All Quiet on the Western Front
In researching and reviews on “All Quiet on the Western Front” I learned that this movie had a huge impact on audiences around the world when it came out. It won Oscars for Best Picture, and Milestone’s directing in the movie. I found many critics that credit the movie with being a major contributor the shaping the film industry today. It is called “timeless,” “harrowing,” and “classic” by many.
The film and book were warmly received in America, however that was not the case in Germany. It was criticized by the right for talking badly about the military, and by the left, for the Author, Erich Remarque, participating in the war rather than just denouncing it. When it was time for the film to come out the Nazi’s were in power. The Nazis disrupted the premiere, Joseph Goebbels made a speech denouncing it, mice, stink bombs and sneezing powder were released in the theater and outside, the SS instigated a riot. The Nazi paper called it "A Jewish lie" and "a hate film slandering the German soldier." The film was banned inside Germany, but the German language version played to full houses just over the border, and special trains and buses transported the audience to theaters in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. (http://www.moviediva.com/MD_root/reviewpages/MDAllQuietWesternFront.htm) It was banned in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and New Zealand. It was finally shown in Germany in 1952 and Italy in 1956.
All Quiet… was careful to bring no glory to war, like other films had done. It was heralded for its realistic view of war, violent, gory, and tragic. A London Times critic wrote, “Realism reaches its zenith in this picture. I hate it. It brought back the war to me as nothing has ever done before or since.” This was one of many quotes I read about the film, however this one stuck out to me. I think it is a very strong statement about the film and speaks to the way many people may have felt about the film.
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