This movie captures the lives of young men and their experiences in the "Great War". It shows the affects that the war had on them and how it changed their prospective on their own life.
             Every beginning has an end. As does this story. The movie begins with the boys finishing their schooling. It is almost symbolic as the boys leave the school laughing and joking with one another as if they are leaving their childhood behind. The following day the boys enlist for war. They begin their training to become soldiers immediately. Under the tutelage of Corporal Himmelstoss, the boys undergo grueling drills in the mud and freezing cold. The boys get Corporal Himmelstoss back for his heartless manner. Late in the night they "attack" the intoxicated Corporal and leave him in a humiliated state. This shows the boys still posses their childlike humor and antics. The next day the boys march out in flawless order ready for war. As the do so new recruits are being marched in.
             As the boys wait to board the trains they get their first glimpse of war and it's affects. Wounded soldiers are ushered out, now they see how destructive the war can be. The day they arrive to the front they are placed on patrol. They are led by Katczinsky, or Kat as he is referred to. Kat is older and wiser; the boys trust and follow him. On the front they are attacked with bombs and gun shots. The cry of the horses disturbs them. At once they become men. As time progress conditions become more apparent. Huge rats nauseate them and they can hardly eat the already sickening food. On the front gas is the most feared. All around them their classmates are being killed, each person's chances are becoming fewer. The new recruits are as young as 16 and die because of inexperience. Their days continue on a rotation of; under fire in the trenches – rest – back to the trenches and so on. They are desperate for de...