I really don’t understand all the negative comments, while the acting performances might been seen as over-the-top, imagine how you yourself would act if in their situations. I found the camerawork to be wonderfully inventive for its time period and not dated at all. Great movie which still has relevant points about war, and I did not find them “dated” or sterotypical at all, to call any of it stereotype is to call war itself a stereotype. This is a fantastic movie, with excellent battle sequences, agruably some of the best ever captured on camera. It captures the complete alienation of World War I, where bayonettes were still being used, in these kinds of war, you still had to make eye contact with your enemy, see his face and then proceed to kill him either with a shot or with sheer force of the knife. I feel that modern audiences do not quite understand the gruesome qualities of that kind of a war, because the mechanized, faceless wars being fought today seem so convienent for us. This film is an excellent testament to filmmaking and humanity, a really great achievement, not to be missed by anyone who appreciates lovingly made cinema with heart and soul. Anyone who is looking for a better understanding of trench warfare and World War I need look no further, this film is also a great history lesson not to be missed.