Regular Price $24.98

Starring: Richard Thomas,  Ernest Borgnine,  Donald Pleasence,  Ian Holm,  Patricia Neal, 
Directed By: Delbert Mann, 
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: 1979-11-14
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Format: Color,  Full Screen,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about All Quiet on the Western Front

Description
A devastating story of war and a generation destroyed. In 1914 a group of German schoolboys set off to fight in the "glorious" war. During their brutal basic training disenchantment begins; then, boarding a train for the front, they see the wounded being rushed back to the hospitals. They begin to grasp the grim reality of war. When Paul (Richard Thomas) shoots a Frenchman and watches him die, he realizes the futility of war. Wounded, he returns home to a different world, a place where he cannot fit in. Sent back into battle, he meets destiny on a day when the German High Command Communique states simply, All Quiet on the Western Front. Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Ian Holm, Patricia Neal

Amazon.com
Taken from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is a devastating portrait by Delbert Mann (Desire Under the Elms, Marty) of a small group of German soldiers throughout the World War I.

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

Customer Reviews for All Quiet on the Western Front

all quiet on the western front
i believe this remake of the black and white film of the 1930's is the superior of the two. The Richard Thomas version is less preachy than the Lew Ayers version. Also, the ending is not "telegraphed" to the viewer as was done in the black and white film. In the Richard Thomas film the end is sudden, a shot from nowhere! I believe thiss adds considerable dramatic impact to the main theme of this story.All Quiet on the Western Front

Quality DVD
I had been using an old VHS version of this movie but it had been worn out after all of the years of viewing...the DVD is good quality considering this was a made-for-tv movie to begin with. Very pleased.All Quiet on the Western Front

Quality of DVD
The movie was great. Very detailed. The story is developed well. It does take creative detours from the book, but that is to be expected. Very touching. However, the quality of the DVD was poor. There were scratches on the DVD and although it played pretty well the first time, it could not play through certain parts of the movie the next few times.All Quiet on the Western Front

Greatest War Novel Ever Written
This movie is drawn from the classic World War I anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque. Originally written in German and published in Germany as "Im Westen nichts Neues", it was banned by the Nazis and Remarque was forced to flee Germany. It has been called the greatest war novel ever written, an assesment I would agree with though I might call it more of an anti-war novel.
Remarque knew where-of he wrote. He was in some of the fiercest fighting of World War I and was wounded five times, the last time very severely.
The movie follows the book about as well as any movie can follow a book.All Quiet on the Western Front

A fine adaptation on its own merits
Although often dismissed - usually by those who haven't seen it - the1979 version of All Quiet On the Western Front is surprisingly impressive and well worth a look. Originally made for American television as one of a slew of superior adaptations of classic novels by producer Norman Rosemont that also included The Man in the Iron Mask, The Count of Monte Cristo, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, this earned a theatrical release outside the US and certainly stood up admirably on the bigger screen.

Unlike the 1931 version, this version follows the flashback structure of Remarque's novel much more closely and provides a slightly different ending (because it was a new adaptation of the novel rather than a remake of the Universal film, they couldn't use the butterfly ending invented for the 1930 film), but still retains much of its power. The cast is starrier but good - Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Patricia Neal and Ian Holm are all memorable - the attack sequences are well staged and the ugliness and daily horrors of life in rat-infested trenches are portrayed with more discomforting realism than you'd expect for 70s US TV. Indeed, footage from them has even crept into historical documentaries over the years. It may not be as great and enduring a piece of filmmaking at Lewis Milestone's version, but it's still a forceful and worthwhile adaptation.

The version currently available on DVD is the theatrical release, which is slightly shorter than the US TV version.All Quiet on the Western Front