All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Winner of 2 Academy Awards:

Best Picture

Universal

Best Directing

Lewis Milestone

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards:

Best Writing

George Abbott

Maxwell Anderson

Del Andrews

Best Cinematography

Arthur Edeson

It won 2 Oscars out of a total of 4 nominations in 1929-30.


All Quiet on the Western Front is "neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure" as it attempts to "tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war."  Set during World War I, the story follows a group of students who enlist as German soldiers in the Second Company.  With a man named Paul as the focal point, the combatants gradually begin to question what, if anything, they are fighting for.

It is based off of the novel by Erich Maria Remarque.

The film was the first production to be awarded with Oscars for both Best Picture and Best Directing.  Incidentally, Lewis Milestone also became the first director to be awarded with multiple Oscars for Best Directing, after having previously taken home a trophy for Two Arabian Knights (1927).

Many extras and consultants on the film were actually German veterans that had fought in World War I, which helped in creating an unmatched sense of realism and authenticity.

No stranger to controversy, the film was initially banned in Germany, Austria, Italy, France and Australia.  It had originally been submitted with a run-time of 147 minutes, but cuts were made to appease censors and broaden the appeal to audiences.  Several re-releases were also edited down.  By the time the film received its restoration, no complete print existed and the length of the cut now stands at 133 minutes.


Editorial:

Quite possibly the first genuine masterpiece of the sound era, there are few words that can do this film justice in terms of its greatness.  Provocative, dangerous, violent, disturbing and controversial, All Quiet on the Western Front challenges the audience to reflect on the futility of war and the personal damage that it wreaks on its participants.

This movie is incredible in terms of capitalizing on the philosophical discussions between its characters.  The bulk of the film does not even take place on the battlefield, but rather in between combat experiences where the troops constantly question their own mortality and ponder how countries or peoples can be offensive towards one another.  The celebration of its anti-war message certainly lends itself to the film's brutal honesty and no-holds-barred approach to such a major social issue.

Score  |  09/10  |  This motion picture may be required viewing.