Entertainment
22 August 2022
Link copied to clipboardDirector: Edward Berger
Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Edin Hasanovic, Adrian Grünewald, Thibault De Montalembert, Devid Striesow, Daniel Brühl
Producers: Malte Grunert, Daniel Dreifuss, Edward Berger
Script: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Adaption of the globally known book from author Erich Maria Remarque
Unit photography can be found HERE
Further press material can be found on our Netflix Media-Center
Berlin, August 23 – All Quiet on the Western Front, directed and written by Edward Berger, will launch in selected theatres across Germany from 29 September and will be released worldwide on Netflix on 28 October2022. This is the very first German film adaptation of the literary classic, to be released nearly 100 years after All Quiet on the Western Front was first published. The film will be celebrating its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival; its European premiere will take place at the Zurich Film Festival.
Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is considered a classic of anti-war literature today and became an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1929. But the stark portrayal of the horror of the First World War has so far never been filmed as a German production.
It was important for director and screenwriter Edward Berger to present the German perspective for the first time: “There is a feeling that will be with us for our whole life: the feeling of the legacy of two wars. Our view of war is dominated by sorrow and shame, by devastation and guilt. Nothing positive remains, not the tiniest spark of heroism. I found making our history, our background and our attitude to war the driving force behind a film a great challenge. And I thought that this very specific German perspective may well be of interest to people in other countries too. Especially at the moment.”
Sasha Bühler, Netflix Content Director for EMEA Films, says: “We are very proud to share this important anti-war material with the whole world, especially in times like these. Edward Berger stays very close to the characters and has put together an outstanding cast in order to help him achieve this. It will be very hard, very emotional and very moving.”
Producer Malte Grunert adds: “The novel is a monolith - a work of this stature must be approached with respect. That’s a responsibility we were willing to take on. Netflix had the same intentions as we did and was always supportive throughout the entire work on the film. We can hardly wait to share the film with the world.”
The German film rating authority FBW praises All Quiet on the Western Front for its “impressive authenticity, extraordinarily accomplished scenes and thoroughly credible characters” and has awarded the film its “especially worthwhile” certification mark (the highest mark it awards). You can find more information on their report HERE
About All Quiet on the Western Front:
Spring 1917. 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) and his friends cannot wait to go to war, march on Paris and win the day. This is how the boys see things. This is what they have been promised. Cheering and singing they set off, the “iron youth”, for Emperor, God and Fatherland. Their enthusiasm is to be short-lived. When they arrive at the Western Front after marching for days, it is pouring with rain. The trench is filling up; the place is a morass. But the French are in no mood for waiting. They soon start bombarding the trench.
All Quiet on the Western Front tells the moving story of a young German soldier on the Western Front in the First World War. Paul (Felix Kammerer) and his comrades get first-hand experience of how initial euphoria over war turns to horror, suffering and fear while they desperately fight for their lives in the trenches.
Director Edward Berger (Patrick Melrose, Jack, Deutschland ’83) was able to put together an impressive cast for his film: Felix Kammerer plays the starring role of Paul Bäumer convincingly: All Quiet on the Western Front is his feature film acting debut. Albrecht Schuch (Dear Thomas, System Crasher) assumes the role of Stanislaus Katczinsky, who becomes a close confidant of Paul in the war. Edin Hasanovic (Je suis Karl, Skylines) as Tjaden Stackfleet, Aaron Hilmer (The Most Beautiful Girl in the World) as Albert Kropp, Moritz Klaus (Little Murders) as Franz Müller and Adrian Grünewald (Sløborn) as Ludwig Behm fight alongside them. Daniel Brühl (The Alienist, Next Door) plays Matthias Erzberger and portrays his character’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire. Devid Striesow (I’m Off Then) embodies General Friedrichs. Thibault De Montalembert (The Collapse), Anton von Lucke (Great Freedom) and Andreas Döhler (The Seed) also feature.
The screenplay was written by Edward Berger, Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson. The film was produced for Netflix by Malte Grunert (Land of Mine, A Most Wanted Man) and his company Amusement Park Film, Daniel Dreifuss (Sergio, Guernica) and Edward Berger. The cinematographer is James Friend, who has already worked with Edward Berger on Patrick Melrose and Your Honor. The production designer is Christian M. Goldbeck (Me and Kaminski); Lisy Christl (John Rabe, Anonymous, A Hidden Life)is the costume designer. The music was written by Volker Bertelmann (Lion).
www.netflix.com/allquietonthewesternfront