movieHIT88 Can't believe it took till now for me to see this wonderful film. Although made in 1930, it has a currency which did not go unnoticed. Other films, with similar themes, have not equalled or captured so tenderly the complete waste of young minds, bodies and lives that war demands. The film stresses the falsehoods which continue to be told to trick young "adventures" into sacrificing all to the theatre of war and the pressure that is put on them if they dare resist. The film emphasises the impact on the stoic but tortured families who are waiting back home, waiting for bad news which can come at any hour or if their loved ones do come home, the families are "gifted", often, the role of lifetime carers of their damaged husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and friends and now we can add returning women to the list. AQOTWF is one of the best anti-war movies ever made and one which matches Gallipoli for its poignancy. Highly recommend.

OllieSuave-007 Saw this movie at a college Political Science class. Don't remember much from it, but do recall it for its powerful acting, steady-paced plot, and meaningful story of heroism, drama, and message on the dire consequences of war. I could be a tear-jerker as well.Grade B

talula1060 I absolutely love this book and have read many times, so was expecting to feel a similar love for the film. Although there were parts that were gut wrenching (the guy who discovers his leg has been amputated, the madness that ensues after repeated shelling), I had a major problem with the acting. Because sound was so new in film, many of the actors were doing a lot of exaggerated movements and making faces after every line. Lew Ayres was the biggest culprit. He yelled many of his lines, constantly posed for the camera, and in several instances, he started to say the wrong lines and came off sounding like he was reading it. He's not very good at sound movies and it's really a plum role for an actor. He only redeemed himself when he came back home and gave his little monologue in the classroom. He spoke with passion and resolve and was believable for the first time in the film. I was very disheartened to see how badly acted most of this film was because the story is a heartbreaking statement on the horrors of war and the pointlessness of it all. Another pet peeve is the way so many of the actors smile throughout the film as though they were on a Broadway stage. It wasn't written that way in the book and there are certainly other ways to show satisfaction with comfortable boots than having the actors grinning as they march into certain death. It's ridiculous. Someone else mentioned that if this film had been shot a couple years later, it would have been better and I agree completely. Sound was so new that the early years were filled with silent actors who brought that same dramatic, expressive sensibility to the screen. I know there's also a silent version of this film which might work better with the way it's acted. I can't express enough what a complete shame it is that Milestone couldn't have directed these guys better or else cast others in the role who understood the importance of the subtleties in each character and the changes wrought by the war. He had a very large budget for the time and was able to reshoot all of the mother's scenes so why not have the actors do more than one take? Why not notice that the dead French soldier has a different expression every time the camera is on his face? If Paul is dreaming of home, you don't need Ayres to have a dreamy look on his face. Also, bread submerged in water would fall apart. There are so many little things that should have been be caught. I know there's a remake of the film from the 70s, but this movie really only works in black and white. This was shot 11 years after the war's end which is only fitting. I would have loved to see a German version of this movie as it would be interesting to see how they approached it. Great story, but film rendition is ruined by shoddy acting and sloppy blocking.

Bearded MovieGuy Well done movie that was influential enough that at least 2 remakes were made of it. It is pretty interesting, it is a war movie, but it is from the German perspective, starting with how the a group of youth are convinced to join the war effort by their teacher, being told it will be glorious and fun to fight and die for their Motherland. These same boys are all shocked when they finally do get in the war at how loud and ugly it is, and they are forced to grow up real fast as their friends are dying all around them. The story is good, and it looks decent considering when it was made. It is also cool to see when one of the boys who is now a man comes back and sees the teacher that talked him into going, just to find him giving the exact same speech that motivated him to a new class of teens. He is then asked to tell the students all about the glory of war, which he can't and after telling the kids how it really is, they consider him a coward and a traitor. All Quiet On The Western Front does a great job of showing war as the terrible thing it is, and how it is very different for those fighting compared to those who stay behind and criticize from the safety of their homes. Check out my video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIjFsdowDeg 5 Beards Out Of 5