A young soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I. (136 mins.)
| All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) | |
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Rating: 8.0/10 (54,057 votes) Director: Lewis Milestone Writer: Erich Maria Remarque (by), Maxwell Anderson (adaptation), George Abbott (screen play), Del Andrews (adaptation), C. Gardner Sullivan (supervising story chief) Stars: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy Runtime: 136 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Drama, War Released: 24 Aug 1930 |
| Plot: 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. | |
