Well-made film!
Added 8/31/2009
I just watched this for the first time, and it really is a film that ages well. Sure the quality of the film and sound is somewhat hard to watch due to the extreme age, but the story still impresses today.
I know this story is famous as an anti-war message, but I don't necessarily see that when watching the movie. If it is strictly viewed as anti-war, then I would not really agree with it politically. (I sure don't think war is good, but it is necessary at times.) And when I see this film, I see a story that points out the evil and ugliness of war. I think it's good to be reminded of that to keep our priorities straight.
All told, this film is well-made, and it perfectly illustrates the ugly side of war. I would recommend this to anyone.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Magnificent, one of the greatest movies of all time
Added 8/23/2009
If you've seen this film on television in its butchered, edited version (when I saw it on television years ago, it was 75 minutes long! The original movie was 130 minutes!), you owe it to yourself to get this restored version that was magnificently restored by the Library of Congress. What I saw on television made no sense whatsoever and was in horrible condition (scratches, clumsy editing, atrocious sound, etc.). After seeing this complete version, I have to put AQOTWF on my top ten list of best films of all time. Director Lewis Milestone made a masterpiece. Everything about this film is first-rate: the camerawork, acting (including Lew Ayres in a role that actors would kill for), script, sets, etc. It's realistic, brutal, raw, and political. It's also poetic, tender, beautiful, and heartbreaking. This is a deeply affecting movie that works brilliantly as a plea for an end to war (something that will never happen, in my opinion) but it also works simply because it is one of the greatest pieces of filmmaking ever to come out of the USA. If you haven't seen AQOTWF, you haven't seen all the great films. Be sure to get this restored version. The treatment that this film received on television for decades was criminal.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Absolutely Stunning
Added 5/31/2009
I have to confess that I'm just stunned after watching All Quiet on the Western Front for the first time. I was expecting a good, perhaps even a great, war film. What I didn't expect was one of the first talkie films in history making such a profound statement about the sheer horror and pointlessness of war, without appearing naive in terms of filmmaking, in the process.
I previously thought that no war film could make a greater impact than the D-Day landing scene in Saving Private Ryan. Now I stand corrected. I am confident that many extras were injured while filming the battle scenes for AQOTWF. Apart from all explosions taking place a fair distance away from actors, and a couple of very effective special effects, this film relied on excruciating physical exertion to make it's point. It didn't look choreographed; it looked like a truly brutal free-for-all that could easily have ended tragically for anyone being filmed. Disbelief was easily suspended; I thought I was watching soldiers, not actors. In fact, until I read other reviews afterwards, I suspected that the director had recruited real World War I veterans to star in this film. They were that convincing. You could see it in their eyes, and their faces.
Case in point: watch the soldiers pile into the trenches to the point of suffocation, with bayonettes at the end of each rifle. I just can't imagine that scene being filmed safely, and along with some fantastic sound effects this is what made it seem even more real than Saving Private Ryan, where modern audiences were always aware that the only army Stephen Spielberg had at his disposal was comprised of choreographers, stunt men, make-up artists, special effects experts, doctors, and of course, lawyers.
Despite a small amount of overacting, the only "silliness" in this film is the montage of exuberant, wild-eyed youths responding to their professor's call to waste their lives. And even then, it only seemed silly because the ludicrous anti-drug film Reefer Madness used a similar technique six years later, to show that pot instantly drives people to insanity. At the time AQOTWF was released, however, this scene probably had a much more serious impact, made even more sobering by the emergence of the Nazis, only a few years later.
For such an early film, I was often reminded of Citizen Kane, for all of its attention to detail and inclusion of subtleties. For example, in the beginning, veterans don't even flinch as shells fall around them, while the new recruits immediately descend into hysteria. There was also a surprising degree of sexual innuendo for the day. The story and its impact would have suffered greatly if this had been restricted even further by puritans. In reality, trench soldiers were deprived for months or years, in many ways, and this film demonstrates that fact with authority. Just watch those soldiers make love to the pinup girl on the wall, and feel their loneliness and isolation, despite the camaraderie they shared amongst themselves.
I also came away from this with an even greater appreciation for one of my favorite films of all time, Starship Troopers, which clearly borrowed heavily from AQOTWF. As a matter of fact, each film basically tells the same story, with a space age Johnny Rico in ST replacing a Victorian age Paul Baumer in AQOTWF.
