All Quiet on the Western Front

An outstanding timeless classic that reminds us that the old adage of "war is Hell" is true; and true for all sides!

I bought this movie to show to my middle school students while doing a unit on World War I. The students enjoyed most of the movie and it really helped them to see what the fighting was like during WWI. It was a great resource to use.

Erich-Maria Remarque's classic anti-war book was in 1930 realised magnificently as a film by Lewis Milestone. So definitive was this version that it seemed almost sacrilege to even contemplate a re-make. Delbert Mann bravely (or foolishly) took up the challenge in 1979 (an Anglo/American production) with predictably mixed opinions as to whether he had even equalled let alone surpassed the original. I admit that I resisted viewing it until one of my students offered a VHS copy for me to peruse. I sat down to watch it with little enthusiasm or expectation. However, after half an hour I was hooked! The almost operatic pacing of the story and the superb photography impressed me as did the fine acting from a stellar cast, Donald Pleasence (schoolmaster), Ian Holm (Corporal Himmelstoss), Ernest Borgnine (as a very affecting'Kat' if a little too old) and Patricia Neal. Crucially though it is the role of the story's youthful protagonist Paul Baumer that makes or breaks the film. In the ... Read more

The movie All Quiet on the Western Front is a good movie to watch after you read the book. The book does a very good job about portraying in your mind what war was really like. The movie does a very good visual job portraying the book.The movie has the same main points, and although it does follow the book closely, it still does have its differences. The movie shows how Paul is an artist, it also shows Paul having flash backs to his past a lot. It does show the main characters like Paul, Leer, Muller, and Kropp, but they do not show how Behm dies. The movie is definitely worth watching in class. It gives you a pretty accurate visual of the book. Despite some differences here and there, the overall movie is a good illustration of the book. -David Kroger

When Erich Maria Remarque's popular war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, was turned into a movie, it lost some of its meaning. The movie's plot is close to the book version. There are some differences however. The book has much more depth while the movie barely touches on some of the important scenes. There are parts left out that show how close the comrades become during the war. I would recommend watching this movie in class after reading the book because it can help to make connections. Overall this movie was good, but it isn't an exact match to the book.