By Christopher James
Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) heads into World War I in "All Quiet on the Western Front," the German submission this year for Best International Feature.
It’s daunting to remake a Best Picture winner. Steven Spielberg was able to breathe new life and vitality into West Side Story, making it a companion to the timeless original. But, more often than not, filmmakers buckle under the weight of expectations and self importance (like the failures of, say, Steven Zaillian's star-studded rendition of All the King’s Men or Timur Bekmambetov's Ben-Hur).
The Lewis Milestone adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front in 1930 struck new ground for realism, brutality and anti-war sentiments. It earned Oscar wins for Best Picture and Best Director. It's been regarded as a classic ever since, later receiving citations on AFI’s list of best films and best epics and inclusion in the National Film Registry. How could a new film pack a similar punch? Director Edward Berger doesn’t reinvent the story, but his 2022 re-telling of All Quiet on the Western Front is loaded with enough technical panache to make it a worthy, additive remake and a great time at the movies...
Paul (Felix Kammerer) finds an ally in a jovial, older soldier named Kat (Albrecht Schuch).We open in 1917 Germany. The hottest party in town is the line to enlist to fight in World War I, which has raged for three years at this point. Our 17-year-old warrior twink, Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), pulls the age-old trick of faking his age and mother’s signature in order to enlist with his friends. Paul and his friends are overjoyed, as if they are signing up for a fraternity. These bright smiles are quickly dashed not by some angry drill sergeant, but by immediate action in the trenches. Death was not late to the wartime onboarding session.
As the war wages on, the movie splits into two storylines - Paul and friends dodging death from every angle, and German officer Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl) negotiating an armistice with the Allied powers. This juxtaposition further dramatizes the bloodshed at the hands of the bureaucracy of war. The Germans know full well that the war has not shaken out in their favor. However, they want one last wing in their neverending chase for glory. Due to the arguing at the top levels, Paul and his friends must survive through more and more challenging and bloody battles at the front. And what for? They have national pride, but no vested interest in a cause they’re fighting for. They fight for their country, but never ask why they fight for their country.
Daniel Brühl enters the film to argue for peace, but finds himself stalled while men die around him.This internal conflict is all over Kammerer’s face, as he leads the film with grace. Much of the performance is wide-eyed horror; yet, he finds the subtleties within those broad strokes. As the war ends, the central friend group really gets to show their range. Battered, wounded and clinging onto faint bits of hope, the group looks forward to the end while realizing their time on the battlefield is not necessarily over. In particular, Albrecht Schuch stands out as an older, live-wire soldier named Kat who takes Paul and his friends under his wings. He soon learns that war has other plans. Age does not make it easier to withstand the traumas that befall all soldiers.
The film is filled with many bold stylistic choices. Composer Volker Bertelmann’s score blares as our characters make their way into the trenches. It recalls a Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross score bumped up to 10 with heavy synth. There’s something aurally overpowering about it. Though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I enjoyed how dissonant and modern it sounded contrasted with this age old story.
War is horrifyingly rendered in director Edward Berger's take on the classic novel and film.The cinematography by James Friend balances beauty with horror. Looking at trailers and stills, one gets the impression that the color palette is nothing more than fifty-plus shades of gray. However, Friend manages to capture bits of beauty as he dramatizes the overwhelming scale of war. One particularly exhilarating sequence introduces tanks as they emerge from the fog towards the German trenches. The camera simultaneously is in awe of these vessels of destruction and fearfully stunned as they approach our protagonists.
Here's one final critique that has very little to do about the film itself, but is more about the state of distribution and the Netflix elephant in the room. This film deserves to be seen in a theater, at least by those who would like to appreciate it. The sound shakes the seats. The glints of color among the clouds shine beautifully bright. Berger has created an immersive experience, not unlike Sam Mendes’ recent hit 1917 or Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. All that is to say, when watching at home turn the phone off, turn the lights off and give yourself over to one of the more beautiful films of the year. B+
All Quiet on the Western Front is now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix.