The Road Back
(Movies) WhenJuly 27, 2016 <m>(Wednesday)WhereAuditorium at Northeastern Illinois UniversityBuilding E, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60625 (US)
Website: http://www.northwestchicagofilmsociety.org/calendar/current-season/
Event Details
The Road Back
Directed by James Whale 1937
The most prestigious and improbable sequel this side of The Godfather Part II, this follow-up to Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front found itself on Universal's production schedule as soon as it was a gleam in the eye of novelist Erich Maria Remarque. With production constantly pushed back due to budgetary and political considerations, the film finally went before the cameras after the 1936 ouster of Carl Laemmle, Jr., the producer who had shepherded All Quiet to the screen. The story focuses on the Great War's unruly aftermath for the soldiers themselves and German society at large. Under the versatile direction of James Whale and the questionable supervision of production chief Charles R. Rogers, The Road Back marshalled a cast of unknowns and comic relief bit players to put across a bracingly anti-militarist message. Targeted by the German consul for being "detrimental to German prestige," the film was recut both before and during its 1937 run, and further altered for a 1939 reissue. Practically unseen for eight decades, this new restoration brings The Road Back as close as possible to its original form. Preserved by the Library of Congress with funding provided by NBCUniversal and The Film Foundation. (KW)
100 min Universal Studios 35mm from Library of Congress
The most prestigious and improbable sequel this side of The Godfather Part II, this follow-up to Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front found itself on Universal's production schedule as soon as it was a gleam in the eye of novelist Erich Maria Remarque. With production constantly pushed back due to budgetary and political considerations, the film finally went before the cameras after the 1936 ouster of Carl Laemmle, Jr., the producer who had shepherded All Quiet to the screen. The story focuses on the Great War's unruly aftermath for the soldiers themselves and German society at large. Under the versatile direction of James Whale and the questionable supervision of production chief Charles R. Rogers, The Road Back marshalled a cast of unknowns and comic relief bit players to put across a bracingly anti-militarist message. Targeted by the German consul for being "detrimental to German prestige," the film was recut both before and during its 1937 run, and further altered for a 1939 reissue. Practically unseen for eight decades, this new restoration brings The Road Back as close as possible to its original form. Preserved by the Library of Congress with funding provided by NBCUniversal and The Film Foundation. (KW)
100 min Universal Studios 35mm from Library of Congress
Cartoon: "A.W.O.L." (Charley Bowers, 1918) - 16mm - 5 min