The Road Back (1937, James Whale, Full Movie)

The little known sequel to Lewis Milestone's classic war film "All Quiet on the Western Front". Directed by James Whale in 1937, the movie takes place in the immediate aftermath of world war 1 and recounts the frontline soldiers' difficulty in returning to a peacetime society. The film has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray and it has also disappeared for the internet archive. That's why I'm uploading it here for all those who are interested in the this obscure picture and/or the Weimar era Germany that it depicts.

[@markjames4056]

This is what you tube should be for! Never seen this movie! Thanks!

[@SweetSpringFarmer1222]

Amazing to have found this nearly-lost treasure - Thank you for posting!

[@rickjohnson9558]

I'm reading the book right now, for the first time (I first read AQOTWF about fifty years ago, and several times since.) Good to see Slim Summerville reprising his role as Tjaden. In the book he's the only survivor of the characters. Never knew this movie existed, glad I looked it up, and THANKS FOR POSTING IT!!!!!!!

[@neilmanhard1341]

Wasn't there another guy that loss his leg or something? Or, did he eventually die from his wounds or commit suicide? I only read "All Quiet..." once, and it was a very long time ago.

[@rickjohnson9558]

@@neilmanhard1341 I think you’re referring to Albert Kropp. He lost a leg

[@neilmanhard1341]

@@rickjohnson9558 Thanks.

[@sonracky8500]

@@neilmanhard1341 Albert Cropp who lost his leg,Corporal Himelstos and Tjaden were the only survivors of book and 1930 movie..but in 1979 remake,Paul said in the end that Tjaden and Himelstos died,as he write a letter to Cropp.Wrong!!

[@neilmanhard1341]

@@sonracky8500 Never saw the 1979 movie. Did you read my original post? Where was I "wrong"? You give the impression of being a very argumentative person.

[@SpilledMug]

I love how they mention the prequels characters, it means that they fought on the same company

[@mattmarrillia4907]

It’s such a humanizing touch, the boys from All Quiet didn’t die in vain to their brothers in arms. The mournful tone really pushes how they meant something to the survivors, even though they’re gone

[@karl28560]

Never knew this movie existed! Thank you.

[@lewisc215]

It doesn't follow the book.

[@robertbrown-qf8xy]

I also have made it a point to view every WWI film on record, but missed this one. Thanks so much for sharing it!

[@ShubhamSingh-sm5wi]

Can you tell other movies of ww1 which i can watch

[@jasonnicholasschwarz7788]

@@ShubhamSingh-sm5wi "Journey''s End" (all adaptions, there are many, also here on YT), "No man's land", "Regeneration", "The Trench", "A very long engagement", "1917", "Parade's End", "39 steps", "Birdsong"......to be continued. If you're into reading, definitely : Pat Barker, Regeneration trilogy, Robert Graves Good bye to all that andSebastian Faulks Birdsong.

[@sirjanska9575]

Something obscure which you might enjoy is Täällä Pohjantähden alla I (Under the North Star I), a Finnish film about how class relations in Finland escalated into a full blown civil war in the early 1918 between the social democratic Red and the conservative White guards, the latter also being aided by a German expeditionary force. It's probably a bit hard to find but the 2000's version's DVD at least has english subtitles. The sequel covers the events after WW1.

[@Rickwmc]

When I was discharged from the Army in the Vietnam era, I spent a year looking for a job but was offered none. Disgusted, I told my parents that I was going down to Mexico for a year or two to learn Spanish. When I actually got a job down there (on a work visa), I stayed there for four years until I drifted back north of the Rio Grande.

[@jamesalexander3530]

I hear you, brother. When I returned to the world after 2 years in country RVN, I foolishly dove into the hippy culture minus the drugs. Since then, I have regretted that I ever came home and often feel that I am still in Vietnam, that it is part of me still. Now old and gray, with wasted jobs, marriages, and failed businesses, there doesn't pass a day I don't hate myself for not returning to my buddies in SE Asia when the war remained until the early 70s. Wish I had met up with you since I am half Hispanic and would have preferred wasting away in Mejico with a buddy instead. A belated welcome home! Peace.

[@luclag1902]

Such a powerful film, great ending, tellling everyone another generational tragedy was around the corner.

