All Quiet on the Western Front

This is poised to match any full length war feature film. Nice and accurate coverage of WW1 frontlines. This remake is worthy to be ranked as a first grade film. The screenplay, direction and war setting is impeccable. The plot and acting is first rate. The tragedies of war are vividly shot in their complete ruthlessness.

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. The original movie, made in 1930, was brilliant. Based on Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel, it was grim and gritty and probably the first anti-war movie ever made. So good it won the 1931 Best Picture Oscar. This 1979 adaptation is not in the same league. Retains the same plot but doesn't have the same grittiness, feeling quite tame in comparison. Performances also feel quite subdued. Overall, not bad, but not great either. Watch the 1930 version instead.

This is the story of a young German soldier named Paul (Richard Thomas) and his classmates, who join the German Army in World War One. They're befriended by and old hand, ably played by Ernest Borgnine, who teaches them how to stay alive in that awful conflict. Paul eventually spends the night in a shell hole with a dying French soldier (whom he stabbed). The Frenchman's death affects Paul profoundly. This is the story of innocence lost, of life and the unbelievable changes that occur when a person is exposed to death on the scale that World War I produced. It is also definitely an anti-war film. This film makes no attempt to glorify war and is brutally honest about it's effect on those who are left alive after months or years of bitter fighting. Overall, a very good remake of the old classic. I believe the old 1930 original is a *slightly* better film, but this is overall an excellent remake. Well worth a watch!

Many people make the mistake of thinking of this movie as a remake of the 1930 film classic. In reality, both movies are a visual telling of the 1929 novel by the same name; at different points in time. This 1979 film is just a retelling of that story, and it's obvious from its differences from the 1930 film. Personally I like this version better...it's not overacted, it was filmed on location, it has a musical score, and it has a feeling of reality to it that the 1930 film just doesn't seem to have. No matter how many times I've watched it, the end always leaves me feeling as if I had been a part of the story and its effects linger with my being. Thanks Richard Thomas and crew

Considering this was made in 1979, this is quiet an astonishing film, that is incredibly realistic in its portrayal of the futility of combat in world war one. I first saw this film on TV in the early 80's , and i've seen it again a few times on video since then. The story is compelling, powerful and incredibly moving. The most powerful message of the movie, in my opinion, is that there are no "good" or "bad" guys in war - there's just you and someone else who is out to kill you. The suffering that the real soldiers went through in WW1 is powerfully conveyed in this film. One of my all time favourites - considering that it was just a TV film makes its even more astonishing. If you want a film to move you and make you think about life, look out for this one in your video store. This is another classic "sleeper" - along with the likes of Glory, Shawshank Redemption, Cross of Iron and others that haven't hit the Hollywood bigtime, but have made a lot of people feel moved....