All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film)
| All Quiet on the Western Front | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
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| Genre | Drama War |
| Written by | Paul Monash |
| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
| Starring |
Richard Thomas Ernest Borgnine |
| Music by | Allyn Ferguson |
| Country of origin | USA/UK |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Martin Starger Ron Carr |
| Producer(s) | Norman Rosemont |
| Cinematography | John Coquillon |
| Editor(s) | Alan Pattillo Bill Blunden |
| Running time | 150 minutes / 129 minutes (theatrical release) |
| Production company(s) |
Norman Rosemont Productions Marble Arch Productions ITC Entertainment Group |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | November 14, 1979 |
All Quiet on the Western Front is a television film produced by ITC Entertainment, released on November 14, 1979, starring Richard Thomas as Paul Bäumer, and Ernest Borgnine as Katczinsky. It is based on the book of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
The 1979 film was directed by Delbert Mann; though the acting of some of the performers was praised, the general opinion of most film fans is it failed to equal the 1930 film directed by Lewis Milestone. Nevertheless, the film has its share of tension and death, and in the spirit of the novel, manages to convey a sense of desolation, hardship and waste. Late in the film, the turmoil and wretchedness of the main character, Paul Baumer, is manifested in his extreme disassociation while home on furlough.
Most of the filming took place in Czechoslovakia.
The film follows Paul Baumer, who during World War I enlists in the Imperial German Army with many of his high school friends, after being indoctrinated by their teacher (Donald Pleasence) as to the glory and superiority of German culture. After surviving training camp under the brutal Corporal Himmelstoss (Ian Holm), the young men board a troop train bound for the front lines. Ominously, at the same moment, they notice another train arriving in town loaded with returning wounded soldiers, who are carried off on stretchers. Once at the front lines, they are placed under the supervision of Stanislaus "Kat" Katzinsky, (Ernest Borgnine). Kat teaches them how to best take cover, how to find extra food, and other survival skills.
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