All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

[moira finnie]

I don't think that we have talked about one of the classics of world cinema, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) here. This movie is being broadcast tonight on TCM at 10pm ET after, I think, several years when it was not scheduled.The story centers on a German boy (Lew Ayres) and his friends who followed the patriotic teachings of their elders and enlisted in WWI. As the war drags on and their ranks are decimated, the experiences in the trenches bond them together and make visits back home unbearable. The first time seeing this movie can be a shattering emotional experience, but it is all the more remarkable because the film was only made barely a decade after the First World War had ended--from the enemy's point of view.

Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, what was perceived as the pacifist message of the movie was quite controversial when it was first released as a film, prompting protests from the American Legion in this country and National Socialists thugs in Germany to invade the theaters where it was being shown, where they released rats into the audience, threw things at the screen and started fistfights with anyone who tried to quell them. Remarque eventually left Germany, enjoying considerable fame and wealth as his career went on, though, by his own admission, his work never reached the level of this early masterpiece. Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Russell Gleason and the entire cast were outstanding in this movie directed by Lewis Milestone.

In 1930, the movie won four Oscars, for Best Picture for Universal, Best Director for Milestone, Best Cinematography for Arthur Edeson, and Best Writing Achievement for George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson and Del Andrews' adaptation of Remarque's story. In 1941, Lew Ayres would cite the experience of playing the role of Paul Bäumer as one of the reasons he decided to become a conscientious objector, a stance that prompted his studio, MGM to drop his contract after his public announcement. After establishing the right to act on his conscience despite his lack of formal religious affiliation, Ayres became a medic, serving with distinction in the South Pacific for the remainder of the war.

[feaito]

In my opinion one of the greatest films ever made -of any genre-; a big example that during the early talkies' period such masterpieces could be filmed and with "The Big Parade" (1925), "Wooden Crosses" (1932) and "J'Accuse!" (1919)the greatest anti-war films ever made!! Utterly touching, heart wrenching, honest, human, excellent!!

[Mr. Arkadin]

A companion thread:

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... =22&t=4641