All Quiet on the Western Front

Product Information

Without diluting or denying any ... criticisms, it should be said that from World War I to Korea, Milestone could put the viewer into the middle of a battlefield, and make the hellish confusion of it seem all too real to the viewer. Steven Spielberg noted as much when he credited Milestone's work as partial inspiration for Saving Private Ryan ... Lewis Milestone made significant contributions to [the genre of] the war film. [14] The latest in the now dangerously monotone 'war is bad' rhetoric, All Quiet on the Western Front struggles to say anything new but certainly provides a suitably - expectedly - punishing ride. For those who don't have Netflix, the decision is relatively simple. Excellent video and audio alone will seduce many, and the promise of a film that has had just so damn many awards should likely leave the majority more than satisfied - if exhausted. However those with Netflix face a harder quandary, as this isn't just a standard release, it's some deluxe limited release, carrying a commensurate price point. Sure, it's got DV and DA but so did the 'free' Netflix version, and even if they're noticeably better, you'd have to not only really love the film (which, clearly, many do) but also be prepared to watch it more than once (which, even those who really appreciate it may not be up for). So choose wisely, lest this be a very pretty set left languishing on your shelf, unopened.

Eagan, Daniel. "All Quiet on the Western Front". America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry (2010): 168-169 ISBN 0826429777 [1]. The disc presents a 3840x2160/24p BT.2020 image in the film's theatrical aspect ratio of widescreen 2.39:1, and uses a Wide Colour Gamut (WCG), High Dynamic Range and Dolby Vision, and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec. Chambers, John Whiteclay. "All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): the antiwar film and the image of the First World War". Historical journal of film, radio and television 14.4 (1994): 377-411.

They hear that they are to return to the front the next day and begin a semi-serious discussion about the causes of the war and of wars in general. All Quiet on the Western Front comes to UK 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray courtesy of Altitude. The Ultra HD Blu-ray delivers a native 4K HDR presentation with Dolby Vision.

The film was shot with two cameras side by side, with one negative edited as a sound film and the other edited as an " International Sound Version" for distribution in non-English speaking areas. Schleh, Eugene P. "Books About Film and War". Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies 8.1 (1978): 11-14.Gamarekian, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (October 19, 1990). "Library of Congress Adds 25 Titles to National Film Registry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved May 18, 2020. the leap up from 4K Netflix DV to 4K disc DV isn't seismic, but it is noticeable in all the right places In the film, Paul is shot while reaching for a butterfly. This scene is different from the book, and was inspired by an earlier scene showing a butterfly collection in Paul's home. 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. Schleh, Eugene P. "All Quiet on the Western Front: A History Teacher's Reappraisal". Film & History 8.4 (1978): 66-69.

Arthur Gardner as classroom student (uncredited) (at the time of his death in December 2014, he was the last surviving member of the cast or crew) Shot with gritty brutality, caked in dirt and dust and sweat and blood, and gifted a succession of truly punishing extended setpieces that, one after the other, hammer home the true horrors of war, All Quiet on the Western Front is a hell of an endurance piece. If you thought it was hard enough watching best friends see each other blown to pieces by artillery fire, or be fooled by a brief reprieve before the tanks arrive, how about some vicious you-or-me squirming-around-with-knives hand-to-hand combat? It's a meticulously crafted examination of everything horrible that could possibly happen to a young and naive kid who has just walked onto a battlefield. It's won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Score (that last one is an easy fit - the aggressive, intrusive and arguably atypical score gifting the film its one glimmer of something different from its peers). On paper, you can see why it's won so many damn awards, and it is definitely a solid, impressively put-together feature. a b "Review: 'All Quiet on the Western Front' ". Variety. May 7, 1930 . Retrieved February 3, 2017.A great number of German Army veterans were living in Los Angeles at the time of filming and were recruited as bit players and technical advisers. Around 2,000 extras were utilized during production. [9] Among them was future director Fred Zinnemann ( High Noon, From Here to Eternity, A Man for All Seasons, Julia), who was fired for impudence. In a retrospective review, American film critic Pauline Kael commented, "The year 1930 was, of course, a good year for pacifism, which always flourishes between wars; Milestone didn't make pacifist films during the Second World War—nor did anybody else working in Hollywood. And wasn't it perhaps easier to make All Quiet just because its heroes were German? War always seems like a tragic waste when told from the point of view of the losers." [19] The League of Nations could make no better investment than to buy up the master-print, reproduce it in every language, to be shown in all the nations until the word "war" is taken out of the dictionaries. Noted comedienne ZaSu Pitts was originally cast as Paul's mother and completed the film but preview audiences, used to seeing her in comic roles, laughed when she appeared onscreen so Milestone re-shot her scenes with Beryl Mercer before the film was released. The preview audience remains the only one who saw Pitts in the role, although she does appear for about 30 seconds in the film's original preview trailer. Box Office Information for All Quiet on the Western Front, Box Office Mojo; retrieved April 13, 2012.

The Nazi campaign was successful and German authorities outlawed the film on December 11, 1930. A heavily cut version was briefly allowed in 1931, before the Nazis came to power in 1933 and the film was outlawed again. The film was finally re-released in Germany on April 25, 1952, in the Capitol Theatre in West Berlin. Between 1930 and 1941, this was one of many films to be banned in Victoria, Australia, on the ground of 'pacifism', by the Chief Censor Creswell O'Reilly. [24] However, it was said to enjoy "a long and successful run" in other states, though the book was banned nationally. [25] The film was also banned in Italy and Austria in 1931, with the prohibition officially raised only in the 1980s, and in France up to 1963. [26] Awards and honors [ edit ] Carl Laemmle holding the Outstanding Production Best Picture OscarAmerican Film Institute (June 17, 2008). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 11 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008 . Retrieved June 18, 2008. Higham, Charles. Select List of Banned Films in "Film censorship: the untold story". The Bulletin, November 20, 1965, p.18.