Westfront 1918
Encyclopedia
Westfront 1918 is a German film, set mostly in the trenches
of the Western Front
during World War I
. It was directed in 1930
by Georg Wilhelm Pabst
, from the novel Vier von der Infanterie by Ernst Johannsen, and deals with the impact of the war on a group of infantrymen. It featured an ensemble cast led by screen veterans Fritz Kampers and Gustav Diessl
; Diessl had been a prisoner of war
for a year during the war. The film bears resemblance to its close contemporary, the All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), an American
production, although it has a bleaker tone. It was particularly pioneering in its early use of sound - it was Pabst's first "talkie
" - in that Pabst managed to record live audio during complex tracking shots through the trenches.
Westfront 1918 was a critical success when it was released, although it was often shown in truncated form. With the rise of Nazism
, the film quickly became considered by the German authorities as unsuitable for the people, notably for its obvious pacifism, and for its clear denunciation of the total and useless abomination of war. This was an attitude that propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels
would soon label as "cowardly defeatism".
Some shots from the film were used for scene-setting purposes in a 1937 BBC Television
adaptation of the play Journey's End
.
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
of the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was directed in 1930
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
by Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
-Biography:Pabst was born in Raudnitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary , the son of a railroad employee.Returning from the United States, he was in France when World War I began...
, from the novel Vier von der Infanterie by Ernst Johannsen, and deals with the impact of the war on a group of infantrymen. It featured an ensemble cast led by screen veterans Fritz Kampers and Gustav Diessl
Gustav Diessl
Gustav Diessl was an Austrian artist, and film and stage actor.-Biography:Diessl was born Gustav Karl Balthasar in Vienna. In 1916, he was an extra on different stages in Vienna but was soon recruited into the army for World War I...
; Diessl had been a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for a year during the war. The film bears resemblance to its close contemporary, the All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
production, although it has a bleaker tone. It was particularly pioneering in its early use of sound - it was Pabst's first "talkie
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
" - in that Pabst managed to record live audio during complex tracking shots through the trenches.
Westfront 1918 was a critical success when it was released, although it was often shown in truncated form. With the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, the film quickly became considered by the German authorities as unsuitable for the people, notably for its obvious pacifism, and for its clear denunciation of the total and useless abomination of war. This was an attitude that propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
would soon label as "cowardly defeatism".
Some shots from the film were used for scene-setting purposes in a 1937 BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
adaptation of the play Journey's End
Journey's End
Journey's End is a 1928 drama, the seventh of English playwright R. C. Sherriff. It was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in London by the Incorporated Stage Society on 9 December 1928, starring a young Laurence Olivier, and soon moved to other West End theatres for a two-year run...
.
Cast
- Fritz KampersFritz KampersFritz Kampers was a German film actor. He appeared in 261 films between 1913 and 1950.-Selected filmography:* Westfront 1918 * Dreyfus * Die Bräutigamswitwe * Kameradschaft...
as The Bavarian - Gustav DiesslGustav DiesslGustav Diessl was an Austrian artist, and film and stage actor.-Biography:Diessl was born Gustav Karl Balthasar in Vienna. In 1916, he was an extra on different stages in Vienna but was soon recruited into the army for World War I...
as Karl - Hans-Joachim Moebis as The Student
- Claus ClausenClaus Clausen (actor)Claus Clausen was a German film actor. He appeared in over 21 films between 1930 and 1968.-Selected filmography:* Westfront 1918 * Skandal um Eva * The Great King...
as The Lieutenant - Jackie Monnier as Yvette
- Hanna Hoessrich as Karl's Wife
- Else Heller as Karl's Mother