Review of All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Matthew K — 29 Jun 2011

Through its old and clouded film-with a soft and scratchy soundtrack, this certainly feels like it came from its own time long ago, from the age of early cinema. Inside of that cloud is a visible layer of cinematography that(from 1930) was way ahead of its time.

There's few old films that look as good as this(some films, a few years later look better, but again, for its time, it was ahead of the game). The acting was surprisingly good. The effects within the battle scenes, where the ground was constantly being tossed up into the air from each striking bomb of enemy fire, and soldiers running through each and every one of them, was well done.

In a couple scenes, their was a level of emotionality that struck me. There are only a few films from the 1930's that I can think of(and this WASN'T one of them. I could only think of 'Wizard of Oz' and 'Gone With the Wind', but after viewing this oscar-winning film for best picture, I will remember it from here on out).