All Quiet on the Western Front

Rating:
Summary: War is hell!
Review: Remarque being a war veteran himself wrote an amazing novel called All Quiet on the Western Front. The movie version is just as poignant and has not lost any luster what so ever even after almost 70+ years after its first showing. Lewis Milestone sticks very closely to the story in the book and the acting on behalf of Lew Ayres is amazing and should be ranked with the top actors of all time, e.g., Charlie Chaplin, Charlton Heston to mention a few. It right has the No. 54 spot on the AFI's top 100 list and will be seen for all time forseeable. Highly Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Ranks with Platoon, 12 Oclock High, and Saving Private Ryan
Review: as one of the greatest war movies (also the greatest movies of all time). It still holds up very well today. Thats how you know it is truly a classic. The dvd is good. You can understand some scratches on the print and what not, the film was made in 1929!

Rating:
Summary: The meaningless slaughter of war ...
Review: Adapted from the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a WW1 German soldier who changed his name to sound French, this film was made way back in 1930. It was the beginning of the Depression, the use of sound in movies was new, and the feeling in the country was the WW1 had been the war to end all wars. Now, 71 years later, the black and white film is scratchy, the gestures of the actors are over-exaggerated as if it were a silent film, and the special effects of the battle scenes seem crude by today's standards. In spite of all of this, however, this classic film brings its message home loud and clear.

This is the story of the young German men who were recruited to serve in the war though tales of glory and patriotism. What they find is death, fear, hunger and the meaningless slaughter of young men of the same generation who happen to be wearing different uniforms. In spite of the technical constraints, the film manages to get it all. We see the hospitals where overworked doctors amputate limbs, we see the men being attacked by rats as well as the enemy, we see the dirt in the trenches and are moved by the hand-to-hand combat which leaves a young German soldier, played by Lew Ayes, confined in a foxhole with a dying French soldier.

I understand that the film was banned in Germany until after WW2 and I can certainly understand that it would have been counter to everything that happened next. Through a historical context, this film was great, and its antiwar message a forerunner others to come. There's a famous quote from the lips of one of the disheartened and weary soldiers when he says it all. "Take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put them in the center dressed in their underpants and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins". Too bad the world didn't listen.

Rating:
Summary: A heart-breakingly honest portrayal of war
Review: Upon returning to his hometown school from which he had enlisted into duty in WWI, Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) tells prospective recruits: "When it comes to dying for one's country, it's better not to die at all." This is the essence of "All Quiet..." In the film, war is stripped of all its glory, all its valor, all its heroism, and shown in its true state: a hell in which men are taught to kill each other and become animals, fighting not for a cause, but for survival. The film's most powerful scene is its very last, when Paul reaches out of his trench for that beautiful butterfly, a vain attempt to recapture some sense of humanity amongst the horrors that surround him. Notice that many scenes in the movie begin with director Lewis Milestone showing us marching lines of soldiers and flag-waving crowds framed by windows or doorways. This is cinematography at its finest: we see the war not as a part of humanity, but as something foreign, something unknown, like the monster that lurked in your closet when you were a child. Only this monster is real. It is war.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest anti-war film ever made
Review: This movie, based on the Remarque novel, is the quintissential anti-war film. Released shortly after sound was crawling its way through the art of motion pictures, it threw the whole world on its ear. Later on in the 1930's, Adolf Hitler decreed that the film not be shown in Nazi Germany, due to its "defeatist" and "unpatriotic" view of World War I, which Hitler fought in with some level of distinction. One could say that the dictator's dislike of the film ensures that it is a great film--and it is. Lew Ayres plays a young German man who is highly influenced by a teacher who sings the praises of the German military, which desperately needs young men to fight for "the Fatherland." He finds out after extensive and grueling drilling by a haughty officer that glory in battle demands a high price. However, once in actual combat, he finds out the reality of war is so much different:it is actually undignified, uninspiring, frightening, and eventually demoralizing. For its time, the movie does a fantastic job of bringing across the horror of World War I, showing with heavy intensity the meat grinder battles in the slit trenches, the guilt that comes with killing your enemy in hand-to-hand combat, realizing he is a human being also; yet also displaying the boredom and fright of the beaten-down boys (who become men way too fast) in between battles. The end is very poignant and I will not play spoiler for those who haven't seen it, but it involves the butterfly you see on the cover of the tape/DVD. I take off points for the sorry condition of some of the scenes; occasionally, the dialogue is hard to hear and the scenes jump a bit. Still, these should not distract the viewer from taking in the message the film offers. I do not agree wholly with the message, but it presents a unique vision of war's cost in the lives of men in their prime. For the ways in which the film does this, it should remain a classic for all time.

