All Quiet on the Western Front

The film tells the story of a group of inexperienced young German soldiers whose journey, which begins with great idealism during World War I, ends in disappointment. The main character, Paul Baumer, played by Lew Ayres, summarizes the film’s theme with his line: “We live in the trenches and fight. We are just trying not to die, that’s all we do.” Unlike many films with quickly fading messages, the impact of this adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s anti-war novel has not diminished even years later. Lewis Milestone’s measured, simple, and profoundly affecting work was banned in many countries for years.