A soldier on the frontlines of World War 1 cannot escape the pain of war. In 1928, the German author Erich Maria Remarque penned the infamous All Quiet on the Western Front to inform the reader what life was like in the trenches. Based on his experience as a soldier, this book was unapologetically honest, unfiltered, and outright brutal about the conditions soldiers endured and what was witnessed during wartime. A new, updated German adaptation has been released exclusively on Netflix. It perfectly reflects what Remarque intended in his titular novel and serves as the most authentic, appropriately graphic depiction of the war we have ever seen.
During the film’s opening sequence, a young German soldier charges into No Man’s Land, narrowly avoiding the fate suffered by many of his fellow soldiers. Within minutes of the film’s opening, we realize that the filmmakers have committed themselves to respecting the source material without holding back. There are a lot of similarities between this movie and Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in terms of color desaturation, the sheer scale, and realistic depictions of war.
After the young soldier dies, we learn his name after he and many other dead soldiers are stripped of their clothing and buried in a mass grave. Clothing, including shoes, are brought back behind the Western Front so they can be stitched up, washed, and hung to dry so that the next soldier can wear them.
A short time later, four young German men are eager to join the war effort and have their papers signed so that they will be permitted to “fight for the fatherland.” They are excited and jittery, similar to a young boy ready to play baseball for the first time. An honorary thing to serve your country is what is on their minds. They hear a man boasting to numerous other young soldiers that they will be walking the streets of Paris within weeks. In the dying days of World War I, four young men — friends of many years — go to the front line with the hope of experiencing an adventure of a lifetime. Little do they know; they are nothing more than disposable bodies in the losing war that has decimated the German Army.
The film focuses primarily on Paul (Felix Kammerer). He sees his service as an opportunity to make a difference and show others that they, too, can join the war effort. Aside from Paul, little detail is given about the other three characters. Although they are only distinguished by their physical attributes, they all share a common goal: joining the war and making a difference. It’s only a matter of time before the soldiers realize what war is like. With little to no training, the soldiers march towards the Western Front and soon are shaken to their core by the harsh realities of the conflict. A sea of bodies rots in the trenches, and mud and blood are everywhere. When the artillery starts raining down, the mighty French leave them terrified.
During the ensuing battles, Paul befriends an older soldier who becomes his mentor, and together their story highlights their struggles. Despite the horrific conditions, forced to kill their fellow man, Paul and Kat (Albrecht Schuch) have each other’s backs, and when the war is not in their faces, Paul reads letters from Kat’s wife to him since Kat is illiterate.
One of the most fascinating things about this movie is that it doesn’t mention which battle it’s about or where it’s situated since no soldier would not know this information for themselves. They move from trench to trench, seemingly moving at an arm’s reach. As we follow Paul and Kat, we are in the trenches with them. When the horror begins, this film is extremely realistic. I appreciated the gruesomeness, the sorrow, and the sounds of men screaming in pain or the haunting stillness before hell breaks out.
Throughout the movie, we see the soldiers’ monotonous activities, including collecting dog tags off dead soldiers, keeping watch at night, and peeling potatoes for soup when they are not on the front line. The quieter moments are what make All Quiet on the Western Front so compelling. It’s when they take time to reflect on their experiences. The opposite is also true.
One battle sequence shows the French Saint-Chamond striking fear into the Germans and forcing them to retreat before flamethrower units ruthlessly kill those unable to flee the trenches. In another shockingly effective moment, Paul stabs a French soldier who manages to survive. Unable to end the man’s life quickly, he watches him slowly choke to death on his own blood. It is harrowing and heartbreaking to watch and listen to.
A big part of what made the novel so memorable is seeing Paul’s return to civilian life and how he has changed after his experiences on the battlefield. This is omitted from the film, which left me wondering why. While the 1930 film provides a complete picture of character development and understanding of the traumatic effects of war, this movie doesn’t equally match its predecessor’s achievement. The movie suffers from this omission, despite the horrors Paul endures. To compensate, they fast-forward eighteen months, I suppose, for dramatic effect. Instead, I would’ve preferred the movie to be longer to show us those significant moments.
Apart from the war, this film also has two parallel storylines. One is Paul’s experience, and the other is the German High Command. Devid Striesow plays General Friedrichs, who is adamant that the war must continue despite ongoing talks of a possible armistice. The other is Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl), who’s actively seeking a ceasefire with the French. Both actors do an excellent job despite having less screen time than Felix Kammerer.
In addition, one must take note of the sound department. Whether you have surround sound or wear headphones to watch movies like myself, All Quiet on the Western Front is loud, terrifying, and extremely vivid, reminding us of the term shellshock. It was Edward Berger on the director’s side for bringing such magnificent detail to the war, as well as Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson for writing the screenplay and matching the breathtaking reality the book brought forth.
Score 4 out of 5
All Quiet on the Western Front is a gritty and a deeply disturbing portrayal of war despite certain omissions from the source material. Prepare to experience The Great War like never before. The acting is outstanding, especially Felix Kammerer’s, and James Friend’s cinematography is stunning, if not beautiful to a fault. Even during the battle sequences, World War 1 looks grim, but that’s supposed to be the case. This movie is not for the squeamish.
Even though it doesn’t match everything the 1930 film did, this is still a remarkable piece of filmmaking and a remarkable recreation of a war that has been forgotten for too long. It’s an antiwar film at its heart, and by showing us the truly horrendous conditions and macabre depictions of war, this is certainly an experience that should change your perception of war as an option.
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