All Quiet On The Western Front

The package from Netflix sat on the counter through the holiday. I knew that this was a movie from an historically famous book and won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1930. The book was written by Erich Maria Remarque, a pseudonym for Erich Maria Remarque, first released in German, sold over 2,000,000 copies in 1929.

Characters
Paul Bäumer is played by Lew Ayers, an actor who was at the start of a long career. With some parallel to this movie, Ayers became a pacifist and was a conscientious objector during WWII. The actor's career took a serious hit for taking a position that was considered anti-American. It was not widely reported that Ayers served in the Army as a medic, with distinction. As the main character and serving as the narrator, the author described his experiences WWI. A schoolboy of only 18, Paul is an writer of several poems and a play, he persuaded by his teacher, and in turn convinces his to enlist in the German Army for WWI. Paul is sent to the western front, where the intensity of dismembering, death and simply war changes his personality. After loosing all of his classmates and wartime protector, Paul undergoes a personality change, his mother does not even recognize him during leave. This transformation is is complete when Kat dies while Paul is carrying him to the dispensary. Soon afterward, while in the trenches a serene Paul reaches for a inexplicable butterfly and is killed by a sniper. This is the end of the movie.

Albert Kropp was played by William Bakewell, an actor who was in just about every television western from 1950 to 1975. This character is Paul's schoolboy best friend who joined the army at the same time. Albert looses both legs near the end of the movie and has to go home when Paul must return to the war.

Stanislaus Katczinsky, also known as Kat was played by Louis Wolheim. Besides the narrator, by far the most interesting character of the movie. Brought in the business Lionel Barrymore, Wolheim's first film was in 1914. This was not his last movie, but close to it, he passed in 1031 from stomach cancer. Before the war Kat was a cobbler; he is much older than than the schoolboy classmate troops, becoming the leadership figure for the company. Kat's experience and intuition set a good example for the green troops. They come to look upon him as teacher, father and protector. He survives all but Paul, the hero dying by inadvertent shrapnel on the way to the hospital.

Score 46 of 50. A very good movie, worth the price, would like the opportunity to see on the big screen.

• Character Development 10 out of 10. Adventurous schoolboys to wartime troops to disillusionment and death.
• Acting 9 out of 10. The main characters, Paul and Kat are unforgettable.
• Photography, cinematography 9 out of 10. Old school of course, surprising graphic, the hands remaining on the barbed wire sticks in my minds eye.
• Writing, script 9 out of 10. Excellent story, even if was written in a blue state of per-WWII Germany.
• Concept 9 out of 10. Following the character development, and evolution of the soul.