Lewis Milestone’s filmed version of the classic antiwar drama All Quiet on the Western Front was the first to win Academy Awards for both Outstanding Production and Best Director.
At its release the film was prepared both as a talkie and as a sync-sound “silent” version with title cards, orchestral score, and sound effects. But this version was lost until the Library of Congress discovered the alternate without dialogue and restored it for the anniversary of the Great War. Leonard Maltin notes, “some film scholars actually prefer this smoothly-edited edition ... to the familiar talkie because of its vigorous pacing...”
Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, the story is told through the heartrending experiences of young Germans recruited into the carnage of World War I. Our presentation will feature a new score and live sound effects sound created especially for the silent version.
Live musical accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Introduced by Mike Mashon from the Library of Congress
Sponsored by Universal Studios
Underwritten by Friends of the Festival
Co-presented by the San Francisco Film Society