Disclaimer: The movie being compared is the newest 2022 movie.
All Quiet On The Western Front is a classic anti-war novel depicting the tragedies of the western front during World War I. Set from the viewpoint of the Germans, it features Paul Baumer and the set of ‘life and death’ colleagues he makes in the army. Rather than a hopeful take on the war, the author takes from his own experience to realistically express the war’s effect on soldiers and its moral implications.
While difficult, the best advice I can give for readers is to not get too close to any character ❤
Book Rating: 10/10 Movie Rating: 8/10
- Signing of the Armistice
- Book: There is no mention of the signing of the armistice and only through a rumor at the end is it known that the war is coming to a close
- Movie: Slowly throughout the movie, it cuts to the signing of the armistice. Specifically, it details the heavy restrictions the French politicians place on Germany as a clause in the armistice.
- Going Back Home
- Book: There are two scenes in the book where Paul returns home for rest and recuperation before going to war. Mainly depicts how Paul doesn’t fit in and feels like the ‘lost generation.’
- Movie: There are no scenes where Paul returns home.
- Timeline
- Book: Starts directly at when Paul has already been in the army for more than a year and flashbacks occur to depict the past. The timing is also more spread out, which allows for more events to take place.
- Movie: Starts from when Paul registers for the war with his friends and then skips to the later years of the war.
- Graveyard Battlefield
- Book: One of the first (and amazing) battlefields that took place at the western front was in a cemetery and it depicts Paul’s use of coffins and corpses as a shield from bombs and guns.
- Movie: There are no war scenes at a cemetery.
- The Main Antagonist
- Book: Corporal Himmelstoss is a key figure in the book that often gives punishments over the smallest mistakes, symbolizing the power authority figures have over recruits. He has great character development in the later half of the novel when he joins the war at the western front and learns that power is useless when faced with life or death.
- Movie: There is no mention of Corporal Himmelstoss. Rather than him, Prussian General Friedrich becomes the key figure in the book that symbolizes the hierarchy in the army. There isn’t much character development with him and he is often seen ordering soldiers and doesn’t directly interact with Paul and his friends at all.
- Kat’s Death
- Book: Kat is hit in the head by a stray shard from a bomb and dies.
- Movie: After stealing a goose from the owner, the owner’s son shoots Kat with a gun.
- The Ending
- Book: Paul dies from a sniper shot one month before the war ends.
- Movie: Paul dies during a last ditch effort by Prussian General Friedrich to win the war at the western front. He gets shot and dies just hours before the war ends.
General Thoughts: Movie vs. Book
The war scenes in the movie are arguably one of the best war scenes in the film industry. It gives a very accurate and desperate picture of the western front. I love the use of the many common weapons used during that time, such as poison gas, tanks, and flamethrowers. Would definitely recommend if you are interested in really good fight scenes!
Something I didn’t like about the movie was the ending. A big reason about why the novel is titled All Quiet On The Western Front is because Paul dies on a day so unremarkable that the commander just wrote ‘All Quiet.’ It reveals how unsignificant death was in the war, but it was something Paul was fighting against throughout the whole book. However, the movie shows Paul dying in a big fight on the last day of the war, which kind of undermines the whole point of the title and the book.
I do recommend both the book and movie to historical fiction lovers, so you should definetely check it out!
What to compare them for yourself? All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. The movie All Quiet on the Western Front is also available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 