[@Thomas-em9du]

And another tragedy coming soon!! History forgotten or perverted 😢

[@xaviersirianni3833]

When the officer got attacked and his mates helped him, that felt really touching

[@louisberry4403]

Not as good as Quiet On The Western Front and had it's moments and glad this is on KZbin.

[@KarlPHorse]

I’ve been looking for this movie for so long. Thank you.

[@zhenbkab]

Thanks for uploading the movie! I have been looking for it everywhere!

[@Hankeshon]

That shot of them standing above the parapet, looking into No Man's Land and sorrily counting off their friends who've died is such a sad and powerful scene. When one of them says "Oh, stop it!" interrupting him from listing off more, and then with his head lowered walks back, that stays with me. War is a terrible thing.

[@hopatease1]

The part at 29:** where they are in company formation and all of a son a ghost company appears around them and you know that they are all that's left of over a hundred men gets to me every time I see the movie .

[@hopatease1]

OK it starts at 36:10 and goes to 37:10 my bad : (

[@rajyavardhan8593]

I just finished reading it ,it always makes me cry

[@marcusarilus]

Thanks for putting this up

[@davidhamilton6612]

This movie needs to be released in all current formats, maybe as part of the TCM collection.

[@rtsgod]

it's weird. I heard the us library of congress restored a print of the film, but that was years ago. The film isn't found anywhere it's sad. It's pretty blunt with it's message but i still found it powerful, and remarkably still fresh in its messaging.

[@snipper1ie]

How different the homecoming of the German soldiers was then as opposed to when they came home from the next war when everything was in ruins, like that part of France of the tenches. But, the minds of the men were totally destroyed in all the conflicts

[@josemoreno3334]

Thanks for the upload. I like watching old war movies. Peace of history.

[@landanmorgan6547]

This movie, is a new one for me. Thank You!...

[@johnberger2851]

This story (originally "Der Weg zurück") is the sequel to Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" ("Im Westen nichts Neues").

[@letoubib21]

And *_"Drei Kaneraden"_* followed, Have you already read that book? If no, please, do it. You will like it *. . .*

[@normanlinden5786]

All three books are excellent.

[@cheevers304]

While it is not the classic that All quite remains,it still shows the effect war has on men both during and after a war.Thanks for the movie!

[@leebritnell2405]

This film was shortened and basically suppressed when the German ambassador to the US complained to Universal studios.Whale hoped this would be his masterpiece,and was bitterly disappointed by Universal's response.

[@kraigsimmons2338]

Very good movie, thank you for the upload.

[@antongirdeux4148]

The film was based on All Quiet On The Western Front's sequel The Road Back, both written by the author Erich Maria Remarque. The only character alive appearing in both books and films is Tjaden.

[@lewisc215]

The "Road back" movie takes too many liberties with the book, unlike "All Quiet." It pretty much ruins the book.

[@dr.wisdom7917]

Also Albert Kropp

[@antongirdeux4148]

@@dr.wisdom7917 If he didn't kill himself after losing his leg. Also I believe that Himmelstoss made it out of the war without a scratch as well, if we go by the book.

[@fettfrosch1]

Joonas Heinonen Detering deserted and they never learned what happened to him, so he could be alive too.

[@antongirdeux4148]

@@fettfrosch1 Deserted during an hellish war... I'm very sure that he would end up in a peaceful jail when millions of his comrades are in fields dying. He's pretty much executed. Not that I would blame him of his desertion, the war was pure pain for the poor guy...

[@erico6795]

I have considered All Quiet, The Road Back, and The Three Comrades as a trilogy as to be the lead character is "Paul" AKA Erich. In print, this book is for me the most painful. I read it first in university before I joining the US Army and before I saw combat. In the book, there is a scene where he is in the countryside and he knows he should be appreciating the beautiful vista and the trees, and the flowers, but instead he is noting where machine gun potions should be installed, where the mainline of resistance, OPS potions, etc. My professor labored that scene, he was a WW2 soldier, and wanted us to understand, but we could not at the time. Only after I too saw combat did I get it, I STILL look at terrain like an infantryman. If you have not read this trilogy, I would strong recommend it.

