The Best Picture of 1929-1930 is…..”All Quiet on the Western Front.” This World War I drama film tells the story of idealistic young German soldier who enlists in the Army to fight for his country, only to find that the realities of war shatter his hopes of becoming a hero as he finds himself in a struggle for survival.
Actor Lew Ayres is the star of the show, at the beginning of a show business career that would stretch out over six decades. He delivered a realistically gritty performance in this film, under the expert direction of Lewis Milestone (“Two Arabian Knights” 1927). The film won two Oscars at the 3rd Academy Awards ceremony for Best Picture and Best Director, and nominated for Best Writing and Best Cinematography.
The excellent screenplay was written by George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson, and Del Andrews, adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The producers spared no expense in recreating the complex battle scenes captured on film by the excellent cinematography of Arthur Edeson. It was filmed at the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, where they constructed a large military camp on a twenty acre replica of the western front.
Co-stars include Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, Ben Alexander, Scott Kolk, and Owen Davis Jr. “All Quiet on the Western Front” was a success at the box office for producer Carl Laemmle Jr. and Universal Pictures. The original film released in theaters had a 153 minute running time, and was cut to 102 minutes in re-release in 1950. It was later restored to 133 minutes in 2006 following an exhaustive restoration of “All Quiet on the Western Front” by the U. S. Library of Congress. This version can currently be viewed on DVD or streaming.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
cinema
My Review
The Best Picture of 1929-1930 is…..”All Quiet on the Western Front.” This World War I drama film tells the story of idealistic young German soldier who enlists in the Army to fight for his country, only to find that the realities of war shatter his hopes of becoming a hero as he finds himself in a struggle for survival.
Actor Lew Ayres is the star of the show, at the beginning of a show business career that would stretch out over six decades. He delivered a realistically gritty performance in this film, under the expert direction of Lewis Milestone (“Two Arabian Knights” 1927). The film won two Oscars at the 3rd Academy Awards ceremony for Best Picture and Best Director, and nominated for Best Writing and Best Cinematography.
The excellent screenplay was written by George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson, and Del Andrews, adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The producers spared no expense in recreating the complex battle scenes captured on film by the excellent cinematography of Arthur Edeson. It was filmed at the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, where they constructed a large military camp on a twenty acre replica of the western front.
Co-stars include Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, Ben Alexander, Scott Kolk, and Owen Davis Jr. “All Quiet on the Western Front” was a success at the box office for producer Carl Laemmle Jr. and Universal Pictures. The original film released in theaters had a 153 minute running time, and was cut to 102 minutes in re-release in 1950. It was later restored to 133 minutes in 2006 following an exhaustive restoration of “All Quiet on the Western Front” by the U. S. Library of Congress. This version can currently be viewed on DVD or streaming.