All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

A young soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I.

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Erich Maria Remarque (by), Maxwell Anderson (adaptation)

Stars:

Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louis Wolheim	...	Kat
Lew Ayres	...	Paul (as Lewis Ayres)
John Wray	...	Himmelstoss
Arnold Lucy	...	Kantorek
Ben Alexander	...	Kemmerich (as Kemmerick)
Scott Kolk	...	Leer
Owen Davis Jr.	...	Peter
Walter Rogers	...	Behn (as Walter Browne Rogers)
William Bakewell	...	Albert
Russell Gleason	...	Mueller
Richard Alexander	...	Westhus
Harold Goodwin	...	Detering
Slim Summerville	...	Tjaden (as 'Slim' Summerville)
G. Pat Collins	...	Bertinck (as Pat Collins)
Beryl Mercer	...	Paul's Mother

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

squad | 1910s | soldier | german army | trench warfare | 

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Taglines:

SEE all of the famed characters in ERICH MARIA REMARQUE'S world-stirring novel - Louis Wolheim as Katzcinsky, Lewis Ayres as Paul Baumer, John Wray as Sergeant Himmelstoss. See Tjaden, the French girls across the canal, Paul's mother - every one of the folks in the book is here!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Latin

Release Date:

24 August 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

All Quiet on the Western Front

Filming Locations:

RKO-Pathé Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min (cut) 147 min (BBFC submission before censorship) 133 min (restored) 138 min (copyright length) 128 min (DVD) 101 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) Silent (synchronized music score)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his 2013 study. "The Collaboration: Hollywood's Pact With Hitler", Harvard scholar Ben Urwand documents how the German riots against this film prompted Universal Pictures chief Carl Laemmle to agree to major cuts in the movie so it could be re-released in Germany.

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Goofs

During the attack scene in the cemetery, a large piece of masonry hits Paul's helmet, denting it. Later, when he retreats and jumps into the shell hole, there is no dent.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man cleaning doorknob: Thirty thousand.
Maid: From the Russians?
Man cleaning doorknob: No, from the French. From the Russians we capture more than that every day.

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Crazy Credits

Later reissues of the film mentioned that the film was an Academy Award winner in the opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

The silent (synchronized sound, non-dialogue) version is 133 minutes long and was restored by the Library of Congress. It was prepared for Universal's own cinemas (they were one of the last exhibitors to convert to sound) and shown in France and Australia and possibly elsewhere, but never in Britain until Sunday 23 November 2003.

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Connections

Spoofed in So Quiet on the Canine Front (1931)

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Soundtracks

All Quiet on the Western Front
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Lou Handman
Lyrics by Bernie Grossman

User Reviews

Great WW1 movie

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.

Great World War 1 movie, made when the war was still fresh in everyone's minds.

Might well be the first anti-war war movie, as it depicts the grim realities of war, rather than the romantic, heroic non-existent version of it.

Harrowing, shocking, original, unpredictable, and just as relevant today as in 1930.

Surprisingly good production values for 1930.

Solid performances all round.

Far far better than the 1979 remake.