Review of All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Samuel J — 14 Mar 2011

"You still think it's beautiful to die for your country. The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for country, its better not to die at all.".

Director: Lewis Milestone.

Starring: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy.

Running time: 128 minutes.

Country: USA.

All Quiet On The Western Front has always been a landmark of cinema. It was one of the very first sound films and one of the first Best Picture winners so I couldn't afford to miss this one! When I watched it, I absolutely loved it! It was filmed amazingly for its time and the special effects in the action scenes were awesome too! I mean, compared to action war films nowadays like Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, the effects are quite cheesy but still very good obviously. I was impressed that they managed to film it because it was only 12 years after World War I and 9 years before World War II. It is a very dark war film that I think I would call a psychological war film because it tells the story of one's struggles in World War I when in combat and when seeing those suffer out of combat.

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. Louis Wolheim delivers a great performance as Paul Bäumer.

Lewis Milestone directed this film really well! His work changed the world of cinema. It is probably one of the first action films that have ever been made. Despite Lewis Milestone creating a film that changed cinema, he is nowadays an extremely underrated director!

Overall, All Quiet On The Western Front is a very dark war film that is a landmark of cinema. True accomplishment that became one of the very first sound films ever!