All Quiet on Western Front (1979)

The star-studded cast is headed by Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as Paul Baumer, and includes such award-winning actors as Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, and Patricia Neal. As both narrator and star, Thomas occasionally seems to reincarnate his familiar John-Boy persona, but creates a character that has many more levels than that television alter ego. Watching Paul as he watches all of his high school buddies die is a highly emotional experience. He returns to his home a different person, conflicted in his feelings about the Army and war, evolving from an idealistic schoolboy to a fearful and humble veteran.

The scenery and costuming in this period piece are well done, and surely contributed to its winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Made for TV. Also contributing to the greatness of the film are the exceptional cinematography and special effects that, while realistically gruesome, truly emphasize the horrors of war. --Zachary Lively

If you are viewing this with kids, they may prefer this slightly (to them!) more modern version. The acting is quite good in this made-for-TV adaptation of a classic WWI movie that was banned by Hitler (a good indication that it should be watched!) because it was anti-war, and his need was to encourage, not discourage, young men to fight.

From the viewpoint of young German soldiers who at first are eager to fight, until they face the realties of war, it is a classic WWI anti-war movie.

Although there is war-related violence, it may be OK for some kids, but parents should view it first.

Four stars because even though it is in color, it isn't quite as good as the original black and white.


The abbreviated life of Paul Baumer   January 30, 2001
B. Chandler (Arlington, Texas)
19 out of 31 found this review helpful

The movie is an honest attempt to portray the story in the book. However it misses the mark and is highly edited to show evidently what director Delbert Mann and writer Paul Monash [Salem's Lot (1979) (TV)] thought you would want to see and not what Erich Maria Remarque wrote about. Do you remember the scene that Remarque wrote about befriending a cat while enjoying the spoils of protecting the abandoned town? How about the night they crossed the river to meet some girls at their house? The time he faked sick to get off the train and stay with his buddy? No? I wonder why?

You are right movies cant be books. But the Lewis Milestones 1930 classic comes a lot closer. It is sort of distraction to see Johnboy playing Paul Baumer. Younger viewers at least wont have that distraction. If this is the only exposure to the story you have then it is masterful. However it is only reflection of the book or other movie versions. If you only taste ersatz coffee you may still drink coffee but you will never know what it is like to drink real coffee that does not say "cinnamon crumb cake" on the label.


Great film but would have been better without the editing.   July 31, 2003
D. M. Kneller (Canada)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

As most of the other reviews have noted, this is a great movie. What disappointed me though was that a lot of little parts were edited out. I saw this movie on TV several years ago and recorded it. I thought it was excellent and eagarly purchased the DVD. I wish now that I had kept my tape. Because although the edited parts did not take away much from the story as a whole, those same parts added so much more to it. For example in the unedited version, during training Paul Baumer comes to the aid of one of his comrades who has fallen into the mud. For this he is punished by Corporal Himmelstoss. Later at the front, Paul and his platoon mates are sitting in their dugout and discussing why Himmelstoss received the Iron Cross. By this time Himmelstoss is behaving more human and when he enters the dugout he is no longer taunted. In fact Kat moves over on his bunk to make room for him. These are only 2 examples. There was much more.

Still a good movie, but because of the editing I rate it only 3 stars.


All Quiet on the Western Front   March 20, 2006
C. Netti (Herkimer, NY)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

As a history teacher I am always looking for good materials to use in the classroom. I use exerpts of the book in my Global Hist. class and used to use the 1939 version of the film as a supplement to the reading. The older version is truer to the book but the over the top acting of Lou Ayers doesn't click very well with today's young viewers. They are more likely to laugh at the drama of the older version. The 1979 version misses some of the books irony because it bipasses, or treats very lightly, some crucial scenes in the book, but the character portrayals and somber mood of the film are much more apt to hold my students attention. I enjoyed this film when it first aired on television almost 30 years ago and was happy to finds it on DVD so that I can use it in the classroom.


An interesting WW1 film through German eyes.   May 20, 1999
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Like the 1930 version of this film, All Quiet on the Western Front is about a young German boy, Paul, who eagerly signs up to fight for the "Fatherland" during WW1. During the 4 years he fights in the War, he learns that war is not as heroic as his teacher made it out to be. This movie is very well acted and it is a touching movie, even for a war film. Like the 1930 version, it is an interesting WW1 flim seen through German eyes.