It seems folly when a television company remakes a well regarded film but ITC Films have made a considerable achievement with their remake of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT . I saw the original many years ago and the scenes that stuck out in my mind most are recreated here . Where as in my memory the scenes of a wounded comrade missing a limb not realising his friend wants his boots and where Paul lies in a shell hole with a dying enemy seem clichéd due to similar scenes being reused down the decades the same scenes here stand up very well on their hind legs

Delbert Mann directs in a flat manner and the performances are also somewhat flat but not a moment are these criticisms . Sharp editing and fast , fluent camera work would have actually spoil the film since it would distract from the characters and the situation they find themselves in . It's a hell but not the biblical hell they've been brought up in ( Interstingly their fighting for God as well as nation and monarchy ) but a hell composed of mud , rats , rain as well as the man made hell that weapons such as shells , gas , bullets and bayonets bring

There are a couple of flaws to the film . Ian Holm plays Himmelstoss , a bullying corporal who was the protagonists drill instructor before the platoon was sent to the front line . It's a good part but after finding himself sent to the front Himmelstoss shows cowardice but then effectively disappears from the story . He made an interesting character and I would have liked to see the charchter explored more . There's also the myth that " All the young men being brainwashed to fight for God and their country " which does marr most stories set during the first world war though the myth was probably started by none other than Erich Maria Remarque himself

All in all this is a very impressive TVM , more so since Lewis Milestone original film is considered to be an all time classic . Despite the flaws I've outlined it held my attention and felt a great empathy for the young men involved . They might be Germans but they're not " the enemy " because Remarque is making the point that it's the war itself that is the real enemy

I saw this film at school, and was very impressed. I don't think it is quite as good as Regeneration, one of the few movies when it was better than the book, or as powerful in emotion as the 1930s film. I haven't read the book by Remarque, but my best friend has, and tells me it is very good. Anyway the film is beautifully shot, and truly does have a powerful conveyance of the first world war, with the personification of the guns, and the memorable dialogue. The acting was what made the film. Ernest Borgnine was the star of the film, with a firm but rather fatherly portrayal of the superior, very reminiscent of Osborne in the play "Journey's End". I liked Ian Holm too. But for me, the biggest surprise was Richard Thomas in the lead. His performance was more than decent, though I confess I actually don't like Thomas that much!(I hate the character of John Boy Walton) All Quiet on the Western Front not only shows the physical conditions of WW1 but also the psychological and emotional aspects, that some WW1 literature forget to convey. In conclusion, a thoughtful and harrowing film, though not quite as good as the 1930s classic. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is the second adaptation of the famous novel about German soldiers fighting in the trenches during WW1. This one goes for the lengthy epic route and has to be commended for featuring authentic-looking battle sequences on what must have been a tight budget. What I most liked about this film is that most WW1 movies feature the big battles in the middle of the night, using the cover of darkness to hide limitations, whereas all of the big scenes in this one take place in broad daylight and they're all the better for it.

An ensemble cast has been assembled in this movie and most of them do a decent job. I wasn't too keen on Richard Thomas's hero, as I found him oddly muted and difficult to root for. Thomas was much better a decade later in the likes of IT and STALKING LAURA (still his finest moment as an actor, I reckon). Still, Ernest Borgnine is fine as the old lag buddy, and Ian Holm has an excellent supporting role as a postman who becomes a conscript. Watch out for Dai Bradley, the kid from KES, all grown up and fighting it out on the battlefield. British viewers may get a kick out of Michael Sheard (GRANGE HILL's Mr. Bronson) playing the father while old-time starlet Patricia Neal is the mother.