[@ronalddunne3413]

A forgotten gem. Always like a James Whale-er! Thank You!

[@hacksaw8214]

I'M A 75 YEAR OLD 0311 MARINE THAT SERVED IN VIENTAM TWICE. I LIKE SO MANY MEN AND WOMEN KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO RETURN TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR NOTHING! WHEN I WAS A KID SOMEONE THAT WAS A CHINA MARINE IN 1899 SAID "AS LONG AS THERE IS A ROCK AND TWO HUMANS THERE WILL BE A WAR!"

[@southerncross3638]

hacksaw8214 It wasn't for nothing Marine, Thank you for your Service, and Sacrifice. Welcome Home !

[@channelfogg6629]

'"AS LONG AS THERE IS A ROCK AND TWO HUMANS THERE WILL BE A WAR!"' Though most people never fought in a war until the mass wars of the 20th century, and most people who were in the armed forces never actually fought. This idea that war is a natural occurrence only helps the politicians who start wars but make sure they're not in the firing line. Most people don't even have a fistfight after they've left school.

[@windypup8845]

You did not fight for your country. You fought for politicians and banksters and was silly enough to go.

[@sirjanska9575]

windy pup Wow, that is like the most generalizing, juvenile and overall ignorant sentence I've heard in the whole week.

[@marcjohnson4385]

@@windypup8845 And what did you do spit and call us names when we came home an 0351Marine and Damm Proud of It

[@user-uj5vz5om7s]

Читала книгу трижды. Каждый раз я плачу и меня трясёт. Самый недооценённый роман Ремарка.

[@richardgreiner9264]

Thank you and KZbin for this ! I had never heard of it !

[@biggshow1045]

If you have ever been in combat you can relate to this,quite well.

[@hodaka1000]

If you have ever been in combat in a world war you could relate to this

[@rescuepetsrule6842]

I'm a female Marine- no combat at all. My father served in WWII, Korea and 'Nam- combat that he never talked about. I think combat must be like sudden poverty or a debilitating health problem: you don't know anything until you live through it. 👍 all combat warriors!

[@xenon54]

Interesting movie to be released when Germany at the time was in the grips of Hitler's rhetoric and within 2 years of WWII. But the topic of adjusting after any war holds true.

[@loriwalls419]

Thanks for this very interesting flick. Makes me want to see "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" again.

[@jdrancho1864]

I could never relate to the sentiments and the point of that movie.

[@randalldunkley1042]

Lewis Milestones three anti-war films are AQOTWF and then in 1945, A Walk in the Sun, followed by Pork Chop Hill in 1953. I had seen reference to this film before but had not seen it. Very good at showing the turmoil in post war Germany. James Whale was the director of Frankenstein.

[@nedludd7622]

For me, "A Walk in the Sun" is one of the best war films.

[@stevesmodelbuilds5473]

The cinematography on both these films are masterpieces...

[@clementduncan6736]

PTSD was not just a new thing

[@57tricci]

Thank you, extremely useful for my reasearch.

[@jewe321]

The message of the movie is very touching, considering it was sent in 1937. Kind of strange to see Germany depicted in the movie from a foreign perspective. Apart from some simplification yet there is one major mistake: in criminal court Germany never had and still doesn´t have a jury. The verdict is returned by the chief judge. In a case of murder or manslaughter the proper court would be what is called the "Große Strafkammer", consisting of 3 professional judges 2 jurymen.

[@billhuber2964]

I NEVER KNOWN THERE WAS A SEQUEL TO " ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT " . SOLDIERS BACK THEN HAD THEIR READUJUSTMENT ISSUES AS THE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN OF TODAY .

[@snipper1ie]

One thing never changes, the love of a mother for her child and comrades only feel comfortable in their own company

[@ralebeau]

"Three Comrades" is kind of a follow-up to those two movies.

[@benadam7753]

After the Armistice, the German soldiers come out of their trenches and they mention all their fallen comrades including Paul Bäumer!

[@crosscastle100]

Good film good message

[@robertsmith-qb2ke]

Seconded! Have wanted to see this movie for a very long time.

[@sirjanska9575]

I can relate as I did too. Then one day my friend miraculously found it and I didn't want it to disappear so I decided to share it here. I wish they release a better quality DVD/Blu-ray someday, but for now we at least have the movie in this form. You're very welcome!