Rating:
Summary: Important and provocative war film
Review: One of the most important war films ever made is this excellent adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's fine novel, directed by Lewis Milestone. A group of eager German students enlist for service in World War I, heedless of warnings from their professors and families. These guys are just itching to be heroes, and the army propaganda has promised them that they will be. The cinematic ballet of war scenes is unlike anything cinema had seen before, and the realism of war in this film is completely at odds with the candy-coloured beauty of propaganda films made a decade later. To make sure World War II hopeful soldiers wouldn't be deterred by the gruesome images seen here, this film was banned in America not only for its pacifism but also because it presented German soldiers as sympathetic protagonists.

Rating:
Summary: Still the Classic Anti-War Film
Review: This is the third film to win the best picture Academy Award, and, despite its age, it holds up remarkably well. Its message is as relevant and vivid today as it was 70 years ago. The final butterfly scene is still one of the most poignant ever. The first time I saw it, it left me with my mouth open even after the film had ended.

Rating:
Summary: In-depth look war and peoples attitudes.
Review: On the surface this looks like a pacifist or anti war movie. One may think this has something to do with an enemy's view of war. Also there is a tendency pick the film apart because it is not the book.
In reality this story is more of a, don't get over zealous movie. At least don't let some one mesmerize you. It even happened in a contemporary film "Private Benjamin (1980)" ASIN: 630443796X. She was promised the army with the private condos. Again we see the zealous ones in "Starship Troopers (1997)" ASIN: 0767802659 where they show the romantic side of war.
As far as the rating it is ridicules to compare a movie that has to pass censors and only has 130 minutes with the book. Naturally the book is going to be more thorough and descriptive. What we can compare it to is the original movie "Westfront 1918 (1930)" directed by George Wilhelm Pabst (1885-1967) and "All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)" ASIN: B00003G4J2. Check them all out including the audiocassette of the book ISBN: 0745162304.
The points are made much clearer in "Westfront 1918" even though is shorter it is the 5 star movie. Especially when we return to the schoolroom to see the teacher inspiring the next generation of students to become soldiers. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) however is easier to understand then 'West Front'. You can spend more time in the message and less on the translation from German. In either film the actual down time (between actions) drove me crazy as I remembered the time that we were not fighting or planning something in Viet Nam was when I got antsy. The 1979 movie is a boring TV type movie with "Johnboy" Richard Thomas, playing the part of Paul Baumer. The only good part is when he got shot.
"Im Western Nichts Neues" By Remarque: "He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the western Front."

Rating:
Summary: Good for the Family Bookshelves
Review: Either this movie, or its more recent version (with Richard Thomas) are excellent additions to the family bookshelves.

This movie was banned by Hitler (a good indication that it should be watched!) because it was anti-war, and his need was to encourage, not discourage, young men to fight.

From the viewpoint of young German soldiers who at first are eager to fight, until they face the realties of war, it is a classic WWI anti-war movie.

Since this one was filmed long ago, although there is war-related violence, it may be OK for some kids, but parents should view it first.

**** because it is black and white, and may be difficult for many people to enjoy. If you like the older movies, this would be a good one!

Rating:
Summary: Great source of WWII Info
Review: I'm only 14 as I write this. I love history class. History, inmy opinion is one of those classes in which you should not ask 'whenare we ever going to use this?'. History is very important, but because of the fact that I am sounding like an uneducated scholar because of the whole- history is good topic, I'll go into the movie now. AQOTWF (which will be referred to as "the movie") is a great usage of propaganda during the war. Whild this movie follows the war journeys of German kids, you usually forget that they're German (bad at this time of course), and you don't want them to die. Everything in this movie is wonderfully set up. The settings looked real, as did the costumes. Acting was very convincing, especially for the boys' teacher. He acted as a teacher would act if one saw his old students come from a war. So much emotion was put into this film. I was finally relieved to see a movie that didn't rely on gore and violence. As I mentioned aboved- this was basically used to spread the message: end all war. If you do not watch this movie, I should beat you with a piece of wheat. I know most of this has not made much sense (like that last sentence), but there is just so much that I can't tell [...]. So, as I leave you, please watch this movie. You WILL NOT be disappointed. Thank you.