of the movie, an unnamed soldier, who survived the final battle thanks to Paul, has to go through the trench and collect dog tags from the fallen soldiers. We watch him go body to body and retrieve the tags. Then he finds Paul. There’s a moment of pause. We don’t know for certain what’s going through this young man’s mind, but it’s probably something to do with the fact that he’s only alive thanks to Paul but now Paul’s gone. There’s probably a lot the kid wishes he could say but will never get to. Even a simple “Thank you.” But instead of collecting Paul’s dog tag, he notices the scarf in Paul’s hand. He takes it, puts it around his neck, and moves on.
The scarf originated earlier in the film after Paul’s friend, Franz, ran off with a group of girls who drove a cart past the military camp. Franz returns deep into the night, happy as can be. He has the scarf as a memento from Eloise, the girl he hooked up with. As brief as his departure was, it was a reminder that most of these soldiers are teenagers who want to be doing and could be doing and should be doing the simple things teenagers do. Not fighting in trenches. It’s this moment of innocence and beauty. And the scarf becomes symbolic for not only the memory of that but the promise of it. The longing for it. The hope to, one day, return to regular life.
Unfortunately, the scarf came into Paul’s possession because Franz did not survive the conflict. It was taken as a memento. And as a vow. Paul would carry on in memory of Franz. And live for them both. Likewise, the unnamed soldier acquires the scarf because Paul did not survive. He, too, takes it up as a memento.
The choice to take the scarf rather than the dog tag gets at the tension between the experience of being a soldier in a conflict such as this. The soldiers are still people. But the military often treats them as things. Dehumanized instruments. And the dog tag is quite literally the identity of the soldier. But the scarf is a reminder of humanity. Of the dreams and emotions. So choosing the scarf over the dog tag is this powerful gesture of acknowledging Paul’s humanity over his military being. While also embodying the fact that the war is done. That the soldiers who remain can reclaim the rest of their lives.
The farmer’s son
Kat doesn’t die in battle. Rather, he’s hunted down by the young son of a farmer that Kat and Paul steal from. It’s a complicated moment. On the one hand, Kat and Paul did steal from this family. They climbed a wall. Broke in. Took what didn’t belong to them. On the other hand, the first time they took a single goose and the second time a few eggs. A crime is a crime. But relatively speaking, it’s a minor crime. They didn’t hurt anyone. They didn’t attack anyone. They didn’t leave the family destitute. So some viewers will think the farmer’s son going out of his way to find Kat and Paul is a bit excessive. Maybe even unbelievable.
But there’s a bit more to it.
First, there’s the tragedy that Kat lost his own son a number of years ago. So there’s a moment when he turns and sees the farmer’s boy that he has to, even if only briefly, think about his own boy. You could begin to make the argument that the farmer’s son represents this grief that Kat has never gotten over.
Second, and more importantly, this scene immediately follows the signing of the armistice. Right before signing, there’s a discussion between Matthias Erzberger, the German official negotiating surrender, and the Allied representatives.
Matthias: The Kaiser has abdicated. Soldiers are refusing to obey orders. Deserters are roaming the countryside. The new government will do its utmost to fulfill the duties imposed on it, but the population, through no fault of its own, risks descending into famine and anarchy.
Allied Rep: This is a disease of the defeated, not of the victorious. I don’t fear it. I reject any compromise.
M: Monsieur le Maréchal, please. Be fair to your enemy, otherwise he will hate this peace.
For viewers unfamiliar with historical events, this might seem like a throwaway line of dialogue. But for those who do know history, the harshness of the sanctions on post-war Germany led to the rise of Hitler, the Holocaust, and World War II. With this in mind, it’s hard not to look at the violent aggression of the farmer boy as having a lot more subtext. That can be as simple as already demonstrating the frustration brewing in the general population, an example of the anarchy Matthias referenced. You might even want to go as far as to say the boy symbolizes World War II itself, the idea that the events of that day created the anger and frustration that eventually matured into the next great conflict. Regardless of how safe or big you want to go with the interpretation, there is something to the moment. Especially because it’s not in the book. The scene is original to the movie. And this is the kind of movie that is meticulously crafted. So it’s not a mistake that it directly follows the armistice signing.
What are your thoughts?
Are there more motifs you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for All Quiet on the Western Front? Leave your thoughts below and we’ll consider them for the guide.
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