Introduction

All Quiet on the Western Front (German: Im Westen nichts Neues) is a 2022 German epic anti-war film based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.

Directed by Edward Berger, it stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic and Devid Striesow. Set in the closing years of World War I, it follows the life of German soldier Paul Bäumer, who, after enlisting in the German Army with his friends, finds himself at risk to the realities of war, shattering the early hopes of becoming heroes.

A young soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I.

The original film (1930) had a sequel, The Road Back (1937), which portrays members of the 2nd Company returning home after the war.

The 1930 film Not So Quiet on the Western Front is a British Comedy whose title is a reference to the original film.

Also refer to the 1979 film version.

Outline

In spring 1917, three years into the First World War, 17-year-old Paul Bäumer enlists in the Imperial German Army alongside his school friends, Albert Kropp, Franz Müller and Ludwig Behm. They listen to a patriotic speech by a school official and unknowingly receive uniforms from soldiers killed in a previous battle. After they are deployed in Northern France near La Malmaison, they are befriended by Stanislaus “Kat” Katczinsky, an older soldier. Their romantic view of the war is shattered by the realities of trench warfare on the Western Front and Ludwig is killed by artillery the first night.

On 07 November 1918, German official Matthias Erzberger, weary of mounting losses, meets with German High Command to persuade them to begin armistice talks with the Allied powers. Meanwhile, Paul and Kat steal a goose from a farm to share with Albert, Franz, and another veteran, Tjaden Stackfleet, with whom they have grown close behind the front in Champagne. Kat gets Paul to read him a letter from his wife and worries that he cannot reintegrate into peacetime society. Franz spends the night with a French woman and brings back her scarf as a souvenir.

On the morning of 09 November, General Friedrichs drives Erzberger and the German delegation to a train bound for the Forest of Compiègne to negotiate a ceasefire. Paul and his friends go on a mission to find missing recruits sent to reinforce their unit and discover that they were killed by gas after taking off their masks too soon. Friedrichs, who opposes the talks, orders an attack before French reinforcements arrive. That night, Erzberger’s delegation reaches the Forest of Compiègne and Paul’s regiment is sent to the front to prepare to attack the French lines.

On the morning of 10 November, Ferdinand Foch, the Supreme Allied Commander, gives 72 hours for the Germans to accept the Allied terms, with no room for negotiation. Meanwhile, the German attack takes the French front line after hand-to-hand fighting, but is routed by a combined arms counterattack with Saint-Chamond tanks, airplanes, and flamethrowers. Franz is separated from the group and Albert is killed trying to surrender. Trapped in a crater in no man’s land with a French soldier, Paul stabs him and has to watch his slow and painful death. Erzberger learns of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s abdication and receives instructions in the evening from field marshal Paul von Hindenburg to accept the Allied terms. Paul returns to his unit and sees them celebrating the imminent end of the war. He finds a wounded Tjaden, who gives him Franz’s scarf. Paul and Kat bring him food but Tjaden, distraught at being crippled, kills himself.

Around 05:00 am on 11 November, Erzberger’s delegation signs the armistice, which is set to take effect at 11:00 am. After learning of the armistice, Paul and Kat steal from the farm one last time, but Kat is shot by the farmer’s young son and dies as Paul carries him to the hospital. Friedrichs wants to end the war with a German victory and orders an attack to start at 10:45 am. A despondent Paul kills many French soldiers before being bayoneted through the heart seconds before 11:00 am, when the fighting stops and the front falls silent. A short time later, a newly-arrived German recruit that Paul had saved in the fighting finds Paul’s mud-caked body and collects his dog tag and scarf.

Cast

• Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer.
• Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus “Kat” Katczinsky.
• Aaron Hilmer as Albert Kropp.
• Moritz Klaus as Franz Müller.
• Adrian Grünewald as Ludwig Behm.
• Edin Hasanovic as Tjaden Stackfleet.
• Daniel Brühl as Matthias Erzberger.
• Thibault de Montalembert as General Ferdinand Foch.
• Devid Striesow as General Friedrichs.
• Andreas Döhler as Leutnant Hoppe.
• Sebastian Hülk as Major Von Brixdorf.

Production

The film was announced in February 2020 with Edward Berger directing and Daniel Brühl as lead actor. Principal photography began in March 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Release

In August 2022, the film was announced as Germany’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.

All Quiet on the Western Front premiered at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2022. Following an exclusive engagement at the Paris Theatre in New York on 07 October 2022, the film expanded to select theatres from 14 October 2022.

It launched on Netflix worldwide on 28 October 2022.

Trivia

• The film received widespread critical acclaim for faithfulness to the source material’s anti-war message.
• Erich Maria Remarque’s book was inspired by his own experiences as a German soldier in World War I.
  • It is notable for its realistic depiction of the horrors of battle, and the trouble soldiers face during and even after the fighting.
• This film is not technically positioned as a remake of an older movie, but a re-adaptation of a book.
  • Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson wrote the script based on the 1928 novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
• The French tanks shown are Saint-Chamonds.
  • Between 350 and 400 were produced between April 1917 and July 1918.
  • The Saint-Chamond weighed 23 tonnes, had a theoretical top speed of 7.5 mph (almost never achieved in action) and was armed with a 75mm main gun.
  • It was widely disliked by its operators, because of its poor trench-crossing ability, and because its heavy nose often caused it to bog down.
  • By the end of the war it had been all but phased out, to be replaced by the Renault FT.
  • One surviving Saint-Chamond is in a museum in France.
• This film has been in the works for several years. Mimi Leder and Roger Donaldson were originally attached to direct Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson’s script.
• Travis Fimmel was going to play Stanislaus Katczinsky when Roger Donaldson was attached to direct the film.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Edward Berger.
• Producer(s):
  • Edward Berger … producer.
  • Daniel Brühl … executive producer.
  • Daniel Marc Dreifuss … producer.
  • Malte Grunert … producer (p.g.a.).
  • Pavel Muller … line producer: CZ.
  • Mark Nolting … line producer.
  • Lesley Paterson … executive producer.
  • Ian Stokell … executive producer.
  • Jasmina Torbati … Netflix Production Executive (as Jasmin Torbati).
• Writer(s):
  • Edward Berger … (screenplay by).
  • Lesley Paterson … (screenplay by).
  • Ian Stokell … (screenplay by).
  • Erich Maria Remarque … (based on the novel by).
• Music:
  • Volker Bertelmann.
• Cinematography:
  • James Friend … director of photography.
• Editor(s):
  • Sven Budelmann … film editor.
• Production:
  • Amusement Park Films.
  • Rocket Science.
  • Sliding Down Rainbows Entertainment.
• Distributor(s):
  • 24 Bilder Filmagentur (2022) (Germany) (theatrical).
  • Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2022) (Switzerland) (theatrical).
  • Netflix (2022) (USA) (theatrical).
  • Netflix (2022) (World-wide) (video) (VOD).
• Release Date: 12 September 2022 (Toronto International Film Festival, Canada).
• Rating: 15.
• Running Time: 148 minutes.
• Country: UK, US, and Germany.
• Language: English and German.

Video Link(s)