War-Drama has always been one of the most impactful cinema genre since the inception of cinema. If we go back to the root of the various cinema movements, we’ll almost definitely find a war drama film among them be be German Expressionism, French New Wave, or Italian Neorealism. Getting too technical? Alright, we’ve simplify it by saying that wars have had a significant impact on cinema and still continue to. While some War films talk about patriotism and glory, others showcase the horrors of war and death and destruction they bring along. Either way, most war films succeed in being impactful, no matter the depiction. So, today we are going to talk about the best war film of 2022 which is the German film – All Quiet on the Western Front. (PS – Now I haven’t seen the original 1930’s version of the film so there will be no comparisons here as to which is better)
All Quiet on the Western Front Review – One of the Best War Films Ever Made
Rating – ★★★★1/2 (Must Watch)
Most of the iconic war films like Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge, 1917, or Full Metal Jacket showcase the Allied perspective of the war. All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Edward Berger brings forward a human narrative told from the perspective of German soldiers. The film is very clear about its approach and rather than representing an Allied or Axis perspective, it takes the human road. Also, unlike The Pianist or Schindler’s List, it won’t make you hate the Germans (or Allied) but the concept of war itself. The highly thought provoking film makes you realize that it’s one thing to talk or think about war, and a totally other thing to be on the front lines.
Like most films, it chooses to represent the final few years of World War 1 with the help of 5-6 main protagonists, Paul Baumer (Felix Kammerer) being the lead. Through the various battles and advances in the film, they keep on dying deeply impacting and numbing Paul. Kammerer delivers such a wonderful performance that by the end of the film you could feel Paul getting completely numb, hopeless, and empty. His journey is possibly the most human representation I’ve ever seen in a War film. He begins by being an excited and patriotic individual who couldn’t wait to get to the front lines. Once he starts living through war, he goes through extreme emotional distress, brutal survival moments, starvation, guilt, and loss until it finally breaks him.
But it’s not all pain and horror as the film does have a few slice of life moments which further connect the viewers with characters, making their eventual fate even sadder. Even without featuring any family members of the soldiers, it managed to leave a huge impact. The film also showed a stark contrast between how the war is so different for the policy-makers and high ranking officials as opposed to the soldiers. There are many sequences which show General Jackass (that’s what I call him) enjoying comfort and food while his soldiers suffer the consequences of his catastrophic decisions and war-lust. As for the policy makers, each hour they delay to sign the armistice results in more death. Among these warmongers Daniel Bruhl’s Matthias Erzberg tries his best to push peace and fast-forward the armistice to end the Great War.
So unlike most war films it doesn’t spends its entirety of time of the ‘battlefield’ but at the same time it doesn’t spend a single moment away from the ‘war’. Yes, it deals with familiar themes like war-lust, PTSD, cost of war, hypocrisy, and politics but its beauty lies in the execution. The cinematography and production design of the film are simply breathtaking and will no doubt be taught in cinema schools for generations to come. Due to the incredible cinematography and ultra-realistic production design, the battle scenes are stuff of nightmares while the slice of life moments are more beautiful than they even deserve to be! Some of the shots are so beautiful, that I couldn’t resist but feel wowed. At the same time many other shots were so horrifying and suffocating, that I felt like taking a break. So, a huge kudos to cinematographer James Friend and if he doesn’t win the Oscar this year, then I’ll surely be disappointed in the Academy.
Now add to this the aptly realistic VFX and and the blood pumping score by Volker Bertelmann, and you have yourself a technical triumph. The score, especially, keeps you on the edge of your seats in the battle sequences, and on top of the world during warm moments. That leaves us with one very important detail which is the blood and gore in the film, which you sometimes might find too hard to digest. Soldiers being crushed by tanks, being burnt alive, committing suicide, being shot, being stabbed, being blown away by bombs, etc have been shown in graphic details. Throughout the film you’ll find bodies and body parts lying around, again, in graphic details which makes the film highly inappropriate for children and even young adults.
So, yeah, if you do not have the stomach for blood and gore, do not watch All Quiet on the Western Front! But yeah if you plan on watching it then do so on the biggest screen possible and the best sound system you can get your hands on. Also, watch it in the original German audio with subtitles and not in English dubbing! Trust me, the German audio will add to the tone and atmosphere but you won’t like Germans speaking with American accent in the dubbed version. The film is streaming on Netflix and here’s to hoping it wins at least a few of those 9 nominations at Oscars.
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