Review of All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Compi24 — 05 Aug 2019

As with most pre-Code films, the last thing you'll ever get is a diluted message, and "All Quiet On The Western Front" is most definitely not an exception in that regard. Honestly, though, the mature, ahead-of-its-time thematic statement was one of the only reasons I ended up liking this movie as much as I did.

I understand that, in the 30's, this was still a blossoming medium, with a lot of filmmaking techniques still in their prototypical phases. But damn it, man. Some of the acting in this is just so hammy, overly thespian, and plain bad.

I can't help but dock points for it. Especially when other pre-Code films that I happen to really enjoy ("Scarface," "The Champ," etc.) appear to excel in this regard. Still though, the ideas are clear, concise, and almost anachronistically potent, featuring a series of narrative events that really help to sell an overall sense of meaningful sadness.

I just wish those events were staged and performed with a bit more consistency.