Stands the test of time

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2012)

This is a truly fantastic film, based on a wonderful narrative from the book by Erich Maria Remarque. It is an honest, poignant, thought provoking as well as life affirming anti-war film, which speaks out to the brotherhood of man. Shot over eighty years ago, you might expect that a lot of the films powerful effect to have faded, but the pathos is there and you undoubtedly left with the sense of the senseless monstrosity of WWI.
The acting throughout is superb and the pace of the film well-judged. What I really liked about the film was its use of silence. Being shot only a few years after the arrival of the 'talkies', by a director (Lewis Milestone) who was used to directing silent films must have helped in this regard. The haunting conclusion of the film, after the main protagonist has finally been forced to give up on life is perhaps the best example of the volume of silence within the film.
Don't be dissuaded by the year this film was made, nor by the use of American accents portraying German soldiers (any detrimental effect is negligible). It will be one of the best war films you have seen in a long while.