The new German language production of a classic antiwar novel, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues) (B+) is a gripping film remake set in the waning days of World War I featuring pounding music by Volker Bertelmann, stunning cinematography by James Friend and a split storyline that works better on the battlefield than in sequences involving discourse by diplomats. The main through-line follows an idealistic young German soldier, played with zeal by Felix Kammerer, who quickly finds himself demoralized by the grim realities of war as he battles uphill for mere survival. These types of war movies rarely slow down much for character development, but Albrecht Schuch hits some emotional grace notes as a sensitive comrade. A parallel story about the armistice negotiations provides additional context to the film’s tragedy but is far less engrossing than the exciting and appalling trench warfare. Berger examines the horror of war with grit and grandeur and an exceptional eye for film craft. This is filmmaking on an epic scale and will undoubtedly be mentioned in any conversations about the best of this genre.
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