This is an English language film (made in America) adapted from a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque and a remake of the 1930 film starring Lew Ayres. The film follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War 1 by their jingoistic teacher. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of war through the eyes of individuals. As the boys witness death and mutilation all around them, any preconceptions about "the enemy" and the "rights and wrongs" of the conflict disappear, leaving them angry and bewildered. This is highlighted in the scene where Paul mortally wounds a French soldier and then weeps bitterly as he fights to save his life while trapped in a shell crater with the body. The film is not about heroism but about drudgery and futility and the gulf between the concept of war and the actuality. The movie had a made for TV look with average acting and the terrain looking more like California and clearly looking fake buildings. Uniform authenticity is awful and the krauts running around with Turkish Mausers. Though the original was in black and white it is still a far more superior film.Read full review
Good adaptation
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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