All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
AVAILABLE MARCH 28TH, 2023 IN NORTH AMERICA AS A 2-DISC LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION MEDIABOOK (UHD-Blu-ray + Blu-ray)
THE STORY
Spring 1917. The Western Front.
Heinrich Gerber is one of hundreds of German soldiers who are ordered from the trenches to attack in no-man’s land, running right into the path of the French machine guns. All around him, men scream and fall. Heinrich seems to run further than others – but to no avail. He too falls on the battlefield. Before his body is buried in a mass grave, his boots and uniform are removed. The uniform is brought back to Germany where it is washed, dried, processed and patched – ready for the next young soldiers who will be sent to the front.
Heinrich’s uniform is given to Paul Bäumer (FELIX KAMMERER), a 17-year-old high-school student. Like his friends, he’s extremely eager to go to war, to beat the French soundly and march to Paris victorious. That’s how the boys imagine it. That is the war they are promised by their principal in a rousing speech. With jubilation, fanfare and song, the “youth of iron” marches off – for Emperor, God and Fatherland.
The enthusiasm does not last long. Just past Chermizy, 25 kilometres away from the Western Front, the young soldiers are attacked for the first time, grenades rain down. “Gas!” their officer shouts. False alarm. He just wants to see how quick the new canon fodder is, how well prepared. Paul struggles with his gas mask. The others are allowed to take theirs off again, but as punishment, he has to keep his on until evening. They march on through mud and mire. When they arrive in the trenches, the rain is coming down in sheets. Their first command is to bail out the water. The trenches are filling up and fast becoming a swamp. Paul meets Katczinsky (ALBRECHT SCHUCH). “Man is a beast,” he says, handing Paul something to drink. Finally, a human gesture.
He had imagined this differently, says Paul’s classmate Ludwig (ADRIAN GRÜNEWALD), soaking wet and freezing, no longer able to feel his hands. “He should put them in his underwear – that’ll warm them,” says Katczinsky, who has already seen his share of war and is somehow still alive. At night, Paul and his best friend Albert Kropp (AARON HILMER) are on watch. They hear noises, and shoot at random. The muzzle flash receives a prompt response. A French bullet goes through Paul’s helmet, just skimming his head. Another lesson.
Flares rise up, brightening no-man’s land with a surreal beauty. Until all hell breaks loose again. The French bombard the trenches. Paul and his friends take cover, fearing death.
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