Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-ray Movie Review

War is hell, John Boy.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 15, 2015

World War I was still a relatively recent memory and the thought of a World War II simply inconceivable when Lewis Milestone’s epic (and ultimately Academy Award winning) All Quiet on the Western Front came out in 1930. Some 49 (!) years later, Erich Maria Remarque’s blistering anti-war novel was redone as a made for television film starring Richard Thomas, at that point something of a superstar for his portrayal of John Boy in the long running CBS series The Waltons. In 1979, audiences may indeed have been starting to forget about even World War II and perhaps even the Korean conflict, though the ravages of Vietnam were still an open wound of sorts. Obviously made with the best of intentions, this All Quiet on the Western Front never quite escapes the looming shadow of its iconic predecessor, and is occasionally hobbled by some distracting overacting on the part of Thomas. There’s perhaps a bit more of an epic sweep to this version, with above average production values (especially for a made for television effort), as well as some good supporting performances from the likes of Ernest Borgnine (reteaming with director Delbert Mann, who led Borgnine to an Academy Award for Marty). The teleplay by Paul Monash (Peyton Place, The Friends of Eddie Coyle) hits all of the main points of Remarque’s tale, detailing the initial naïvete of a bunch of German grunts conscripted into World War II, an innocence which is of course quickly dashed against the horrors of trench warfare.

Paul Baumer (Richard Thomas) is the focal character and occasional narrator of this All Quiet on the Western Front, an 18 year old who, along with a bunch of his buddies, has been whipped up into a nationalistic frenzy not just by the general cultural zeitgeist, but due to actual exhortations by mentors like his teacher Kantorek (Donald Pleasance). Kantorek tells his charges that the “homeland” needs stalwart young men to protect its honor and dignity. He also gently chides Paul’s artistic tendencies when he catches the young man sketching a lark which has alighted on a windowsill in the classroom. Germany won’t have time for artists with a World War brewing is the none too subtle subtext (one which of course will come back to “haunt” this film in its final moments, much as it did in Milestone’s version).

Kantorek offers a preview of sorts of later tropes of supposed “Aryan supremacy” which would come to define the next world war, and Paul and his fellow students eat it up hook, line and sinker. Once they’re actually into basic training, under the martinet Himmelstoss (Ian Holm), the bloom starts to come off the rose, though the kids’ inherent enthusiasm carries them through such trials as Himmelstoss making Paul repeatedly fall, stand and “advance” in an absurdly muddy field. A bit more avuncular is Stainslaus Katsczinsky (Ernest Borgnine), who ends up being the boys’ commanding officer in battle. The telefilm structures things in bursts of flashbacks in the early going from the standpoint of Paul actually in the throes of World War I, nicely contrasting the “hype” with the actual reality of battle.

The actual battle scenes provide some of this version’s most disturbing imagery, as should probably be expected. The downright idiotic strategies that were part and parcel of World War I are documented faithfully here, often with huge crane shots detailing the insane efforts of hordes of soldiers simply attempting to run toward the enemy’s trenches, and getting cut down in the process. Even the relative “safety” of the trenches turns out to be an illusion, as several devastating deaths prove.

There’s a probably unavoidable sadness to much of this story, an aspect that’s perhaps only increased once Paul is injured and gets a few days of leave to return to his town. There he finds the war mongering still in full flower, and he’s obviously conflicted about just how much to share about his personal traumas, either to the rah rah townsfolk or even to his own mother (an underutilized Patricia Neal). Once Paul returns to the front, things play out in an ineluctably tragic manner, leading to the telefilm’s horrifying denouement. Thomas does a bit better in the quieter, more intimate moments in the film, but struggles at times to create a convincing character when Paul is dealing with various problems (like a late development involving Katczinsky getting a life threatening wound). This "uncut" version of the telefilm probably lingers a bit too long on the preamble, though that at least sets up the disconnect between the "excitement" about going to war and actually being there.

All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

All Quiet on the Western Front is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Timeless Media Group, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p in 1.78:1. That aspect ratio may rankle some "purists" who will remember the telefilm was originally broadcast in (or around) 1.33:1, but this, like so many other made for television movies from the 1960s on, received a theatrical release in some overseas market where it was no doubt screened in (or around) 1.85:1. Most made for television films with an anticipated theatrical release were framed with "safeties" intact so that both a 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 aspect ratio would "work." Framings here never really present much of an issue, though occasionally extreme close-ups will shave off either the top or bottom of a head. Elements are in decent by somewhat pallid condition, with a faded palette that skews flesh tones toward a ruddy pink hue. Detail is decent but never overwhelming. Much of this transfer suffers from the same unsightly clumpy yellow grain that seems to afflict a lot of Shout's Blu-ray releases, and that situation tends to mask detail and fine detail even more. Things actually look somewhat better in motion than some of the screencaptures accompanying this review might suggest, but this is a somewhat underwhelming looking presentation.

All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All Quiet on the Western Front's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono lacks a bit of punch in the low end, something that tends to enervate some of the battle scenes. Midrange and the high end come through a bit better, though the track's inherent narrowness tends to undercut some of the effects. Dialogue is cleanly presented and is well prioritized even in some of the noisy battle scenes.

All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:35)


• Photo Gallery (1080i; 5:08)

All Quiet on the Western Front Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Obviously made with the best of intentions, All Quiet on the Western Front delivers its message without much subtlety or nuance, while also offering some disturbing imagery of the horrors of war, but it nonetheless strangely fails to ever build up much emotional heft. Some of this is due to an intermittently faltering performance on the part of Thomas, but the telefilm's length probably also leads to a certain feeling of lethargy. Video quality is a bit on the lackluster side, but audio is decent for those considering a purchase.