To mark the 100 year anniversary of Universal Pictures they are delving into their back catalogue to release a number of the studios best loved films over the next twelve months. With films such as E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, Jaws, Schindlers List and The Birds among those scheduled for the High Definition treatment in the coming months it should prove to be an exciting year for Blu-ray collectors. The first two films in the series,
To Kill A Mockingbird and
All Quiet On The Western Front, are both released this week on Limited Edition
Blu-ray with hardback book packaging. All Quiet On The Western Front follows a group of German schoolboys, talked into enlisting at the beginning of World War 1 by their jingoistic teacher, through their passage from idealism to disillusionment. Directed by
Lewis Milestone the film was based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarqu, going on to win Best Picture and Best Director at the 1930 Academy Awards.
Although the film was American it rather unusually shows the war from the point of view of the German side. Opening with a rousing anticipation and almost excitable optimism about the impeding war this all soon changes as the harsh realities of war become apparent to the young soldiers. The claustrophobia, chaos and squalid conditions of trench life is shown without pulling any punches. The camera glides along the front line in impressive tracking shots that seem to go on endlessly as troops emerge to their impending doom in no mans land. The sight of a pair of dismembered hands clinging to a barbed wire fence provides a poignancy and authenticity rarely seen in war films of this era where escapism was the usual order of the day. The film is essentially an anthology of scenes showing all aspects of life during the war. With this format it maintains a pace that continues throughout its 135 minute running time. Beginning with the initial hope of the pre-war schoolboys through to basic training and their first deployment in the trenches leading to time in hospital and leave periods to their eventual return home culminating in a call for return to the front line and eventual despair at the horrors of war. There are too many standout scenes to mention but probably the most memorable sees young soldier Paul Bäumer (
Lew Ayres in an early role) trapped in a foxhole with a French soldier who he knifes in the chest leading to a long, drawn out death before having to spend the night alongside the corpse pleading for forgiveness before he can escape the foxhole the following morning. It is a somewhat harrowing scene that lingers in the memory.
There is still room for humour in the film, in particular a scene with a chef commissioned to feed the troops who shows his annoyance at the fact that he has prepared food for 150 men but only 80 have returned alive from the front line. Further scenes showing the young soldiers fraternising with a farmhouse of French maids also show a lighter side to the conflict and over a brief respite from the more shocking scenes in the trenches. Considering the fact that the film is over 80 years old it still holds resonance with its underlying anti-war message that is just as true today as it was in 1930. Showing the story from the perspective of the German troops only enhances the proclamation that war is hell no matter which side you are on. This Blu-ray release goes some way to cement the films classic status making it even more accessible for a new generation of film fans.
Quality Taking in to account the age of the original film the HD 1080p transfer is remarkable. The picture is clear maintaining its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the contrast levels show a dynamic range so no detail is lost. There is an extremely high level of grain and a number of blips and scratches but these are inherent in a print of this age however it is still the finest presentation available of the film and the intricate restoration has certainly paid off. With the sound presented in a DTS HD 2.0 master it provides a decent audio reproduction free from too much tampering. Explosions and gunfire are extremely loud placing the viewer in the heart of the action and dialogue is generally clear. There is a constant hiss throughout the soundtrack but this has been reduced to a low level that remains consistent throughout.
Extras The potential for retrospective and archive special features for anniversary and special editions is something that is more often than not expected for a classic film such as this. However the selection of extras presented here is quite disappointing with a focus on Universals restoration of its back catalogue rather the film itself. A dry 3 minute introduction to the film by film historian and TCM host Robert Osborne is lacking any real substance and is literally just naming names and related films for its short running time. The real highlight of the discs extras is the full presentation of the films never before-available silent version of the film. With the film made during the transition period between silent films and talking pictures, the film was shot with two cameras simultaneously, one for sound and one for a silent presentation that could be sold internationally and used in theatres still awaiting the equipment to screen films with synced sound. This archival print from the Library of Congress is in surprisingly good shape but is far from the quality of the feature presentation on the disc. Two further special features running at 10 minutes each focus on the 100 year anniversary of Universal and offer a fairly bland look at the restoration process as well as a brief honours list of the studios Academy Award winners, teasing what delights the studio has in store for the coming twelve months. Universal still seem to be getting to grips with how best to present their Blu-rays and the menu system is rather annoying. After an extremely slow load up the disc goes straight into the film and the extras, chapters etc. are only accessible by pressing the pop-up menu button once play has begun making it frustratingly slow moving from the film to the special features and back again. On the plus side the disc is nicely presented in a hardback book case with extensive sleeve notes and archive material.
Film 5 out of 5 A bona fide classic war film with an anti-war message that remains as relevant today as it did on first release.
Visuals 4 out of 5 Superbly restored after an extensive process to look better than ever.
Sound 4 out of 5 Considering the age of the film the sound quality is nothing short of remarkable.
Extras 3 out of 5 Sadly not much in the way of retrospective or archival material but the full presentation of the complete silent version of the film is a worthy bonus.
Presentation 4 out of 5 Beautifully packaged maintaining a respect for the source however Universals disc navigation needs updating as menus are slow and confusing.
Overall 4 out of 5 Universal kick off their year of Centenary celebrations with the release of a true classic carefully restored for an outstanding High Definition release.
All Quiet On The Western Front is available on
Blu-ray now.