[@loriwalls419]

Hoorah for you and your friend! It's a real find.

[@timmycrw91]

I noticed that the book this is based on is by the same author of All Quiet on the Western Front. At the 22 minute mark, one of the soldiers mentions 2 of the characters from All Quiet as some of the soldiers they'd left on those battlefields. At the end of this movie, u think they knew another war was coming?? I'd say so by the headlines shown. Had no idea about all the unrest in Germany, at least not so soon after the war ended. Glad I found this film.

[@jameskennedy721]

England , France and the US allowed Germany to rearm so that a handful of rich men could make more money . Millions paid for that mistake with their lives .

[@adamfox1669]

Thank you

[@ronaldlewis5096]

I Will Subscribe.Great, in part anti-war flick! Great dipiction of the remaining company towards the falling out by the Caption when soliders were in their last formation. Early classic and innovative film making.

[@punkfighter6718]

I read for this film today!a great movie and book!i didn't knew that all quite on the western front had a sequel...

[@murpheyslaw]

great movie-thanks

[@two_owls]

The Library of Congress worked on a restoration of this film in 2022, which not only brought back the original film quality but restored the director's vision as well. As released in 1937, Universal had cut the movie apart to appease the Nazi Consulate. Unfortunately, NBC-Universal apparently still owns the copyright to the film and has yet to release it. Hopefully one day!

[@johnmoran4323]

i read all quiet on the western front.. and noticed here a similarity to it.. did not know this was a sequel... but,i never realized all germans spoke english.[as in this film].. i thought they spoke german.. you learn something new every day

[@antoniod]

Legend has it that the extensive re-editing and reshooting on this was because of pressure from the German Counsel, but I think it was really more about the box-office.

[@antoniod]

@Kay Clark Of course they hated the book. They also hated ALL QUIET and BAMBI! But when I read about the sequence of events(the German Consul complained, THEN the original cut of the film premiered, THEN the re-edited and re-shot version went into general release)it sounds more like Universal, at the time being taken over by parties interested in releasing Family-friendly films, read the preview cards and decided the film needed comedy relief and a happy ending.

[@antoniod]

@Kay Clark I'm not an apologist for the Nazis, I'm an apologist for Hollywood. THE ROAD BACK was an American film, not a German one. Universal was not a German company. Hollywood studios may have caved in to German demands before the Nazis banned all American films(I think by 1939), but they were not responsible for what the Nazi government did. Why is it Holocaust denial to say that Hollywood's decisions were based more on money than ideology. If you want films that reflect Nazi ideology, look at films produced in Germany between 1933 and 1945, not Hollywood ones.

[@antoniod]

And in 1939, when the Nazis had banned all American films anyway, Universal reissued it with scenes added to make it MORE anti-Nazi!

[@antoniod]

@Kay Clark The evidence that the cuts were made on order of the German counsel is sketchy. The film was cut even more extensively in '39 to make it anti-Nazi, if that makes sense.

[@martyshannon7542]

You forget that Americans respected the Nazi German Party before the War. I never knew that until I saw it on the History Channel about the American Nazi Party in major cities. There's a gazebo in Balboa Park in SanDiego that is a gift from Nazi Germany. It's Nazi decor is covered up with a different wood covering.

[@aadamtx]

I was unfamiliar with this sequel to ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, but what an interesting film! Novelist Remarque (who wrote the original story) served in the German Army in WWI and was wounded at the front; screenwriter R.C. Sherriff served with the British army and was also wounded at the front; director Whale was a British officer captured by the Germans and served time in a P.O.W. camp. These men, like hacksaw8214, knew war and its aftermath firsthand. The script is a little preachy at times, which makes for some occasionally stiff acting (John King in the lead is probably the worst), but in general a good solid cast, including Lionel Atwill, Louise Fazenda, Spring Byington, Dwight Frye, E.E. Clive, and Dead End Kid Billy Benedict (he's the blond revolutionary leader) in small roles. Plus a score by Dmitri Tiomkin!

[@gerry343]

A great pity the original version of the film is no longer available. The comedy scenes are sadly out of place.

