All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)

When this film was made on the backlot of Universal Studios in Hollywood the Great War was still a living memory. Some people critisised it because of that fact while ... more >

When this film was made on the backlot of Universal Studios in Hollywood the Great War was still a living memory. Some people critisised it because of that fact while others for the fact that it gave the German (the enemy's) perspective. Yet, common sense prevailed and the film became the greatest anti-war movie ever and it found its rightful place in annals of Cinema.

When you watch this film, if you can not feel the horrors of that so-called 'Great War' and fell sorry for the German students who cheerfully volunteer in 1914 (their nationalities are really irrelevant as millions of young people in all countries volunteered just like them only to be killed uselessly in the trenches over the next four years) then there must be something wrong with your emotions. War is hell but this war, as depicted in this film, shows that this 'great war' was worse than hell but more over it was a waste of human life of a monsterous magnitude and madness.

While the film does look old and creaky, the black and white quality does give it a more contemporary look now and gives it almost a documentary feel, which then makes it more frightening. All the actors, particularly Lew Ayers is all too believable and you cannot help but thank your stars that you are not in the trenches with them waiting for your turn to die.

It's a frightfully accurate statement of man's ultimate madness. It's a pity that people did not take heed at the time and only nine years later we all went into a greater war with even greater carnage and waste. I guess we never learn.
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View all 2 of Rasin Gures’s reviews

The greatest film ever made. All films before and since live under the shadow of \'All Quiet On The Western Front\'. Everyone should watch it.
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The greatest film ever made. All films before and since live under the shadow of \'All Quiet On The Western Front\'. Everyone should watch it.
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View all 30 of Clinton Morgan’s reviews

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, All Quiet On The Western Front is one of the most revered war films of all time. The film heralds the fear and terror faced by y... more >

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, All Quiet On The Western Front is one of the most revered war films of all time. The film heralds the fear and terror faced by young men on the front lines of battle - significantly from a German point of view as schoolboy Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) and his friends come face-to-face with the destruction of World War I. As the young Germans start to lose their lives and innocence in the line of fire, stark images of soldier's faces frozen in death grip the viewer, while elsewhere there is a wonderful atmosphere surrounding the men enjoying the comforts of their shelter. Full of famous images such as Ayres trapped in a shell crater with a Frenchman he has killed, this heart-breaking adaptation by Lewis Milestone is one of cinema's most timeless and devastating films.

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View all 38 of wolfram parge’s reviews

'We live in the trenches and we fight. We try not to get killed, that's all.' A powerful and moving account of life and mundane death in the mud of the trenches in the... more >

'We live in the trenches and we fight. We try not to get killed, that's all.' A powerful and moving account of life and mundane death in the mud of the trenches in the Great War, all the more effective for showing the undramatic ordinariness of extreme human situations. < less

View all 224 of Graeme Hobbs’s reviews

Based on Erich Remarques pacifist novel, this renowned, still highly impressive, moving and powerful anti-war classic depicts the horrors of World War I from the point... more >

Based on Erich Remarques pacifist novel, this renowned, still highly impressive, moving and powerful anti-war classic depicts the horrors of World War I from the point of view, significantly, of the German soldiers. Academy Award winner, Best Film. One of Barry Normans 100 best films of the century. Newly restored version. JD < less

View all 51 of John Davies’s reviews

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Film Details

Cast

Lew Ayres

Technical Details