All Quiet on the Western Front is the third adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's famous World War I novel, and surprisingly the first German one considering it is from the perspective of that nation's soldiers. Paul Baumer and his school chums enthusiastically sign up for the German Army and are sent to the Western Front in France. They soon lose their glorious and patriotic notions of war as they encounter filthy trench conditions and a string of murderous battles. Veteran soldiers try to help them adjust and survive, with Stanislaus Katczinsky taking personal responsibility for Paul. It's one of the most famous anti-war stories (though Remarque famously never explicitly stated it as such).
I've never read the novel and only watched the famous 1930 version, so I'll have to compare this latest offering to that one. I did read that Director Edward Berger cut out a few supporting characters and scenes and changed or added new ones to differentiate his interpretation. This leads to my main criticism. There's a subplot that follows real life figure Matthias Erzberger and his attempts to form an armistice and end the war. It and relevant scenes showing German generals do add more historical context, but personally the movie should have focused only on the frontline soldiers. Removing this scenes would have also trimmed it closer to a two hour film (then again, these scenes might be necessary considering many younger folks don't have the best grasp of history). As for other changes and additions, they manage to keep the spirit of themes from the novel and previous adaptations. Another criticism is the musical score. The composer went for more of a sound design style to create a sense of dread, but it can be obnoxious and ill-fitted to early scenes of new recruits smiling on their way to war.
The majority of All Quiet on the Western Front of course focuses on Paul and his comrades. His relationship with Kat (short for Katczinsky) is well-developed, the latter immediately becoming likeable as he patiently and paternally gives Paul his first lessons of survival. Also (spoilers) we really feel the effects on Paul as gradually his friends are killed off. Unlike the 1930 film, this one skips the training section and gets to the trenches very quickly. The ending is also much more action-packed, showing (horrifically accurately) that despite the agreed-upon end time for the war, officers still ordered troops into battle. Of course no adaptation of Remarque's novel would leave out the famous scene where Paul and a dying French soldier are stuck together in a bombed out crater. This time the start is more violent, than turns into utter tragedy and a sense of shocked horror and guilt on Paul's part. Also, unlike the 1930 classic, the actors are more believable in their behavior. The ones in 1930 weren't bad, but cinema at that time had just gotten out of the silent era and it's need for very expressive acting.
Where Berger's film really shines is in the visuals. We are frequently treated to shots of corpses, some of in ghastly positions (one is seen hanging off a tree branch, a hand and foot missing). Predictably but effectively the cinematography is desaturated to underscore the dread atmosphere of the Western Front. The battle scenes are much more visceral and gory than they were in the previous adaptations. The big setpiece is a German attack on a trench that turns into even more of a nightmare when the French deploy tanks and flamethrowers (thankfully they don't do the cliched flamethrower-man-blows-up-when-his-gas-tank-is-shot bit).
The most original addition outside of the political scenes is the foreshadowing of Nazi Germany with the seeds of the Stab-in-the-Back myth. Before the climax Paul and other soldiers listen to a general tell them that they were never defeated, that civilians and the Social Democrats in particular betrayed them by agreeing to an unfair armistice. This adds another layer of tragedy to the war. Paul's reaction to this is ambiguous. Does he believe the general, or is he so worn down that he just silently goes along with his order for one final battle in spite of his disbelief?
Overall, All Quiet on the Western Front is a solid and fresh adaptation of the novel. With less restrictions on gore and violence the makers are able to lean further into nightmarish imagery and gruesome battles. I haven't seen the 1930 version in a while but I might like that one more because of some of the dark humor and Paul's visit home. Still, this is worth checking out for a realistic portrayal of World War I.
Rating: 7/10
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