[@robstack3712]

War is Hell

[@blackcougar1959]

It's always great seeing Dwight Frye, the obnoxious, "small man at the rally" literally, turn up in these classics flicks.

[@apollowest750]

Hey you

[@varelion]

While „All Quiet on the Western Front“ was one of the most authentic filming of a book, very carefully made, extremely compelling, so that even Erich Maria Remarque himself left the screening with tears in his eyes, the adaption of “The Way back” is rather weak, less energetic and authentic. Right from the beginning the scenes are too long as if it was a stage play. The actors energy and credibility is clearly lower that of All quiet on the Western Front. For the first movie they casted an actress as the main character’s mother who was well known as a comedian. The test audience laughed automatically at her appearance. And so they replaced her. Though the guy who played Tjaden was also a comedian he did a good job playing seriously in "All Quiet ...". In this movie however, he had not only become kind of fat, contradicting the worn-out state of the German soldiers at the end of the war. He also was allowed or told to make jokes. The movie gives way too much room for that and therefore looses time, tension and mood. Throughout the movie there is the tendency to belittle the pessimistic atmosphere of both novel and post-war-situation of Germany. There was an important scene in which one of the Allied soldiers buys the bandage made of newspapers from a German soldier as a souvenier and gives him a correct one as payment. When the movie comes to the hometown of the group you may hear that the civilians had to suffer but you don’t see it. Almost everyone is jolly, the scenery proper if not cozy. Most of their time people seem to go out and have a good time. So many good scenes are missing or had been changed unnecessarily: When the group meets Allied soldiers for the first time they did not only rise their weapons. Instinctively they jumped into a ditch near the road, and when they remembered that the war was over, they bashfully came out of their cover only to receive an unexpected friendly encounter. One night the protagonist has a flashback of his front experience in a nightmare. When he wakes up he is surrounded by his extremely worried family and sees that he has destroyed parts of his room while dreaming. After that it is clear that the family will no longer insist on telling of his front adventures and that his generation might never fully recover. Why was this scene not included? An interesting part of the book tells how the main character and some of his comrades are sent to a village to work as teachers. While Willy likes this job because he finally can eat as much as he wants, the main character again is in doubt what he should teach and tell the young people. Before he leaves he encounters a group of boys who are trained for the next war by an incurable nationalist soldier, lying down and crawling, accompanied by the imitated sound of a machine gun. He and Willy protest but they are not understood and called traitors as a reply. The movie time was saved for additions like the main characters love. I don’t remember that the protagonist had a girl-friend. Maybe the film makers wanted to add normative movie-structure and an anchor of hope for the main character (and the audience, of course). So, in the end I can’t recommend this movie as a sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front. While some scenes meet the tone and the story, it is sad to see how much has been lost of the abundance, reality and atmosphere of the book. And as a movie itself I didn’t find it very compelling. Too flat, too stiff, too uninspired, and with the tendency to smooth the peaks of physical and psychological hardship.

[@wuffothewonderdog]

The film is factually wrong. The armistice was not agreed and signed by the German military, who were too cowardly to admit that they had been beaten. They left it to those politicians willing to accept a deed that would damn them in their country's eyes, leading the way for Hitler to preach the 'stab in the back of the German army' which enabled him to crush political opposition. Pershing and certain of the British military thought that Germany had to be shown that they had been beaten and the surrender signed in Berlin.

[@danrooc]

@@wuffothewonderdog German military were not "cowards" (that is cartoonish); they resigned power thinking to enable some better position for civil politicians to negociate peace terms for Germany.

[@thegadphly3275]

THis was a political statement by Hollywood folks... Probably didn't earn a penny.

[@serratograffiti]

A surprise discovery. Rewarding on all counts.

[@philbourque5216]

Happy to have finally seen this, so thank you for posting. This print is adequate but are there better prints?

[@sirjanska9575]

Sadly you need to ask that from Universal, this is the only version I've been able to find.

[@Thomas-em9du]

Excellent film 🎥 to put on

[@Angelina-xj5zd]

Great movie

[@slim420MM]

Sad ending knowing what happened.

[@lewisc215]

Read Erich Maria Remarque's books. A wonderful writer.

