This is the most important Anti-War film ever made. It is not only entertaining, but it creates an essence of what World War I really felt like, thanks to director Lewis Milestone (Who I assume has been in the 1st World War). The characters in the film are very engaging, the battle scenes are incredibly well choreographed, and the ending is the most famous in cinema history. Today, it is a bit odd to watch a movie about Germans. At the time this movie was never an issue in America as it was in Germany, which it was banned from. In the end, "All Quiet on the Western Front" gets its message out, and it shows us how horrifying the war really is. -Jonathan J. Costner/Filmmaker and viewer of films
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is an English language film (made in America) adapted from a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque. The film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War 1 by their jingoistic teacher. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of war through the eyes of individuals. As the boys witness death and mutilation all around them, any preconceptions about "the enemy" and the "rights and wrongs" of the conflict disappear, leaving them angry and bewildered. This is highlighted in the scene where Paul mortally wounds a French soldier and then weeps bitterly as he fights to save his life while trapped in a shell crater with the body. The film is not about heroism but about drudgery and futility and the gulf between the concept of war and the actuality. Made in 1930 the movie received an Oscars for best film and best director. The amazing aspect of the movie which gives credit to the military advisors used in the film is the accuracy of the uniforms and equipment used by the soldiers and how accurately the uniforms change from the various periods of the soldier's lives. An outstanding movie and well recommended.Read full review
Something that baffles me is how this film could have been made in 1930. The effects used seemed to portray World War I with shocking realism. It kept me much more entertained than most war movies do, which is almost as impressive.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
A classic - even by today's standards (without special effects).The book (from which the movie is taken) is even a classic - and I read that too. Appears to be an anti-war movie but the movie manages display its horrors (while dispelling the "glory") and its grittiness shows. Innocent youth turned into or become hardened combatants. Gen. Tecumsah Sherman: War is hell. He's right. I bought the video to add to my collection (The Blue Max, Das Boot,et al). Not all classics are about war and mayhem etc; but this movie is worth its price and especially worth watching.
To me the movie was pretty much a bore, some of the action parts were ok but nothing to write home about.
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