All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Academy Awards, USA 1930

Winner Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Director Lewis Milestone
Nominee Oscar	Best Writing, Achievement George Abbott Maxwell Anderson Del Andrews
	Best Cinematography Arthur Edeson

Universal Pictures
Directed by Lewis Milestone
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Universal)

German youth are riled up by the patriotic fervor of their professor and run out of the classroom to sign up for the war. After being subjected to an abusive commander during basic training, they are sent to the front lines where the horrors of trench warfare await them. Most die on the battlefield, the survivors while away the days in boredom, starvation, illness or killing the rats. One survivor returns home for a few days on leave, where he visits the old classroom and the professor, still spouting his patriotism, where he tells the current class the ugly truth about warfare. They kick him out as a coward, and the dejected boy returns to the front lines. He finds an old buddy and they reminisce for a short time before meeting their fates. The scenes on the battlefield are tremendous, with Arthur Edeson's fluid camerawork catching the chaos as never before on screen. Where it falters somewhat, however, is the down time, with long, boring interludes that seem to never end. An important, and very good film, if beginning to fade a bit with time.