All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)
by Lewis Milestone
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Actor: Arnold Lucy, Ben Alexander, John Wray, Lew Ayres, Louis WolheimDirector: Lewis Milestone
Brand: Universal
Writer: Lewis Milestone
Writer: C. Gardner Sullivan
Writer: Del Andrews
Writer: Erich Maria Remarque
Writer: George Abbott
Writer: Maxwell Anderson
Writer: Walter Anthony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Latin (Original Language); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Restored
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-06
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)
DVD Review: All Quiet on the Western Front
Summary: 4 Stars
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.DVD Review: an excellent film that tells the truth about war
Summary: 5 Stars
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 B?umer (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. B?umer.
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.
DVD Review: 3.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 5 Stars
The Bottom Line:
A compelling adaptation of Remarque's classic novel, All Quiet on the Western Front offers striking images--including battle scenes that look great today--and a wonderful ending that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the book.
DVD Review: War/Antiwar
Summary: 4 Stars
I have read the story both in English and in German. It is a classic tale describing the uselessness of warfare from the viewpoint of the soldier who is caught in the middle between two warring nations and/or cultures. He, as does most everyone, wants to be a hero, but what is heroic when you are cold, wet, and hungry. His death came, although the movie doesn't make this clear, after World War I is over. In reply to a dispatch from Berlin asking how things were came the answer: "All (is) quiet on the Western Front." The movie does a fairly good bringing out Remarque's intent. Very similar in theme to "The Red Badge of Courage."DVD Review: Culpability...
Summary: 5 Stars
True. The blood and gore of modern war films are absent, but so are the orchestrated scores, the heroes, and with them, the implicit glory of combat. The trench warfare and Maschinengewehr machine guns might be dated (along with the black and white format and by-modern-standards-poor sound), but the nationalist pride and civilian attitudes complicit in warfare are not. A film for every generation.
Of note: this format is the only I've seen, so I cannot vouch for any so-called remastering or improvements over earlier releases, only the film itself. That being said, I would consider $10 a fair bargain for a good DVD of a great film.
Description of All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/06/2007 Run time: 132 minutes Rating: NrIf a classic movie can be measured by the number of indelible images it burns into the collective imagination, then All Quiet on the Western Front's status is undisputed. Since its release in 1930 (and Oscar win for best picture), this film's saga of German boys avidly signing up for World War I battle--and then learning the truth of war--has been acclaimed for its intensity, artistry, and grown-up approach. Director Lewis Milestone's technical expertise is already stunning in the great opening sequence, as a professor exhorts his students to volunteer for the glory of the Fatherland while troops march past the windows. Erich Maria Remarque's novel is faithfully followed, but Milestone's superbly composed frames make it physical: the first battle scene, with the camera prowling the trenches as they fill with death and chaos, was surely the Saving Private Ryan of its day. The cast is strong, with little-known Lew Ayres finding stardom in the lead (Ayres became a pacifist and conscientious objector during World War II; although he served in battle as a medic, the stance harmed his career). This DVD has no extras beyond a vintage re-release trailer and Robert Osborne's useful introduction, but the main draw is the excellent picture and sound quality of the print--the movie looks better than it has in years. Those indelible images are now clear enough to cut glass: Ayres' lonely look back at the disappearing troop truck; the blinded soldier who runs into enemy fire at night; the fine pair of boots wasted on a boy with an amputated leg; and the final, devastating seconds, arguably the defining cinematic image of war in the 20th century. --Robert Horton
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