All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Based on the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the earliest and still one of the most powerful anti-war films ever made. The story concerns several young German men that are convinced to enlist during World War I by a highly enthusiastic and over-optimistic school teacher. After weeks dug in the trenches with little food or clothing, the disillusionment of the war sets in and the light of heroism and victory begins to die out. Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) and Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim) highlight the cast of young men whose story is one of, "a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war..."

I stated in my first blog post that Wings was not comparable to Saving Private Ryan, a rather unfair and unrealistic statement for 1927. Just two years later, despite being far less polished and elaborate, All Quiet on the Western Front proves to be a film cut from the same cloth. While undeniably an antiwar "message" film, Front remains powerful and relevant thereby earning it's classic status. Front did not shy away from violence, as evidenced by scenes with countless soldiers being mowed down by machine gun fire and one shocking moment in which a man's severed hands were left on a barb-wire fence after an explosion. Katie and I talked during the film about how the war genre yields so many great films and retain their relevancy because we are constantly at war somewhere in the world. Front is far from perfect as there are occasional pacing issues and melodramatic acting but here is laid the template for everything from Band of Brothers to Starship Troopers. Unlike The Broadway Melody, Front includes several memorable scenes, such as Paul's dramatic classroom speech during leave and him being trapped in a hole with a dying enemy that he stabbed for many hours as well as Katczinsky stealing food and the fateful journey of a dead soldier's boots from soldier to soldier. These scenes and the tragic ends of Paul and Kat cement their way into your memory forever, making All Quiet on the Western Front the finest of the Best Picture winners so far. Unlike myself, Katie has read the book and can offer her own unique perspective...


I read this book in high school and remember liking it a great deal... at least more than Walden Pond but that's a whole other story.  I just don't really remember a ton of it.  I was impressed by how much better this movie was than Broadway Melody, which was a bit of a let down.  Tim has more expertise in the war movie genre than I do, but for the most part, it was a pretty excellent movie.  It started a little slow and there was a lull before the end climax but the middle of the movie was pretty solid.  One of the characters gets his leg amputated and this super insensitive soldier is like, "Hey dude, your foot is blown off, can I have your boots?" Well, the amputee dies and as his last request he gives his boots to the insensitive soldier.  Super nice, right?  Well because that guy was such a jerk, I feel like the boots had some bad karma attached because everyone who wears them dies.  It's like brotherhood of the traveling boots- but everyone dies.  Even though this is no longer Modern Day Imelda, I feel the need to point out shoe things because I guess I sorta like shoes.  Who knew, right?


Fun Fact: As of September 2011, Arthur Gardner is the only surviving member of either the cast or crew. 

"We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all."