Lew Ayres

In 1914, a group of German teenagers volunteer for action on the Western Front. Paul Baumer is a sensitive youth, but is persuaded to join up by a war-mongering professor advocating glory for the Fath...( read more  read more... )erland. Paul and his friends are trained under Himmelstoss, a kindly postmaster turned brutal corporal, and then sent to the front lines to taste battle, blood and death.

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84% liked it

12,181 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

30 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 5 min.

Directed by: Lewis Milestone

Release Date: August 24, 1930

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DVD Release Date: January 5, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (649)


  • January 19, 2009
    "We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all."

    Winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 1930, All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the most gritty anti-war films ever made. 79 years later, the impact of thi...( read more)s film is still relevant today. Very few films capture the heart-wrenching reality of the effects of war on soldiers as this dated gem. This film perfectly illustrates the innocence that is lost in a pointless war.

    Not enough can be said about the cinematography of this film. It was absolutely brilliant for it's time. There were moments that I felt like I was watching a modern film. The war scenes were amazingly shot for 1930. Gripping and real...

    The acting was a bit exaggerated and the editing was very choppy. It was also a bit longer than it needed to be.

    This film was on the original AFI top 100 list, and deservingly so. It will often be overlooked because of it's age, but this is truly one of the greatest classic war films with a tragically beautiful conclusion.
  • November 25, 2008
    absolutely chilling. one of the greatest war masterpieces of all time. this is the film that did the most for getting me to hate war. while i understand war and feel that it is sometimes necessary to use force to fight evil that rejects the use of reason, i still hate war, and...( read more) this is the most moving anti-war film ever made. nearly 80 years since its release it holds up incredibly well. the acting is a little weak at points, but the war scenes are haunting and the psychological effect of war on those that participate in it is presented powerfully. one of the great films of all time.
  • July 20, 2008
    It's hard to find a war film that isn't filled with propaganda and anti - German comments. But I may have found the love of my life, in terms of WW1 films, that is.

    Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque (which I bought after searching six months, only to find my gran had be...( read more)en in possession of the German copy for thirty years. C'est la vie), it follows a group of young German soldiers as they face the terrors of war and personal loss.

    Naturally, it's black and white, but somehow, it becomes even more gripping through it's lack of colour. There's no need to distract the audience - this is pure, raw emotion and consequences of human action. It's historically accurate without seeming like a history lesson.

    The ending scene may well be the most beautiful shot in cinematic history. Wait for it.
  • April 22, 2008
    "We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all."

    Brilliant, relentless and heart-wrenching anti-war drama is still as powerful now as it was when released almost 80 year ago.

    All Quiet on the Western Front<...( read more)/i> is a classic war movie that is tragically overlooked due to its age, which is a real shame. The film is set during World War I from the perspective of a number of German teenagers brainwashed into thinking that fighting and dying for the Fatherland is glorious and a high honour.

    Upon reaching the battle-grounds, no-one is ready for what they are exposed to. The whole film mainly follows young German Paul Baumer (Ayres) who lives to see many of his friends meet their untimely demise.

    Told in grainy black and white, the movie feels like old documentary footage rather than a staged movie. It's this effect, coupled with the great performances that make this movie so memorable and classic.

    The powerful anti-war themes underline the true malicious nature of humanity. The film was originally very controversial and was banned in many countries due to the relentless war themes, including some truly spectacular battles. For a 1930s movie, the battles look absolutely fantastic. Sure, modern audiences may be disappointed with the gore aspect but there are plenty of brutal scenes of stabbings, people getting mowed down with machine guns, limbs being blown off and the use of explosives.

    All Quiet on the Western Front is a montage of memorable scenes that are remembered in film history. For those familiar with the movie, each scene is unforgettable and lead up to the final shot of a man reaching for a fatal butterfly.

    Overall, All Quiet on the Western Front is a classic war movie that still delivers a powerful message decades after it was made. The anti-war themes are a prominent feature, and the final shot really hits home. Highly recommended!
  • June 26, 2007
    A cinematic milestone that evokes the horrors of the war, an ill-fated moment that stays for a lifetime.
  • November 8, 2009
    Big anti-war film, but artfully done.
  • November 4, 2009
    This movie is without a doubt the greatest war movie ever made in history. It shows the horrors and reality of war. Especially since not a whole lot of WWI is talked about this movie shows how life was for a German soldier. You feel his pain, his life, and especially his death. T...( read more)his movie is a necessity to watch for every war/ action movie lover. The action scenes are beast even though it was made in 1930.
  • October 20, 2009
    Based on one of my favourite novels, the homonym work by Remarque, this movie was bound to disappoint me in some way.
    It's a good movie, a good adaptation , but while the book had a timless feeling about it, this feels a little obsolete.
    The story is not complicated, a bunch of ...( read more) inexperienced but enthusiastic boys go to war only to find out that life in the trenches in anything but what they had in mind.
    The movie doesn't recapture the complexity of the book, yes, that woud be tricky even today. Also even if Lew Ayres is likeable as Paul Baumer, I don't think he was up to the task of portraying the character.
    The war scenes are good, and as entire piece of cinema the movie still holds strong, just didn't succed in convincing me. The movie suffers more then one occasion because of poor sound and image.
    The last scene, with the butterfly is very beautiful, moving, emblematic.
    "(...) you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put 'em in the center dressed in their underpants, and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins (....)"
  • October 19, 2009
    read the book in High School would not mind seeing the movie
  • October 13, 2009
    As an anti-war statement, this film still has a lot of impact. Few movie buffs will argue against the power of the final scene. I think the picture would have been even more effective if a prominent lead character was followed through the story, but its study of a large group of ...( read more)people works interestingly enough. Director Lewis Milestone does amazing things with the battle sequences, utilizing sound in its earliest stages and employing some brilliant camera work.

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All Quiet on the Western Front Trivia


  • What is the name of the movie where the artist and all of his German friends go off to war and die?  Answer »
  • Which of the following movies does NOT take place during WWII?  Answer »
  • The following were nominated for an Academy Award for Outstanding Production in 1929-30. Which production won the Oscar? HINT: Shhh!  Answer »
  • All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), is based on a classic novel by which author:  Answer »

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