And although it's not necessary to repeat what so many others have said, I just can't neglect mentioning the unforgettable scene with the German soldier and the dying Allied soldier inside a shell crater. This was one of the most heart-wrenching things I have ever witnessed on film. When I saw the dead soldier's name on his papers, and the photo of his family... my God.... THIS is what a life wasted for the benefit of a handful of powerful people looks like. Suddenly it becomes clear why the Bush Administration prohibited the news media from filming American soldiers who returned home in coffins. After watching the crater scene, I could only ask myself, why did humans ever go to war again after this film was made?
Without hesitation I recommend AQOTWF as a magnificent example of what film is capable of accomplishing when it's at its best. Indeed, the only thing that made me feel more grief for the human condition was later learning that AQOTWF is ranked as only the 215th greatest film of all time on the Internet Movie Database, with such vapid classics as Back to the Future (#97), Forrest Gump (#42), and Pulp Fiction (#5) beating it out by a long shot.
That's when I realized, once again, why humans still go to war.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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All Quiet on the Western Front
Added 4/27/2009
Much improved over the VHS copy I had been using. Still capable of eliciting strong reactions (I use it in a World History Survey Course)from students in a contemporary classroom. Excellent as a departure point for a whole range of discussion topics.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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an excellent film that tells the truth about war
Added 3/21/2009
All Quiet On The Western Front won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1930 and it deserved to win. This movie is far and away the best "early talkie" I've ever seen. The plot moves along at a good pace and the action scenes could not have been better planned or filmed. We see the horrors of war and the film sends the clear message that war is very bad to say the least.
When the action starts, we see German Professor Kantorek (Arnold Lucy) telling his class that it is an honor to fight; and he adds that there will be glory for them if they join the German army and fight in World War One. As he does this, troops marching off to war parade in front of the school as if war was all about impressing the young ladies. Practically the whole class of young men signs up to fight--and that's where the real action begins.
Another reviewer commented that this was a 1930s version of "Saving Private Ryan;" and they are right. The battle scenes that inevitably follow show the horrors of war with rampant death and destruction of cemeteries, villages and countryside. We see the very young men soon finding out that war is not some easy little game; they also learn just how fast they can die--and how they must kill without mercy if they are immediately confronted by an enemy soldier.
In particular, we see much of the action through the eyes of a young German soldier named Paul Bäumer (Lew Ayres). Paul begs a French soldier for forgiveness after he mortally wounds him but it's too late--the soldier has died. Paul promises the dead soldier that he'll help his widowed wife and daughter; but that may be hard for Paul to actually do given the circumstances. We see war buddies breaking up in tears during their first "bombardment;" and they must kill huge colonies of rats infesting their bunkers which are barely holding back flying shrapnel and flying dirt as the bombs hit.
Not all of the other characters are developed to the same degree as Paul; but one that is would be Kat Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim). On the surface, Kat seems to have a pretty tough hide but deeper down he's an amiable fellow who really wants the war to be over just as much as Paul does. We also get to know Franz Kemmerich (Ben Alexander) who suffers the fate of having his leg amputated after an injury, much to the horror of Paul and the other young men from their school. Another interesting character is Himmelstoss the mailman (John Wray) who becomes ridiculously obsessed with his "authority" as a Sergeant who is actually petrified of war and who eventually gets told by a soldier not to cry about "a scratch" that he gets. In addition, look for a good performance by Beryl Mercer who plays Paul's mother Mrs. Bäumer.
The DVD doesn't come with many extras; we get an introduction by Robert Osbourne and there are subtitles. However, the movie is so well done and so well restored that I can overlook this.
All Quiet On The Western Front sent home the message that war is full of horrors, death and destruction. We see soldiers on all sides trying desperately just to stay alive and of course there is no respect for one's fellow human being. I highly recommend this film; it would be quite a fine addition to your DVD collection.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Well-made film!
Added 8/31/2009
I just watched this for the first time, and it really is a film that ages well. Sure the quality of the film and sound is somewhat hard to watch due to the extreme age, but the story still impresses today.
I know this story is famous as an anti-war message, but I don't necessarily see that when watching the movie. If it is strictly viewed as anti-war, then I would not really agree with it politically. (I sure don't think war is good, but it is necessary at times.) And when I see this film, I see a story that points out the evil and ugliness of war. I think it's good to be reminded of that to keep our priorities straight.
