Based on the classic war novel, All Quiet On The Western Front is an epic new Netflix movie that sees German teenagers live out the horrific realities of World War One as soldiers on the German lines.
Starring The Falcon and the Winter Soldier actor Daniel Brühl, the German-language movie features the horrors and utter desperation of trench warfare as it tells of a teenager and his friends who are determined to do their patriotic duty so voluntarily enlist in the German army. But soon the young and naive soldiers end up facing the brutal realities of life on the front. But over time some begin to view the war as a tragedy for the fighting men on both sides.
So here’s everything you need to know about Netflix movie All Quiet On The Western Front…
All Quiet On The Western Front release date
All Quiet On The Western Front premieres worldwide on Netflix on October 28 2022. Before that it is going to have a select run in movie theaters, first in Germany starting September 29 and then in different global markets (likely the US and UK, though not confirmed) sometime in October.
Is there a Netflix trailer for All Quiet On The Western Front?
Yes a trailer for All Quiet On The Western Front has now been released by Netflix which shows the young soldiers in action and what life in the muddy trenches was really like. Take a look below...
All Quiet On The Western Front plot
All Quiet On The Western Front follows teenager Paul Baumer (Felix Krammerer) and his friends Albert (Aaron Hilmer) and Müller (Moritz Klaus) who are caught up in the wave of patriotism surrounding Germany during World War One and voluntarily enlist in the German army. Soon though, they see first-hand the brutal realities of life in the trenches and realise the futility of war. Paul sees his preconceptions about his enemy and the moralities about the conflict itself crumble and as Armistice approaches he is forced to carry on fighting until the bitter end, just to save face for the top brass.
All Quiet On The Western Front cast — Daniel Brühl as Matthias Erzberger
Daniel Brühl plays real-life anti-war writer and politician Matthias Erzberger. Born in Spain, Daniel grew up in Germany and has starred in numerous German films and series, such as No Regrets, or Nichts Bereuen. UK and US viewers will recognise him from films such as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, The Alienist, The King’s Man, The Zookeeper’s Wife and Ladies in Lavender. He’s also had roles in The Bourne Ultimatum, Inglourious Basterds and Captain America: Civil War.
Who else is starring in All Quiet On The Western Front?
Other main stars in All Quiet On The Western Front are Felix Kammerer who plays soldier Paul Bäumer while Moritz Klaus is Frantz Müller and Aaron Hilmer is Albert Kropp. Albrecht Schuch, Edin Hasanovic, Devid Striesow, Sebastian Hülk and Jan Drmela also star.
Felix Kammerer says: "I read the book during my theatre studies, but of course not so in-depth at first. You read it because you’re interested, and you’ve heard of it. But at first, I didn’t think any more of it. Until the offer came to be able to possibly play the main role in the movie adaptation. Then, I read it again and established a completely different connection to it. In preparation, I also watched the first two adaptations. For the first time, I really realised that it is a canonical piece, a piece that has been stirring thoughts and emotions in really intelligent people for almost 100 years now.
"It is very much tied to this war, the First World War. The book’s description is very pragmatic; it basically consists of a list of events and is very unemotional. The timelessness comes from the topic of the war. In the Second World War, it’s the National Socialism element that roots it in its place in history. World War I is much more what we imagine as a Great War. If you only describe it without clearly assigning it to a date, it remains very simply, just, war – it could be any war. The true quality of the book is that it describes this war very precisely, but at the same time remains widely applicable because its story is not strictly tied to a specific location."
Locations and more on this Netflix adaptation
Filming took place in Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic and finished in May 2022. This Netflix adaptation of All Quiet On The Western Front is directed by Edward Berger (Patrick Melrose) and produced by Malte Grunert of Amusement Park Film.
All Quiet On The Western Front the novel by Erich Maria Remarque
The famous novel All Quiet On The Western Front was written by Erich Maria Remarque in 1928 and told the story of a young soldier experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.
Erich himself was a German infantryman during World War I and was keen to highlight the extreme physical and emotional toll inflicted on ordinary soldiers by those in charge. The novel and its sequel The Road Back were among those banned and burned in Nazi Germany.
Producer Malte Grunert on says: "All Quiet on the Western Front is a big and important book and has always been an important book for me. I read it for the first time as a teenager, at 14 or 15, and then again in my 20s. I never thought about adapting it for the screen. But it left a lasting, formative impression on me; it always had an irrefutable significance. And it's not only very modern in its language, in its narrative, unfortunately, it is also shockingly relevant when looking at the current global situation. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, growing nationalism, the remilitarization, the questioning of democratic structures that were once thought certain and have secured our co-existence and prosperity over the last 70 years... we see it across all countries in Europe and the US. If you look at Remarque's story of young high-school students who are enthusiastically drawn to the front in France and are immediately confronted with the horrific reality of war there then, yes, it’s a story rooted in the First World War, but it could easily be today. Right from the start, it was clear to us that we didn’t want to tell a heroic story.All Quiet on the Western Front is not a tale of heroes, and it can’t be one. Unlike classic war movies, the death of an enemy is not a positive outcome here. It is not a step on the way to achieving a goal. The death of an enemy is another death, the same as the death of a comrade, a friend, or a superior. It was important that the perspectives were completely interchangeable. The horror is the same for all parties involved."
Other film adaptations of All Quiet On The Western Front
All Quiet On The Western Front was first adapted for the cinema screen in 1930 and became an Academy Award winning hit. It was then adapted again in 1979 as a TV film starring The Waltons’ Richard Thomas and Hollywood actor Ernest Borgnine.
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