“ALL QUIET” IN GERMANY

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1930, Page 7

“ALL QUIET” IN GERMANY

‘INSULT TO DEAD SOLDIERS’ RIOTING Ity BERLIN THEATRE CONTROVERSY ON TALKIE I . . OPINIONS. DIFFER WIDELY By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 5.5 p.m. Berlin, Dec. 6. The throwing of stink bombs and cat; calling by Nazi spectators last night broke up the production of a German ,version of the talkie “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Free fights occurred all over the theatre. Attendants, trying to pacify the audience, were shouted down with cries of “Wake up Germany, down with the Jews.” Ex-soldiers shouted that the film was an insult to the German soldiers. The police cleared the theatre with truncheons. It is curious to note that although England received the film, as a war masterpiece a fierce battle of opinion is proceeding in Germany. Republicans regard the film as St true picture of war. To nearly everybody else, especially Nationalists, it is a grotesque caricature and injurious to Germany in the eyes of the World. One Republican,newspaper says/ “It is astounding that this, book by a German soldier should be filmed in such a way that nowhere can anything be seen offensive to Gormans.” ( On the contrary the great! Catholic organ Germania says: “The picture is presented of the German soldier is a libel on millions of Jcad. Remarque’s men are • not men body and soul, but soulless debauchers thinking of nothing but guzzling and boozing, and trembling in every limb when in the trenches or exposed to shellfire,. t The German soldier was not like that even in the autumn of 1918 when demoralisation had already made rapid progress.” The Monarchist and Fascist papers, of course, are furious, and describe the exhibition of the film as a political scandal.