Niente di nuovo sul fronte occidentale

Germany, May 1917. 17-year-old Paul Baumer enthusiastically enlists in the German army and heads off to war. His head is filled with patriotism, honour, visions of heroism and the confidence that Germany will win the war. He soon learns that his impressions of war are far from the reality.

Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" was first published in 1929. It was quite revolutionary, depicting the horrific reality of war rather than the glamourous, sanitised version. In a sense it was the first anti-war novel. It was so unflinching in its portrayal of WW1 that the Nazi party regarded it as treasonous and had the book banned and stripped Remarque of his German citizenship, causing him to flee to Switzerland and ultimately the US.

In 1930 Hollywood made the book into a movie. It was superb, capturing well the horrors that Remarque depicted in his book. It deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture (and Best Director) in 1930.

In 1979 it was adapted again, this time as a made-for-TV movie. Despite being directed by Delbert Mann and boasting a star-studded cast (Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, Donald Pleasance) this version was far from being in the same league as the 1930 version and didn't do the book justice. It is quite tame and the performances are quite subdued.

This, the 2022 version, once again captures the essence of the book and is quite unflinching in its portrayal of war. Graphic scenes and realistic plot show the wastefulness and horror of war.

Not as good as the 1930 version though: the characters aren't as fully developed, limiting engagement, and the plot feels a bit padded. A few drawn out scenes could easily have been shorter without losing any detail. Some style-over-substance elements too as the director went overboard with the special effects he had at his disposal (the French counter-attack with tanks and flamethrowers is a good example). The droning sound didn't help either (clearly the director has watched Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk").

This is not strictly-speaking an adaption of Erich Maria Remarque's classic. A few minor incidents from the novel are included, but Remarque's biggest contribution to this film is the title. Given the ending of the film (as opposed to the book) the title is somewhat misleading, but it's such a classic that the film-makers' decision is quite understandable.

This is a brutal and uncompromising study of the realities of war. The fact the the war depicted took place more than a hundred years ago doesn't make it any less relevant. It could be shown in Ukraine today, and soldiers on both sides would understand.

Nor is the film's anti-war message terribly new. It is, however, a message that needs to be repeated over and over again, until (maybe) enough people take it seriously.

The battle scenes are appallingly visceral - possibly the best of their type since the opening of Saving Private Ryan.

The history of any war is written by the winners, but that doesn't stop them being a tragedy for the poor grunts on the losing side as well.

This movie did something I didn't expect from a World War movie...it makes you feel empathetic for the Germans. To an extent.

I'm no war buff so I'll leave the realism to the experts but what this movie does is show you the first World War from the view point of people who've never experienced or even conceived of war and bloodshed on this scale. It starts off with new recruits full of patriotism for their country expecting to be sent on a grand adventure only to have those expectations quickly shattered. Turns out war isn't fun, and not even initially due to the actual fighting. Just training and constantly being screamed at and controlled while marching your days away is brutal. Remember, while vehicles existed, they weren't common use at this period of time...these soldiers had to walk, walk, and walk some more to get to where the war effort was taking place. And even if they had vehicles most of those places didn't have roads yet to drive them on. Then there's the constant lack of food and water, rough sleeping conditions, being exposed to the elements. Just GETTING to the war is brutal. That's a good 3rd of the movie right there.

Then close to the half way point, after a few minor skirmishes, we see the war front and the trenches and get to see what that's like. Well...it's terrible! You pop up out of a trench and boom...you're shot. And that's just life in between charges. There was no strategy to the charges either, they relied on waves of bodies to gain even 100 meters, hoping to out pace the bullets constantly coming your way. Millions of young men died in this fashion, their bodies littering the field.

The most brutal part of the film is the weapons of war never before seen. Tanks, flame throwers, planes dropping bombs. Men screaming in pure terror while the bullet proof tanks drive over them, while flames fill their trenches, or planes blow them up while they flee.

And the odd thing is since we're seeing it from the eyes of the young German soldiers, who are truly clueless as to why they're really even fighting, you do empathize and feel sorry for them. You find yourself even rooting for them. This movie humanizes them but importantly shows the politicians who are truly to blame for the atrocities. The powerful men behind the scenes, bloated from being overfed on rich foods, hundreds of miles away from the pain and suffering they cause.

I have no idea how accurate this movie is but it's a pretty straight forward piece showing just how awful, terrifying, and destructive this period of time was. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to any fans of this genre.

In the excellent 1930s original, war is seldom better summarised than by: 'It's dirty and painful to die for your country, when it comes to dying for your country it's better not to die at all. There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good does it do?'.

It's a statement that applies just as well today, and complimented by this outstanding piece of film making too, which leaves us under no illusions of man's inhumanity to man. The performances are truly incredible, the technical achievement recreating scenes of war outstanding, and the messages as clear as any about the futility of armed combat and the inability of the human race to learn its lessons - even to this day. Not really a film to enjoy, but certainly a film to reflect on how far we haven't come since 1918, especially in a world that often seems so intent on pulling itself apart.

I'm really a Film Nerd and I've watched many famous and less famous war movies, too. Until this Evening, the beach-sequene and the final of Saving Private Ryan was one of the most intense experiences I've seen on the big screen.

But what Berger and his teams show here is still incredible & and the most horryfying depiction of war I've ever seen before.

The violence makes you feel sick, there were really some moments I thought I have to leave the cinema. Shooting, Explosions, blood, cold, wetness, Tanks, flamethrowers and inhuman suffering. Meaningless suffering.

Yes, theire are some flaws in the Story, but Overall it works out fine. Music, acting and production design are phenomenal!

But the violience, I still can't believe it. Go watch - afterwards you'll definetley be pacifist.

8/10.