The second film adaptation of the book of the same name, 1979’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is essentially a more modern adaptation of the early 1931 film that now looks, due to its status as an early ‘talkie’ with over-exaggerated acting, quite dated. The legacy of the First World War in film, novels and poetry still serves to remind successive generations of the errors made in the past, and this film takes a reasonably balanced and very personal look at the effects of the war on the human body and soul, based on true events that many soldiers of the past were doubtless all too familiar with. PRESENTATION OF WAR The film begins ...  Read the complete review

All Quiet on the Western Front. 1979 version. This is another film in my favourite film genre. This film is from a German view point of the First World War, which is an unusual stand point from a movie aspect. The film begins in Germany around 1914, and a class of teenage boys are being coerced and impelled to join the Imperial German Army and fight in the trenches. Their school master makes the boys believe in the honour and glory of the war leading them to have a false and glorified idea of trench warfare. The boys allusions of army life and war are abruptly reversed when the they start basic training and when the boys are ultimately sent to the front ...  Read the complete review

The book All Quiet on the Western Front, published in 1929, is probably the most powerful anti-war novel ever written. A complex novel - full of important questions about war and warfare - adapting it for the big screen was always going to be a daunting task. Yet Lewis Milestone's effort makes a very good stab at it; something which is all the more impressive considering it was released in 1930 in the early days of cinema. As with the book, it follows the experiences of several classmates, all of whom sign up to fight for Germany in the trenches of the First World War. Their experiences of death, friendship and fighting force them to grow up and become old ...  Read the complete review

I saw this film many years ago so wanted to check it out when it came out restotred on DVD in 2006. The movie was originally made way back in 1930 and for me was a classic film in it's day and was recognised at the time as a landmark anti-war classic. The movie is largely the retelling of the original novel where we see the tragedy and suffering of the first world war through the eyes and from the point of view of a German solider fighting. The novel is entirely based around his views and thoughts, whereas in the film there is no real central character establised for maybe the first hour. The movie visually graphic and considering when it was made ...  Read the complete review