All Quiet On the Western Front - By Ian Stout

Title/Year All Quiet On the Western Front / (1930)
Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s novel by the same name.

Director/Birth Country/Year Born Lewis Milestone/Ukraine/1895

Budget $1,448,864 (estimated)

Gross in Rentals $3,000,000 (USA)

Synopsis “All Quiet” follows a group of young German students who are goaded into joining the army by their high school teacher at the beginning of WWI. The boy’s expectations of heroic grandeur quickly fade as basic training whips them into shape for war. Battle after battle they are faced with the ugly truths of what war is really about. It is a sobering lesson that shows the massive gap between the idea of war and the reality of it. In the end, death is the only victor, on either side.

Narrative and Visual Keywords
Down and dirty in the trenches. Epic battles sequences.

Characterization/ Dialogue
The men are real men caught in an ugly game. They are every day people like you and me. Lied to. Tricked into believing their country is worth dying for. The dialog between the men is honest questions of Why? What is the point? Is all this death really changing anything?

Camera/lighting/editing technique
Fantastic cinematography and camera moves for the 1930s! Long sweeping takes with highly integrated pyrotechnics and stunts. Truly inspiring from a filmmakers perspective.

Political/ Social Commentary
This is not a film to make the boys watch to amp them up before they head off to war. This is a blatant stab at the absurdity and down right evils of war.

Historical Relevance/ Recognition
The film was well receive in the states but held some controversy in Europe.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party banned the film from Germany in the 30’s and 40’s… What a dick!

Random fact, Etc.
“In the film, Paul is shot while trying to draw a butterfly just outside his trench. The scene was shot during the editing phase, so the actors were no longer available and Milestone had to use his own hand as Paul's.” - Wikipedia

Why is the film considered controversial? Where was it banned (considered controversial)?
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party banned the film from Germany in the 30’s and 40’s… What a dick!

If you want to start a war, or preach of the glories of dying for ones country, “All Quiet” is not the film you want to be showing.

What societal "comfort zones" does it push the limit of?
No one wanted to believe that their sons were dying in vain. The film exposes the reality of war. It’s all about a bunch of guys with no real beef with the other country fighting the fights of the powers that be. The film boldly asks the question, cant we find a more mature way to settle our differences!?

Would it still be considered controversial if it were released today?
Not stateside. Only in a third world, communist country perhaps.

Do you feel the director's choice to show the material is ethically sound?
Absolutely. He should receive a medal of honor.

Would you recommend this film to a friend?
As this book was once required reading in school, so the film should be required viewing.