A Tale of Two Movies

All Quiet on Western Front is a anti-War movie made in 1930 about the German participation in WW1 based on the novel of the same name written by by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of the war.
The Great Dictator is a 1940 Charlie Chaplin movie which satirises Nazism and Hitler.
One significant thing about the movies is the years in which they were released. Since the end of WW2 a lot of great movies have been made about the subject of the two great wars and the intermediate period ,but these two movies stand out, for these were made around the time when Hitler was not part of history but making history.
Therefore not surprisingly The Great Dictator was banned in many parts of Europe. Initially even Britain decided to ban the movie(before it was released) but reversed it's stand later on. Similarly All Quiet on Western Front was banned in Nazi Germany and many other parts of Europe including France.
When Charlie Chaplin decided to make movie in 1937 , it was a courageous decision back then. The WW2 had not started and the extents of horrors of Nazi Germany were still not known and Europe was following a policy of appeasement towards Germany. It would have been a bold political statement against a powerful nation. In the end of the movie Charlie Chaplin's character makes a speech for democracy and peace which is considered an out-of-characterpersonal plea from Chaplin. By the the time movie was released the war had begin but US was still officially neutral. The movie was well received in America and used for propaganda by Britain.

There is a piece of dialogue in the movie AQOTWF which goes as follows
"Tjaden: Well, how do they start a war?
Soldier #1: Well, one country offends another.
Tjaden: How could one country offend another? You mean there's a mountain over in Germany gets mad at a field over in France?
Soldier #1: Well, stupid. One people offends another.
Tjaden: Oh, that's it. I shouldn't be here at all. I don't feel offended.
Katczinsky: It don't apply to tramps like you......"

Here the soldiers are discussing the futility of war. It is they who are suffering to satisfy the pride of their rulers. This movie questioned the idea of nationalism as understood at that time. The idea of nationalism was at its peak at that time in Europe, when countries were fighting over colonies. The European nations were in constant conflict with each other unlike the Europe of today. The world was yet to see another bloody war. It was perhaps the first great movie in the War Genre and made a strong political statement. The movie portrayed the suffering of soldiers in the trench warfare and how young men without much training and understanding of the ground realities were enlisted in the army in the guise of nationalism.
These two movies have special place in the history of cinema for they were made when history was being made.