Students and professors gathered to watch dogs in human uniforms head off to the trenches of World War I on Monday night in Smith Auditorium. This was “Gone to the Dogs: Heroism and Parody in ‘So Quiet on the Canine Front,’” a screening of and discussion about the satirical short 1931 film. Jakub Kazecki, Assistant Professor of German at Bates College came to discuss the humorous short, a parody of the 1930 epic war film “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
This 1931 short is part of a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer series called All Barkie Dogville Comedies. Kazecki described Barkies as “movies with dog actors dressed like people with human voice-overs.”
“The whole concept of the Barkies was to have them be parodies of mainstream movies in popular Hollywood genres,” he said.
The dogs are suspended by wires so that they walk on their hind legs throughout the entire film. Seeing dogs adapt a human form in terms of dress and walk makes the parody of the film instantly apparent. As the film continues, the audience begins to see that the film is less a parody and more a serious commentary on the war films of the time.
“The comedic strategy employed in ‘So Quiet on the Canine Front’ shows the incongruity in the film. Animals take on the roles of soldiers and civilian and imitate human moves,” said Kazecki. “The only time the dogs use all fours and walk naturally are during moments of panic. [Otherwise,] the dogs march like soldiers. This appears unnatural to the viewer, but also allows for reflection for the impact of military training on the male body.”
According to Kazecki, the film can be viewed as a commentary on the gender norms of a masculine state formed by military values. The film goes beyond its role as a mere parody and becomes a reflection of the warrior culture of the 1930s.
“The soldiers on the battlefield are following orders. The animal cast sits, lies down, stays and plays dead. This makes the soldiers obedient like dogs,” said Kazecki. “You see different social roles exemplified in the animals. The parody reaffirms the value of loyalty and heroism and it assigns those values to masculinity.”
Parodies like “So Quiet on the Canine Front” can mean more to an audience than just a good laugh. Kazecki notes that “the canine parody consciously mocks American systemic choices” and “hegemonic masculinity” while amusing the audience.
Ginny Crow ’18 attended the talk as part of her class. Fighting Fascism: The Spanish Civil War and Cinema. “So Quiet on the Canine Front” paralleled the tragic comedies she had just watched in class.
“We discussed the nature of guilt and humor in film,” said Crow. “There’s an element of humor because no one can really communicate since everyone speaks a different language, but there is also a powerful element of guilt.”
Parodies and tragic comedies can quickly shift away from humorous entertainment.
“At first, the images of dogs wearing little hats and putting their paws on the table seemed cute,” said Crow. “When he showed the clip and you saw the dogs being pulled along, suddenly, the movie changed a lot for me.”
The context of the production of the film can influence the audience’s interpretation.
“Parodies feed from our tendency as an audience to be a little bit of rebels,” said Kazecki. “By watching the parodies, it is a safe way to do this.”
This discussion was sponsored by the German and the Romance Languages departments and the Cinema Studies Program.