Northwest Film Forum

Too rarely are classic novels done real justice on film, but Lewis Milestone’s wartime masterwork is a triumphant exception to the rule. All Quiet follows a troop of young German soldiers in World War I as they discover the difference between images of battle and battle itself. A stylistic inspiration for war films including Saving Private Ryan, whose sweeping crane shots may not have existed but for Milestone’s artistry, All Quiet is a harrowing and powerful exposé whose story has lost none of its relevance today. This is film’s definitive portrait of World War I and, perhaps, of war itself. Don’t miss it.