Silent Version of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT on TCM!

[Gagman 66]

In case no one has noticed, TCM is airing the recent restoration of the Silent version of Lewis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT on September 14th! This was a huge surprise. I hope to see it shown sometime, but I did not expect it to happen so soon. Also the debut of the newly restored WHAT PRICE GLORY? (1926) will be included as part of the Raoul Walsh tribute in November!

[MichiganJ]

In case no one has noticed, TCM is airing the recent restoration of the Silent version of Lewis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT on September 14th!

I don't see it on the TCM schedule for September 14th. They do have it listed for September 28th at 12:45 AM, but no indication it is the silent version, although it is part of the Tribute to the Library of Congress Film Archive night.

[Gagman 66]

Kevin,

On the TCM boards they are saying this is the Silent version. And yes, I goofed on the date. Sorry about that. It is the 28th.

[MichiganJ]

I'm not doubting it's the silent version: I'm just saying that on the TCM schedule it's genre is listed as War and not Silent. Either way, it appears to be a restored edition by the Library of of Congress so I'll be recording it. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Rita Hayworth]

I will be definitely be watching this!

[moira finnie]

Thanks so much for alerting me to this semi-silent version of All Quiet on the Western Front. Almost all the sounds are those of the ambient sounds of war and the cries of men. As explained by Patrick Loughney of the LOC, there were many versions of the movie--including a 3 hour road show version, and edited versions later that reflected the mood of each country where it was shown, (especially in Germany, where Nazis disrupted performances by releasing rats and planting stink bombs in the movie houses. When Hitler came to power in '33, Remarque's novel was among those burned by his minions). The perceptions of the movie changed over time as the wave of post-WWI pacifism gave way to a new militarism in fascist countries and the guard of other nations went up. Eventually there were even versions that allegedly altered the anti-war theme, tilting toward military glory. Just after it opened one major change that occurred immediately was the re-shooting of all the scenes with Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) and his mother, who was originally played by Zasu Pitts, whose comedic familiarity made contemporary audiences titter whenever she came on screen--prompting the casting of Beryl Mercer as Mama, (personally, I'd prefer Zasu, who reportedly can still be seen in European prints of the film. Has anyone ever seen the one with Pitts?).

After watching this not-quite-a-talkie edition, I was even more impressed with the beauty of director Lewis Milestone & cinematographer Arthur Edeson's visual compositions, the acting, and the very impressive editing by Milton Carruth. In this quieter on the western front, you can see how suspense and emotion were effectively built by the transitions between the character's faces, and the painful intensity of fear that was heightened by tighter and tighter cuts ratcheting the emotion to a keen pitch. When more peaceful or comic moments were experienced, the shots were held much longer, allowing the viewer a bit of a breather. Overall, I think I prefer All Quiet in its sound version, since the voice of Lew Ayres reflected his emotional disillusionment, growth, and tragedy so well. Perhaps if I'd first seen the silent edition, that would be THE one for me, but it seems to have enormous power as a movie either way.

Btw, the blogger at Immortal Ephemera, found here, has written the most thorough bio of Louis Wolheim (the earthy Kat, whose paternal friendship meant so much to Baumer).

Again, thank you, Gagman!