Technically, this is a fine adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel about World War I, but the cast severely lacks character development and depth. Character development would have been such a precious asset so the viewer can grieve over the soldier's brutal and untimely deaths (this is supposed to be anti-war), but we end up, more or less, not caring. When it's all said and done, it's good for a television movie. If you can possibly stand a black and white film with a sort of grainy texture, I strongly recommend the 1930's version of the same name, rather than this one.
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Starring:
Richard Thomas, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Patricia Neal, Ian Holm
Directed by:
Delbert Mann
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1979 war
Not Rated.
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Don Ignacio's score: B-