Four-Star Films : ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
Few early sound films have as much raw power as this one. Lewis Milestone’s blazing adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s pacifist classic is a firsthand account of the disintegration of the youthful German forces in the waning days of World War I. The film, faithfully scripted by Maxwell Anderson, works up an overwhelming sense of war’s futility. The battle scenes are furious and wounding; the more intimate scenes (George Cukor acted as dialogue director) are equally remarkable. With Edmund Breese and Lew Ayres (pictured from left) and Louis Wolheim as Kat (a neglected actor’s one immortal performance). (AMC Sunday at 6 p.m., Monday at 4:30 a.m.)
Other selected four-star films airing this week:
The Killers (1946) / AMC, Sunday, 12:05 p.m.; Monday, 12:05 a.m.
Red River / TBS, Wednesday, 10:50 p.m.
The Long Voyage Home / AMC, Friday, 1:15 p.m., again at 9:15 p.m.
The Big Sleep / Showtime, Friday, 2:45 p.m.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) / AMC, Friday, 7 p.m.
Double Indemnity / Disney, Friday, 9 p.m.; Saturday, 4:15 a.m.
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
