Filming 'All Quiet On the Western Front' (Cinema \u0026 Society) by Andrew Kelly


Filming 'All Quiet On the Western Front' (Cinema \u0026 Society)
Title : Filming 'All Quiet On the Western Front' (Cinema \u0026 Society)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1860643612
ISBN-10 : 9781860643613
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 256
Publication : First published June 15, 1998

Published to commemorate the centenary of Erich Maria Remarque's birth, this book tells for the first time the full story of the Academy Award winning film of Remarque's extraordinary novel. When published in 1928, All Quiet on the Western Front transformed the popular image of war; the film, directed by Lewis Milestone, was released hot on its heels the following year and was instantly acclaimed a classic. It remains the quintessential view of World War One, and of the brutality and waste of war. Like the novel, however, it suffered censorship it was banned in Italy, and in Germany following violent protests, and cut elsewhere, Hollywood included.

This fascinating account covers the film's origins, production and fortunes on and after its release. Andrew Kelly's five years' research has included visits to archives around the world, viewings of all extant versions of the film and interviews with those involved in its production. The book is illustrated with scenes from All Quiet on the Western Front and uses extensive extracts from the screenplays. It will be the definitive history of this great film and is a fitting tribute to Erich Maria Remarque.

Filming 'All Quiet On the Western Front' (Cinema \u0026 Society) Reviews

  • Graceann

    For those interested in how politics can affect the art of filmmaking, this is an indispensable book. Erich Maria Remarque's novel was unstinting and completely clear in its message: there was nothing "Great" about the Great War and all it did was waste young men for old mens' ambition. In trying to bring this story to the screen, Lewis Milestone, Universal and the talented actors and crew had to walk a fine line. How do you stay true to the novel and still create a film that can be released in 1930?

    Andrew Kelly spent five years doing research, and the book shows it. Meticulously cited and sourced, Filming All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent primer not only on the work done on this film, but on the general tenor of the years between the Wars, in America and in Germany.

    There is a lot of information packed into these 177 pages, and not a word is wasted. This is well worth adding to any cinephile's bookshelf, and it's probably something that film lovers will return to, especially after viewings of this seminal movie.

  • Evan

    [Placeholder...]

    If there's one scene that sums up the beauty of this movie, it's when the disillusioned young "veteran" Paul Baumer carries his wounded friend like a sack of potatoes to a field hospital and lays him down, only to be told casually by an attending doctor that he's dead. Nobody bats an eye; a log entry is duly noted and the medical attendants go back to their card game.

    What follows is an almost profound, eerie silence on the battlefield, with men digging trenches for the final death throes. The war is nearly over, and the world is exhausted, and you can feel it palpably through the screen.

    Lewis Milestone's 1930 film adaptation of Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front is, in my opinion, the greatest American movie before Citizen Kane. I have seen it countless times, and never tire of it, even though it is always an ordeal: brutal, merciless, profoundly sad and true -- it is the one movie from the golden age of Hollywood that pulls no punches...none.

    I'd like to find this book. My library doesn't have it. If I do, I'll read it and report back.

    (KR@Ky 2016)