ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - 1930

RATED - NR. Plenty of war violence but not graphic. Mature themes. Would likely be PG today.

RATINGS - 110 Amazon (4.5/5), 13,086 IMBD (8.1/10), TV Guide (5/5)-'Best anti-war picture ever.'

AWARDS - Two Academy Awards for BEST PICTURE & BEST DIRECTOR plus two more Academy nominations. AFI TOP 100 nominee.

STORY - Based on the best selling novel of the same title by Erich Maria Remarque, which is based on his personal experience during WWI. But it is a story for all time, all nations and all wars. Just a reminder, that though the U.S. entered the war late, we still lost 120,000 soldiers in the waning months of the war. The film begins with German soldiers marching triumphantly through a German city with dozens of young women running up to hug and kiss the young men. As the camera pans back you see that you are looking through the windows of a university classroom out onto the streets. The older professor lecturing to the all male class begins to talk passionately of patriotism and giving one's life for the Fatherland. Before long, the entire class (except one who reluctantly joins in later) is shouting and singing patriotic slogans and songs. They all march down to enlist thinking among other things that this will be a great way to avoid class for awhile, that this is just a matter of having some fun and picking up where they left off down the road. The first rude awakening is reporting to their quarters and discovering their CO is the postman in their area who has just been called up. Thinking he's there for fun, also, they quickly learn he's as mean and tough as any CO. It goes downhill from there as they go through basic training and are assigned to that earthly version of hell called trench warfare. Being on the front line means long periods of boredom holed up in a bunker followed by intense bursts of violent combat and then dealing afterward with the physical injuries and psychological wounds incurred. The movie is not about WHY they went to war, it is simply showing the incredible horror of war and when it is waged that the lives of those involved are forever changed. It is said that some countries would prohibit the showing of this when they were preparing for war because of the impact it made on people's thinking about war. A classic. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11/23/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, TRAILER