What Is The Difference Between All Quiet On The Western Front Movie And Book

Global History Jessica Campbell
Mr. Marsh- Period 7 1-4-15
All Quiet on The Western Front All Quiet on The Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a historical fiction novel, depicting what soldiers went through during world war I. The novel was first released in 1928, in a German newspaper Vossische Zeitung, and then later published, in book form, in 1929. An American movie was later made in 1930, of the same name. It had won best picture and best director in 1930, as well as being nominated for best Cinematography and best Writing Achievement. Both movie and book have made huge impacts on society, however when viewing the two together one can see that they are similar and different.
After reading the book and watching the movie I noticed how both movie and book were different.
The differences are subtle, but they are all there. One difference between the two are the order of events. Certain scenes, such as Paul and Albert's injuries, the French girls and Paul's leave, are all done in different orders in both the movie and book. In the book, the scenes play out like this; first the boys meet the French girls, then Paul has his leave and then finally Paul and Albert get injured However, in the movie the events play out as so; The boys meet the French girls (n this particular sequence of events meeting the French girls happens first, however, in the movie that scene is shown later then in the book), then Paul and Albert get injured, and then finally Paul has his leave. This difference is very trivial as it doesn't change anything significantly, however it is a pretty striking
difference. Another difference between the book and the movie is the way each major character was portrayed. In the book each character begins as a soldier, recalling events of their school days and training days. However, in the movie each character begins as a school boy, later becoming soldiers. This may not seem to be very important, however it is. Starting out as a school boy not only brings a level of relatability, but it emphasizes the fact that the ones going to war are mere boys, there first experience in the world being this war. However, starting as soldiers doesn't bring that feeling that these are just mere children. As soldiers these boys could be any age, and lived long lives. Beginning as soldiers there is no relatability, at least not until later. Later in the story the reader learns that these boys are just out of school, then introducing the relatability and the fact that there mere boys. However, starting these boys out as school children brings out both of these things from the beginning, leaving the viewer with a much more attached feeling to the characters. Through these differences, however, there are similarities. The movie and book are both exactly the same with the message they want to send to the public. Both the movie and the book want to show the viewers how gruesome this war really was, and what it really did to the people involved in it. Both the book and the movie both do a very good job of portraying how ferocious the war was and even how blind the normal citizens were to it. Through the battle scenes of the movie and Paul's description of who has passed or what he has been through, in the book, the sense of how gruesome the war was is very present. Another similarity, between the movie and the book, is the accurate depiction of a soldiers life. As Erich Maria Remarque was a soldier in world war I, his depiction of Paul and his comrade's life during the war is very accurate. The movie is also an accurate depiction as it is based on the book, and the book itself is an accurate depiction. Both the book and movie bring the question of why we fight, that this war is nothing but death, swallowing up every mans soul, leaving nothing but a shell of a man. While both the movie and book are great in their own right. However, I feel that the book is much better then the movie. The book is much more descriptive then the movie, truly bringing out what this war was like. When reading the book, there is much more of a connection between the readers and characters. In the movie, the characters seem rather cold and unconnected. In the book, however, in the book, one can feel connected to the characters and see each of their friendships grow. The book made a much more lasting impression on me then in the movie, mostly fro the last line in the book. This line to me was very impactful and captured the true essence of a man destroyed by the war; “Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.” All Quiet on The Western Front truly captured what a shoulder would go through during this world war. While reading the book and watching the movie I could tell why the book and movie were seen as amazing works. Both share differences and similarities, whoever they are not to different to be there own things. This book and movie truly does deserve all the praise it gets.