Oscar\u002Dnominated All Quiet on the Western Front resonates in Germany, the trenches of Ukraine and a bit of Putin\u0027s Russia
“Black Hawk Down, Jarhead, Full Metal Jacket — I did them all,” he says. “Anything to learn.”Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc.
That the new All Quiet passes muster with such a well-informed judge is testament to the filmmaking behind it — and in particular the dedication of Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson, the British screenwriting duo who adapted the novel. Despite the acclaim, certain Hollywood moguls may feel somewhat embarrassed if All Quiet sweeps the awards boards. Because for years, they rejected Stokell and Paterson’s script as a non-starter, insisting it was a tale already far too well told. It is easy to see why. Not only was Remarque’s novel an instant classic when it came out in 1929, selling 2.5 million copies worldwide in 18 months, it has already had two successful film adaptations.
“My town lost a lot of lives in that war, and as a young athlete, I would cycle through the countryside and see war memorials everywhere,” she says. “Later on I trained and raced all over the U.K. and France, and saw them there, too — it’s something that touches nearly every part of Europe.” Even so, Berger felt trepidation in taking on the film, given Germany’s continued sensitivity about the two World Wars, and the hallowed reputation that Remarque’s novel enjoys there. The book describes the tragic emotional journey of 17-year-old Paul Baumer and his friends: first from schoolboys to soldiers, then to hardened killers and finally lost souls, robbed of their youth and unable to readjust to civilian life.
Instead, the power is often in the attention to detail and feel. While generals at HQ fuss over whether their croissants are still fresh, starving soldiers steal eggs from farms to feed themselves. In preparation for filming, Kammerer carried a rifle around at home for three months, learning to treat it like a fifth limb as a soldier would. Rather than a standard orchestral soundtrack, the film score uses a turn-of-the century harmonium put through a distortion device.
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