#war #film #review
00:00 – Intro
00:23 – I am partial to war films
00:43 – World War I is often overlooked
01:44 – The story is based on a book
02:19 – Plot of the film (1930 version)
04:22 – Differences between 1930's and 2022's version
07:13 – Incredible cinematography
07:46 – I have not seen the 1979 TV film
08:01 – The 2022 Netflix version
08:56 – Standout actors: Felix Kammerer and Daniel Brühl
10:04 – 2022 version is much more focussed on Paul
11:04 – Daniel Brühl's character shows us a new side of the war
13:03 – Summary & closing thoughts
14:35 – Outro
Today we are talking about two versions of one single story - All Quiet on the Western Front or, the German original title, Im Westen nichts Neues.
It is hard to believe that the first version was made 92 years ago in 1930, that blows my mind because this is one very well made film. The cinematography is outstanding and it really sucks you into the horrific world of these young men who were tricked into thinking going to battle in World War I was something glorious. We follow Paul and a group of his friends as they go through training and then eventually the western front in France where they discover that glory is the last thing on anyone's mind in this war. It is truly a tragic tale and one told so well, the loss of life in the First World War was absolutely pointless, I feel, and fuelled a lot by bizarre romantic ideas of what war is or should be. Despite its age, this is a magnificent anti-war film.
The 2022 version by Netflix takes an already good story (and previous, nearly 100 year old version) to the next level. As you can imagine, with today's technology and technical abilities this one transports you even more to the horrors of the front line, also because this version is focussed on that side and particularly Paul a lot more. Felix Kammerer (an Austrian actor, by the way) is outstanding, you feel every step of his depressingly tragic descent into despair, once he realises what the war is all about. Daniel Brühl plays a politician who shows us that side of the war, where they desperately tried to halt the pointless bloodshed orchestrated by bloodthirsty generals.
I would have to say that the new Netflix version - which is also an entirely German production, giving it a very unique perspective - is superior, but both films are well worth your time. Watch both, as I did, to get a more complete version of the story, as they both are selective with some elements of it.
If you are highly interested in World War I, I say you have to watch these film for that alone. One of the best if not the best anti-war story I've seen to date.
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