"For the first time in many years, a virtually complete print of the original Road Show version, substantially longer than the television and reissue prints. Many scenes that were weakened or disjointed in the cut prints here take on new strength and meaning, and some characters (such as Baumer's father) are now restored after a long absence. Always a great film, its merits are re-emphasized by this full version." --W.K. Everson
Erich Maria Remarque wrote in the preface to his book, "It will try simply to tell of a generation who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war." Lewis Milestone's 1930 film, one of the most highly praised films of all time, remains the boldest statement against the cruelty and futility of war ever made, lacking as it does any conciliation to patriotism or glory, any exploitation of spectacle or slaughter. In Germany, 1917, seven enthusiastic schoolboys leave their village to enlist in the army. Brutalized and disillusioned in training, they are posted to the French front, where further horrors await them. Then, further disillusionments: when one soldier is sent home on leave, he finds himself a virtual stranger to his former way of life. Begun as a silent film, All Quiet on the Western Front was completed with sound. It is still a testament to the studio's sheer physical resources; Milestone's famous tracking camera evokes images that have often been taken for "documentary."