I have yet to see the 'jaw dropping' battle scene in Saving Private Ryan, but it will have to go a long way to beat the one here.
The film follows a German, yes German, infantry unit from recruitment through to training and finally to combat. Not an ounce of glamour is used in the depiction of war. No slow mo, no stunningly lit trenches, just drab and dire. Soldiers being driven mad by the noise, or scavenging for anything to eat or just dying needlessly in battle.
It's not complete doom and gloom. There are couple of light comedic points, but they only set to ingratiate you with the different soldiers and make the death more poignant.
It's an excellent film. The cast is a great band of brothers and the battle sequences truly are astonishingly realistic. Considering when this was made, on the cusp of talkie pics, the sound effects stand proud today. The final scene is beyond poignant and the whole shabbang is rather upsetting, but excellent all the same. Few films have captured the pain and pointlessness of war than this.
A true classic.
The final scene as Paul sees a moment of beauty and home in a butterfly and he reaches out to it. Oops!
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