[@peterjohnson617]

When I was in high school in the 1960`s you could not get by with out reading "All Quiet on the Western Front" ...peace is a fleeting thing

[@WJack97224]

I have read almost all of Remarque's books except the last one which started out too biased and ended my interest. I suspect he was paid off to write some propaganda.

[@johnsadventures6783]

70 years after the end of WW1 I made my invasion of Germany. Although I didn't know it at the time I had a good time.

[@sub31k]

Is this the version cut and refilmed from Whale's original? I heard the "original" was screened before at museums from a reproduction by the Library of Congress.

[@sirjanska9575]

No idea, it would be pretty magnificent if it was

[@wollem4557]

My grandfathers story....it effeckted him so bad rest of life

[@vsegalla]

thankyou

[@charlescrowell4981]

I also recommend 2 movies, stormtrooper 17 and the rights of man.

[@frankkeys2719]

How can anyone be against war to die for you're country must be a great honor but life seems a better option.

[@peterjohnson617]

what a wonderful world this would be without humans

[@goldgeologist5320]

@@peterjohnson617 o doubt this was a rich multi species non polluted planet up until say 100,000 years ago. Modern man destroying it.

[@sonnysantana5454]

imagine the things you don't know

[@biggshow1045]

It’s refreshing to see a war movie from the German side where it doesn’t make every german to be a little hitler, or Bozeman not all Germans were wrong.

[@sirjanska9575]

Well the film takes place during and after WW1 when the nazi party taking over Germany was still twenty years into the future, so portraying Germans that way would have been rather anachronistic

[@altoids79762]

I wish I could just get the best directors, best actors, best special/practical effects and infinite money. Just so I can make movies basically showing both all quiet on the western front and the road back true page for page.

[@rtsgod]

I think it would do pretty well as a mini series, something like Band of Brothers

[@candyextreme8406]

1937 and the jokes are still funny.

[@ziblot1235]

Soldiers are the same the world over. Same gripes, same grumbling. Great movie. Too bad they wont show the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS in the same light. Actually the civilians in Belgius and France said that the grandsons and children of these men were more polite and better behaved than the WW1 gang.

[@buffordevans6942]

Yep

[@sirjanska9575]

@@ziblot1235 In WW1 Germans basically pillaged themselves through Belgium so I'm not surprised

[@barneygilewitz1064]

Got that 1930’s woman hat style again here in the final scene even though it was supposed to be 1919.

[@sirjanska9575]

@@barneygilewitz1064 Yup, Hollywood has never been known for its attention to historical details :D

[@ralebeau]

Wow. Too bad more people weren't listening.

[@jrgaskin01]

war without end. only the names have been changed.

[@sonsen25]

Research the juice.

[@YoreeltheBackwards]

oh god when they had to leave the dying kid and asks them to turn him a little so he can see them go down the road fknhell ouch

[@johnbockelie3899]

Europe WW1 , 1914- 1918 United States, 1917 - 1918. " The war to end all wars."

[@keithharvey7230]

Aunt Em from Wizard of Oz.x

[@michaelbeams9553]

1918 or 2021............. Same as it ever was .

[@FungusMossGnosis]

Don't click the links of posters claiming to have a Free HD version. They're scamming to get your credit card info.

[@eagletanker]

Yeah have found this and have been reporting them

[@SniffMyDeadwax]

See where George Lucas got his intro music from!!

[@philthycat1408]

Maybe should,ve called it, " The Movie To End All Movies ".

[@geta6863]

i know i am kinda mean but where is better version ? that here is 144p or even worse ?

[@sirjanska9575]

Universal Pictures is the right address for that question

[@psixologiya8453]

Where was the scene in which a neighbour writes some notes about the angry dogs on his wall

[@rjmcallister1888]

The warnings were there. From HG Wells's fantastical "Things to Come" to this, much more realistic film, people knew the threats were there, yet no one spoke forcefully against it.

[@66robertk]

Considering The Year This Film Was Made, And a View Into The Culture and Love For The Fatherland...What Would Take Place In The Next Decade, All For The Love Of That Fatherland, Scared Every Facet Of Humanity Around The World....Very Ironic.......Still, A Great Film

[@keithharvey7230]

Richard Cromwell married Angela Lansbury for two years,poor girl.

