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 enlarge | Director: Delbert Mann
Actors: Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Ian Holm, Patricia Neal
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.61
You Save: $5.37 (54%)
New (35) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $4.61
Avg. Customer Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 4848
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 131
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: 12448
UPC: 017153124484
EAN: 0017153124484
ASIN: B0000639EU
Theatrical Release Date: November 14, 1979
Release Date: April 23, 2002
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| Customer Reviews:
 good set design, costumes -- acting uneven October 7, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
We are in need of an up-to-date treatment of AQWF. Unfortunately, this one falls short.
The translation from book to film doesn't quite synchronize, and the performances vary in quality. Some of the scenes come off as set-pieces lifted from the book. I found Ian Holm the standout as Cpl Himmelstoss. Pleasance is creditable as the school teacher. Borgnine seems over-animated at times, then wooden, as the veteran of the trenches imparting his wisdom to the young -- not an organic performance. Richard Thomas is able to LOOK the part of Paul Baumer, but the role seems mostly to escape him. He's too earnest and not relaxed enough to "become" Baumer.
There are, however, a number of strengths in the film. The battle scenes are very well staged and the no man's land of the trenches is convincing as a shell-shredded landscape, not to mention the muddy, rat-infested trenches themselves. The costuming evokes the period, as do the towns and railway stations of the Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic (standing in for France and Germany) -- no false building fronts here. One of my favorite scenes was the assembling of the troops in a town square for the awarding of Iron Crosses. The pan of the camera as the general arrives in his command car, preceded by cavalry and motorcycles established the event with credibility and a certain beauty -- and ironic gravitas.
 Great job, from 1979 September 12, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie is very well done. I understand it was shot in the then East Germany or maybe Poland (?). Uniforms are correct, and it follows the book plotline pretty well.
It doesn't get the critical reviews that the 1930s film does, but I think that may be due to the wide acclaim that old classic has - and maybe due to some effects like the 1979 version being in color whilst the book never mentions colors - in fact, one can almost feel that era was all gray or black & white (and the 1939 film follows that theme, by necessity).
I think this film should be better known than it is, especially with some of the re-newed interest in the Great War after so long being overshadowed by WW2 and Vietnam...but understand, the book is not a happy one - its about hopelessness. This film version 'almost/sort of' tries to sidestep that, which is really impossible given the theme of the original book.
I wonder if it will ever be filmed again ??
Great War Film! May 25, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is one of the best war films ever made. I've seen the first version also. This film is an improvement over the original although the original was done well with what they had back in early years of film. What really makes this war film great is that it doesn't glorify war at all but shows you the death and destruction of war. This film should be mandatory in all high schools! The book is very good also. The book is more descriptive than the movie. What happens to Paul in this film is happening to our young men and women in Iraq right now!!
 The "Johnboy" version of AQWF is truly awful May 1, 2007
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
This film might be okay for the general public or high school classroom, but this film brings almost nothing to the table for WWI buffs or lovers of the novel. It's hard to mention anything good about this film other than the fact that it is not as dated as the original film and is also in color.
Earnest Borgnine's casting as Kat is simply laughable. The boys' mentor in the trenches, the "old man," was "old" only in comparison to the teen-aged boys who surrounded him. The battle scenes do not inspire fear or horror. Equipment, uniforms, and sets are inaccurate and "made for TV quality" at best. The acting is wooden and hallow.
This film is a waste of time and is scornfully referred to as "the Johnboy version" by WWI buffs. It is universally reviled.
All Quiet on the Western Front January 18, 2007
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Great war documentary of WWI, there is very little available that shows this period in history on the front, but this one is a classic.
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