The romantic affair of a newly conscientious, repentant Nazi soldier home on vacation. Far better than it sounds. Such instances as when the lovebirds lament their inability to honeymoon in Paris or Holland as they'd be hated, feel chillingly decadent considering context - until finally a horrid Nazi atrocity is mentioned in brief but purposefully, giving perspective. The hammy delivery belies a nuanced, moving and thought-provoking script, with dialogue tottering between pathos and profundity.

#985

A great film in its own right, but also totally fascinating when held against Hitler's Madman. Sirk's first and last movies about the same subject but different in every conceivable way.

994

Creating a sympathetic view of Germans is done more successfully in All Quiet on the Western Front, perhaps because that war doesn't have such awful baggage with it. Still, Sirk manages fairly well. There are few surprises here, it's your typical "the human side of war" story. But it's handled deftly... though the Technicolor occasionally threatens to beautify things too much, for the most part it's kept in check. Bonus point for a brief appearance by Klaus Kinski, in one of his earliest roles.

It's kind of unfair, but my biggest problem with the movie is that it's too good at what it does, making me sympathize with a Nazi soldier just doesn't sit right, even in a film that makes no attempt to whitewash the terrible things the Nazis did. Visceral reactions aside, it's a wonderful film with well handled nuance, compelling characters and a very delicate balance between love and death. Sirk manages to make the film his stylistically while keeping an appropriate tone, quite a feat.

986