The Unbeliever

An excellent melodrama from World War One, with von Stroheim as an over-the-top Hun who rips the hair from Belgian children, knocks down grandmothers, shoots them, tries to rape women and destroys German soldiers' musical instruments with the statement "You are here to fight, not to fiddle!" -- the Man You Love To Hate in full roar. The story itself, is about an aristocratic Long Islander who finds God and a love of his fellow man in the clean dry trenches. It is, in essence, fairly typical of the sort of war film made in the era and its prettying of the battlefield in understandable in the context of propaganda.

This movie, sometimes credited as the last release of the Edison film unit, is magnificently directed by Alan Crosland, who would go on to direct THE JAZZ SINGER and other good movies: he is another of the under-appreciated silent directors. I wrote 'magnifcently' and I mean it. The story is told clearly and interestingly with every shot well composed and fine use of cutting speed to increase tension. If you have any taste at all for silent movies, you need to see this one.

Hokey tale of privileged rich kid realising on the battlegrounds of WWI that all people are of equal worth stands out thanks to Erich von Stroheim in the role that earned him his bad guy credentials. He's a Kraut officer who gets his kicks pulling kids' hair and pushing over old ladies before shooting them. Shame he's only on for ten minutes.

This World War I drama is still worthwhile, with an interesting and sometimes thought-provoking story, as well as high quality craftsmanship for its time. The story effectively combines civilian and military settings to develop the characters and to bring out its main points. The cast members all give solid performances, usually allowing the material to speak louder than their own gestures or actions. The scenes of battle and of military life were made with the participation of a battalion of US Marines, and as a result the detail and atmosphere are quite realistic.

The story follows a young man from an upper class family, as his life and attitudes change as the result of serving at the front. It brings out contrasting perspectives about the war itself and also about class differences, religious belief, and the like. Having been made with the war still in progress, it's understandable if on occasion the issues are simplified just a little, but overall it provides some worthwhile thoughts. Director Alan Crosland puts things together nicely, and tells the story at a good pace.

Amongst other things, it memorably depicts the horrible ordeal of the civilians innocently stuck near the fighting zones. It is also quite interesting that the rank-and-file German soldiers are often portrayed sympathetically, while the German officers (one of whom is portrayed by a young-looking Erich Von Stroheim) are shown as the ones responsible for the outrages and inhuman actions.

Whether because of the grueling nature of the conflict, or for some other reason, World War I inspired many fine movies that hold up many years later. Although this feature doesn't have quite the complexity or depth of purpose of the greatest World War I movies like "The Big Parade" or "All Quiet On The Western Front", it still has quite a bit to say, and it does so rather effectively.