All Quiet on the Western Front (Blu-ray)

All Quiet on the Western front (1930) is based on Erich Maria Remarque's actual experiences of being a young German soldier on the front line. Now on Blu-Ray, this all-time classic has been remastered for a much better quality viewing experience. This is one of the first anti-war films of its kind and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The story follows a group of young German schoolboys, who are riled up by their professor into joining the war effort and fighting honourably for their country. However it soon becomes clear that war is not a glorious and honourable as they were lead to believe, as one by one the group of young men fall victim to injuries, madness and more often than not, death. The film also tackles a lot of issues that caused it to banned at the time in places such as Nazi Germany, France and Italy. Issues such as: Why wars are started? Who benefits from the war? And perhaps more importantly it portrays the boys grappling with the disheartening idea that they are just an insignificant solider on the battlefield and mean little or nothing to their superiors. They are a means to an end.

The group in the second battalion journey to the frontline where they are bombarded for days, causing some to lose their heads completely. Interspersing fast-paced battle scenes with long weeks in the trenches, the film brings you right through the war, following the group of young school boys all the way and experiencing every hardship and victory – even if that victory is as simple as getting an extra portion of food.

Like many old films – and this was made not long after sound first came to cinema – you feel like you are almost sat at the theatre watching a play, with the dramatisation and flamboyance of the characters. Nevertheless there is some great acting throughout the film, particularly Louis Wolheim as Kat and Lew Ayres as Paul. Although the film is quite slow in places – such as when Paul returns home on leave – on the whole it provides a chilling experience, revealing the harsh realities of war with surprising realism.

It is feels strange to see what is clearly a very old film boasting such high picture quality. However the sound quality leaves much to be desired with a lot of background noise and high pitched whistles that set your teeth on edge.

Overall Verdict: A classic war film. It's still one of the first and best at depicting the harsh realities of war. You will find yourself being as much educated as you are entertained at the disaster that was World War I.

Special Features:
Never-before-available silent version of the film
Introduction by the U.S.'s Turner Classic Movies host and Film Historian Robert Osborne
Theatrical trailer
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics – an in-depth look at the film restoration process
100 Years of Universal: Academy Award Winners

Reviewer: George Mowles-Van Der Gaag