[@robstack3712]

I feel like WW1 was Brutal compared to all the intrigue of WW2

[@ka1juhunt3r]

Absolutely, it’s why war crimes had to be invented because of how brutal we could kill each other.

[@marcellofunhouse1234]

Its story sees the soldiers of the 2nd Company returning home and struggling to readjust to civilian life after the horrors of World War I. But its anti-war and anti-German stance made Universal nervous, and it was drastically cut to dull its message. Whale later cited it as the worst job he ever had. What’s the problem? All Quiet On The Western Front is these days lauded as culturally and historically significant, but The Road Back remains a footnote to that story. Neutering the film to appease the Nazi regime (or “cultivate the good will of Germany” as it was worded) is not Universal’s finest hour. Without the materials to reassemble Whale’s director’s cut and put the mistake right, it’s an episode they would likely prefer stays in the vaults.

[@blahblah2556]

Looks like the same set they used in Frankenstein, and the same angry villagers no doubt.

[@lewisc215]

Inane

[@fettfrosch1]

56:18 November 11th, 1918 was a Monday tho

[@internetperiodista]

1:32 Here is the inspiration for the Star Wars credits at the begining

[@illinoismotionpicturestudi5065]

No, Star Wars was inspired by "Flash Gordan" It's doubtful George Lucas ever saw this movie or even heard of it.

[@lewisc215]

NO

[@gouhanki5181]

The heads of Universal studios caved to the pressure from Nazi Germany to downplay certain elements of the film. It was taken away from Director James Whale with many scenes reshot and comedy elements added much to his displeasure. He had made a very powerful film it was said before all this took place

[@neilmanhard1341]

Objectively, this movie and "All Quiet.." are anti-war films. Changing them makes them pro-war films. Either way, the movies are bias propaganda. The Nazis were probably seeking a little balance.

[@Albemarle7]

And these were the men we were taught to hate.

[@prop7674]

It's unfortunate that the blurb does not tell the story about this film. It was to be James Whale's greatest film, but Bazi pressure, which Universal Studio's capitulated to, forced them to reshoot it, putting in all the comedy scenes and changing the tenure of Remarque's novel. The original is lost and this is a butchery. A shame. Remarque himself left Germany before the Nazi's were able to get him, as with all of the great German artists. The Nazi's banned his books, called him anti German, and when they couldn't get him, arrested one of his sisters in his stead. They actually Beheaded her. The Uprisings of 1918-19 were brutally put down by the Fiekorps, the mercenary force used by the Authorities . They killed Rosa Luxenbourg and chucked her into a canal in Berlin. This version of the film is a pigs ear.

[@sirjanska9575]

It's still a good and entertaining movie on its own right, but there's no question that a great opportunity was lost there. Another grim reminder of the true power of greed

[@igotatan1]

Will we ever learn?

[@nstix2009xitsn]

No, we will always succumb to clichés, treacly sentiment, and sanctimony.

[@duongdisney]

Why is this movie not on dvd?

[@litmaglitmag6551]

hard to take in these jolly well fed Hollywood Jerrys, heartily cracking a joke or two... I highly recommend reading the actual book by Erich Maria Remarque

[@romegavadquez6310]

At 36:59 that made the whole film for me

[@lewisc215]

Read the sequel "The Road Back." As great a book as "All Quiet..."

[@letoubib21]

And *_"Three Comrades"_* - *_" Drei Kameraden"_* *. . .*

[@lewisc215]

@@letoubib21 yes

[@letoubib21]

@@lewisc215 I like Remarques style very much. Just finished his *_"The Night in Lisbon."_* Great!. What a crying shame that he couldn't reestablish himself in Germany after WW2 *. . .*

[@lewisc215]

@@letoubib21 He didn't care.

[@patrickpower6034]

👍👍

[@lillinablue]

May I ask you if is it the original version?

[@sirjanska9575]

If you mean Whale's original director's cut and not the studio edited theatrical version, your guess is as good as mine. The director's cut was fully remastered a few years ago but to my knowledge it has yet to be released in any home video or streaming format. I'm afraid we will know only once that hopefully happens some day.

[@lillinablue]

Yes, I mean it. Thank you very much! I hope so too!