[00:00.59]The film begins at the start of the war
[00:03.11]and shows examples of the enthusiasm
[00:04.93]for the war in 1914 which persuaded millions
[00:08.47]of young Europeans to join up
[00:10.78]and fight for their country.
[00:12.59]It follows a group of young German soldiers
[00:14.83]from the moment they volunteer to the time
[00:17.04]when they actually to to the front in France.
[00:20.19]The young men are very soon disillusioned
[00:22.41]when they see the reality of trench warfare-
[00:25.37]constant bombardment,senseless deaths,
[00:28.07]horrific living conditions,
[00:30.02]mud and lack of food.
[00:32.09]In one scene, the French attack the German
[00:34.82]lines and are cut down by German machine guns.
[00:37.57]The Germans counteract but this time
[00:39.88]it is the turn of the French
[00:41.13]to drive them back.
[00:42.79]In the battles, the German soldiers
[00:44.54]lose a lot of men
[00:45.91]but find themselves in exactly the same
[00:48.02]trenches as before.
[00:49.71]It is at this point in the film
[00:51.50]that the soldiers talk about the war.
[00:52.93] |