All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)
At the start of World War I, Paul Baumer is a young German patriot, eager to fight. Indoctrinated with propaganda at school, he and his friends eagerly sign up for the army soon after graduation. But when the horrors of war soon become too much to bear, and as his friends die or become gravely wounded, Paul questions the sanity of fighting over a few hundreds yards of war-torn countryside.
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For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
This is a classic war film, or maybe I should say anti-war film. The 1930 version is even better but that doesn't take away from this film at all. Ernest Borgnine is brilliant in this, and Donald Pleasence is also at his best. Can't recommend this movie highly enough.
The battle scenes were how I imagine it was. It's hard to capture the horror, but you could almost feel the fear. The naive people at home is realistic due to propaganda from the state media. To go to all the trouble of this great movie, and then put the wrong armistice date at the end was regrettable. There was still heavy fighting on Oct 11. Nov 11 was Armistice Day.
World War 1 and a young German, Paul Baumer, enthusiastically joins the Army. With romantic notions of war and idealistic dreams in his head he undergoes training and then is sent off to the Western Front. In due course the romantic notions are replaced by the harsh reality of war and he becomes disillusioned with it all.The original movie, made in 1930, was brilliant. Based on Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel, it was grim and gritty and probably the first anti-war movie ever made. So good it won the 1931 Best Picture Oscar.This 1979 adaptation is not in the same league. Retains the same plot but doesn't have the same grittiness, feeling quite tame in comparison. Performances also feel quite subdued. Overall, not bad, but not great either.Watch the 1930 version instead.
One of the best war movies of all time, if not one of the best movies of any kind, is the 1930 version of Erich Maria Remarque's excellent novel, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, featuring Lew Ayers. All remakes should be judged against that great film. As such, this remake, featuring Richard Thomas, comes close to matching the original in making a person think and feel about war in general, but somehow leaves the viewer a little flat in the end.There are some scenes which are underplayed in this remake. For instance, in the 1930's version, Corporal Himmelstoss is known to the recruits before the war and basic training as the town postman. This is a central point to there feeling about him and their treatment of him, both during boot camp and afterward. By not including this small fact, something is lost to the over point of the movie. In the original, Himmelstoss is a character whose actions, especially during training, allow the viewer to feel more deeply towards him, and helps explain his actions on the field of battle later on.Towards the beginning of the film, Paul is explaining that it is a good day because they have each received double rations. In the 1930 version, the reason behind the double rations is more evident and poignant.But for these small drawbacks, this is still one hell of a good film, and should be seen by all war movie fans, and even fans of novel from which it was made.