The main point of Keaton""s imaginative narrative in his celebrated classic was about dreams and reality (portrayed in parallel narratives of the cinematic world and the real world).The anti-war message is made clear through their first experiences under fire.One shell-shocked soldier suffers nightmares of the horrors of claustrophobic trench warfare.Iron-willed Katczkinsky strikes another one who has a nervous breakdown under the strain.When part of the bunker collapses after a bomb hits, an hysterical Franz Kemmerick (Ben Alexander) runs outside and is struck in the leg by fire.Willie""s father bites off a chunk of chewing tobacco and offers his son a small plug.When he heartily slaps his son on the back, Willie swallows the foul-tasting stuff and faints weakly onto the floor." Outside, Virgil had to apologize o Grace for his "barbarian" companion: "You""re only he 12th human bein"" he""s seen this year.