All told, this film is well-made, and it perfectly illustrates the ugly side of war. I would recommend this to anyone.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Magnificent, one of the greatest movies of all time
Added 8/23/2009
If you've seen this film on television in its butchered, edited version (when I saw it on television years ago, it was 75 minutes long! The original movie was 130 minutes!), you owe it to yourself to get this restored version that was magnificently restored by the Library of Congress. What I saw on television made no sense whatsoever and was in horrible condition (scratches, clumsy editing, atrocious sound, etc.). After seeing this complete version, I have to put AQOTWF on my top ten list of best films of all time. Director Lewis Milestone made a masterpiece. Everything about this film is first-rate: the camerawork, acting (including Lew Ayres in a role that actors would kill for), script, sets, etc. It's realistic, brutal, raw, and political. It's also poetic, tender, beautiful, and heartbreaking. This is a deeply affecting movie that works brilliantly as a plea for an end to war (something that will never happen, in my opinion) but it also works simply because it is one of the greatest pieces of filmmaking ever to come out of the USA. If you haven't seen AQOTWF, you haven't seen all the great films. Be sure to get this restored version. The treatment that this film received on television for decades was criminal.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Absolutely Stunning
Added 5/31/2009
I have to confess that I'm just stunned after watching All Quiet on the Western Front for the first time. I was expecting a good, perhaps even a great, war film. What I didn't expect was one of the first talkie films in history making such a profound statement about the sheer horror and pointlessness of war, without appearing naive in terms of filmmaking, in the process.
I previously thought that no war film could make a greater impact than the D-Day landing scene in Saving Private Ryan. Now I stand corrected. I am confident that many extras were injured while filming the battle scenes for AQOTWF. Apart from all explosions taking place a fair distance away from actors, and a couple of very effective special effects, this film relied on excruciating physical exertion to make it's point. It didn't look choreographed; it looked like a truly brutal free-for-all that could easily have ended tragically for anyone being filmed. Disbelief was easily suspended; I thought I was watching soldiers, not actors. In fact, until I read other reviews afterwards, I suspected that the director had recruited real World War I veterans to star in this film. They were that convincing. You could see it in their eyes, and their faces.
Case in point: watch the soldiers pile into the trenches to the point of suffocation, with bayonettes at the end of each rifle. I just can't imagine that scene being filmed safely, and along with some fantastic sound effects this is what made it seem even more real than Saving Private Ryan, where modern audiences were always aware that the only army Stephen Spielberg had at his disposal was comprised of choreographers, stunt men, make-up artists, special effects experts, doctors, and of course, lawyers.
Despite a small amount of overacting, the only "silliness" in this film is the montage of exuberant, wild-eyed youths responding to their professor's call to waste their lives. And even then, it only seemed silly because the ludicrous anti-drug film Reefer Madness used a similar technique six years later, to show that pot instantly drives people to insanity. At the time AQOTWF was released, however, this scene probably had a much more serious impact, made even more sobering by the emergence of the Nazis, only a few years later.
For such an early film, I was often reminded of Citizen Kane, for all of its attention to detail and inclusion of subtleties. For example, in the beginning, veterans don't even flinch as shells fall around them, while the new recruits immediately descend into hysteria. There was also a surprising degree of sexual innuendo for the day. The story and its impact would have suffered greatly if this had been restricted even further by puritans. In reality, trench soldiers were deprived for months or years, in many ways, and this film demonstrates that fact with authority. Just watch those soldiers make love to the pinup girl on the wall, and feel their loneliness and isolation, despite the camaraderie they shared amongst themselves.
I also came away from this with an even greater appreciation for one of my favorite films of all time, Starship Troopers, which clearly borrowed heavily from AQOTWF. As a matter of fact, each film basically tells the same story, with a space age Johnny Rico in ST replacing a Victorian age Paul Baumer in AQOTWF.
And although it's not necessary to repeat what so many others have said, I just can't neglect mentioning the unforgettable scene with the German soldier and the dying Allied soldier inside a shell crater. This was one of the most heart-wrenching things I have ever witnessed on film. When I saw the dead soldier's name on his papers, and the photo of his family... my God.... THIS is what a life wasted for the benefit of a handful of powerful people looks like. Suddenly it becomes clear why the Bush Administration prohibited the news media from filming American soldiers who returned home in coffins. After watching the crater scene, I could only ask myself, why did humans ever go to war again after this film was made?
Without hesitation I recommend AQOTWF as a magnificent example of what film is capable of accomplishing when it's at its best. Indeed, the only thing that made me feel more grief for the human condition was later learning that AQOTWF is ranked as only the 215th greatest film of all time on the Internet Movie Database, with such vapid classics as Back to the Future (#97), Forrest Gump (#42), and Pulp Fiction (#5) beating it out by a long shot.
That's when I realized, once again, why humans still go to war.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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