All Quiet on the Western Front
(A or 3.5/4 stars)
Director Edward Berger provides a stirring German-language adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 WWI novel, 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. A 1930 film version of this story rightfully won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. And this 2.5 hour version can stand right beside that 1st film as far as quality is concerned. The film opens with a German soldier - in a desperate move when out of ammunition - charging the enemy with a shovel. After having been killed, his uniform is returned to Germany, and it is given to a new recruit, 17 yr. old high school protagonist, Paul (Felix Kammerer, excellent). He forges his parents' signature, enlists, & heads out with the new recruits who are brimming with passion about fighting for their country.
But within hours after setting off, these young men realize just how brutal the trench conditions are for soldiers, how bloody things get, & how devastating war is on the fragile human psyche. The mountains, forests & animals have been ravaged. Men die by tens of thousands, including all of Paul's buddies. A slightly older soldier, Kat (Albrecht Schuch, so good), takes Paul under his wing as a big brother type, but nobody can really be protected in the trenches & on the battlefields ... on the western front. All the while, Germany's armistice politician, Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) works hard to cease-fire & sign a peace deal with France's Marshall Ferdinand Foch (Thibault de Montalembert) in time to hopefully save some lives. Gruesome depictions of the realities of war ensue.
Here is a film that I greatly admire; though, it does take a particular type of viewer who can endure 150 min. of graphically violent war reenactments with little levity. But discerning viewers WILL be rewarded with this tale of companionship, endurance & the value of human life -- just know that it's all buried under mounds of blood & muck. The violence serves the story + its potent message. Edward Berger & his film crew have done a phenomenal job choreographing elaborate battle scenes, shooting them at eye level, & getting knee deep in the trenches. The sets & make-up design are as authentic as you can get; superbly rendered. A disquieting music score relies on droning, melancholic beats that come & go with the action; it is a rumble that put me on edge. And I also praise the sound design; as it is rife with the strident noise of grenades, tanks, guns & hellish human screams.
'AQOTWF' is stunningly shot in blue, gray & brown hues; conveying the soldiers' miserable conditions. This is juxtaposed with scenes of military leaders yakking away in luxurious offices. Soldiers are dismembered, set afire, or killed mere moments before the armistice. So the movie shows how little these soldiers seem to matter to most of the higher-ups, or to the enemies. Felix Kammerer is great as our innocent, wide-eyed recruit who faces tragedy after tragedy. I also loved Albrecht Schuch's alternately lively & poignant portrayal of Kat. 17 million people died in WWI (3 million alone perishing uselessly on the western front) ... and this film goes to show that war is hell, politicians are not to be trusted, & history can always repeat itself. Scary stuff.
But within hours after setting off, these young men realize just how brutal the trench conditions are for soldiers, how bloody things get, & how devastating war is on the fragile human psyche. The mountains, forests & animals have been ravaged. Men die by tens of thousands, including all of Paul's buddies. A slightly older soldier, Kat (Albrecht Schuch, so good), takes Paul under his wing as a big brother type, but nobody can really be protected in the trenches & on the battlefields ... on the western front. All the while, Germany's armistice politician, Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) works hard to cease-fire & sign a peace deal with France's Marshall Ferdinand Foch (Thibault de Montalembert) in time to hopefully save some lives. Gruesome depictions of the realities of war ensue.
Here is a film that I greatly admire; though, it does take a particular type of viewer who can endure 150 min. of graphically violent war reenactments with little levity. But discerning viewers WILL be rewarded with this tale of companionship, endurance & the value of human life -- just know that it's all buried under mounds of blood & muck. The violence serves the story + its potent message. Edward Berger & his film crew have done a phenomenal job choreographing elaborate battle scenes, shooting them at eye level, & getting knee deep in the trenches. The sets & make-up design are as authentic as you can get; superbly rendered. A disquieting music score relies on droning, melancholic beats that come & go with the action; it is a rumble that put me on edge. And I also praise the sound design; as it is rife with the strident noise of grenades, tanks, guns & hellish human screams.
'AQOTWF' is stunningly shot in blue, gray & brown hues; conveying the soldiers' miserable conditions. This is juxtaposed with scenes of military leaders yakking away in luxurious offices. Soldiers are dismembered, set afire, or killed mere moments before the armistice. So the movie shows how little these soldiers seem to matter to most of the higher-ups, or to the enemies. Felix Kammerer is great as our innocent, wide-eyed recruit who faces tragedy after tragedy. I also loved Albrecht Schuch's alternately lively & poignant portrayal of Kat. 17 million people died in WWI (3 million alone perishing uselessly on the western front) ... and this film goes to show that war is hell, politicians are not to be trusted, & history can always repeat itself. Scary stuff.