À l'Ouest, rien de nouveau

Sometimes a work of literal and monologue pacifism that leads actors to clearly defined urgent speeches on the nonsense of war - but they are far from the effect of Remarque's book, which is not nearly as formally rhetorical. Sometimes it is a masterpiece that skillfully uses abbreviations, an intelligible symbol, and is urgent even without words. The final (double) scene is one of the best that was born in the trenches of (not only) the Great War. Lew Ayres in the role of Bäumer is unfortunately very theatrical, whereas the absolute highlight of the film is Louise Wollheim’s Kat. For its time, it certainly amazes with its massive and relatively suggestive fight scenes (the ruthless "mowing" view of the camera in "machine-gun" scenes is etched in my memory) - although where the creators helped themselves by accelerating, Milestone's film is approaching silent grotesque from today's point of view... An excellent work of the time period, which still believed in the urgency of the image of war and its purely preventive and humanistic function. (10/02/2012)

The film is a dignified adaptation of Remarque's famous novel and at the same time one of the artistic peaks of American interwar film production. Of course, if you look for mistakes in it, you will find them. The technical quality corresponds to the time of its creation, which means that in some places it is necessary to turn a blind eye. The film, understandably, strongly resonates with the widespread pacifism after the First World War. Remarque's novel reads like an indictment of war, militarism, and authoritarianism, but in my opinion, it is not pacifist. In the film, pacifism has a declarative nature that blatantly stands out in some moments. The acting is still slightly burdened by the era of silent film, which had after all ended not long before the film was released. However, compared to other productions of that era, these minor shortcomings become insignificant. All Quiet on the Western Front towers in the same way as the Eiffel Tower towers over the Paris cityscape. Considering when it was made, I won't be nitpicky and I'll give it the maximum number of stars. This film deserves it. Overall impression: 90%. (31/08/2017)

If you're looking for the cornerstone in the pyramid of (anti-)war movies, you've come to the right place. The look into the faces of frightened and starving soldiers waiting in the trenches for the fateful order has lost none of its impressiveness and testimonial value. They went to war full of enthusiasm and youthful determination, and left with a deep scar on their souls that even time cannot sufficiently heal. The excellent script based on a legendary novel cleverly contrasts profound ideas and harsh reality, while the timeless direction keeps the atmosphere at freezing point, adding a very naturalistic touch to all the battle scenes – now of course visibly outdated. It is true that the attempt to capture all the themes of Remarque's masterpiece doesn’t always work and the runtime becomes lethal in some places, but the melancholic tone of the story, crowned by the wonderful last shot, makes everything that is imperfect and immature effectively forgotten. 85% (04/11/2013)

The depiction of the battles in this movie is extremely well done, which leads to the feeling of fear for what is yet to come. The death of individual characters may seem a bit excessive, but even today it doesn't necessarily have to look twice as realistic. There are powerful emotional scenes present that are not seen as much today, so even though the film shows signs of aging, its message still holds strong. A great adaptation of one of the most significant war books. (21/07/2014)