What is a soldier without war?

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's top 50 films of 2022

#35 : Im Westen Nichts Neues (All Quiet On The Western Front)

Anti-war nightmare of bloodshed and chaos where teenage boys quickly find themselves caught up in the ordeal of trench warfare, in a German-language adaptation of the first world war novel.

Another foreign language film (our second German film in three films!) and this is one that's most definitely raised its profile since The Guardian only picked it at #35 - having won seven BAFTAs and four Oscars.  I have a slight suspicion it didn't get any awards for its comedic content - I'm expecting it to be more than a little bit grim.

I'd also, if I'd thought about it, have expected it to open with some glorious shots of nature - and they really are very glorious indeed as they then slowly segue into a shot of a pile of bodies.  This film then basically follows four friends who sign up for the WW1 front after a rallying speech from their school principal - and, wouldn't you know it, things go rapidly downhill after that.  And that's probably all you really need to know about the plot.

Most of the action takes place in two locations, contrasting the experience of the men at the front with that of the officer classes negotiating the surrender (although capitulation would be a more accurate term).  And the contrast works well - there's less action than you might expect in a war film but the one big battle scene is well done (and suitably horrific).  And the vintage nature of the film works really well - a load of effort has obviously gone into the design and location and it pays off handsomely when combined with the beautiful framing.

And it's also well acted - Felix Kammerer and Albrecht Schuch take the plaudits for me as two of the men on the front with their relationship growing throughout the film.  I'd also name-check Daniel Bruhl and Devid Striesow as two of the officers with slightly differing views on the the best way to end the war - with both of them being chillingly effective.

So it's very good looking, well directed and well acted - so why am I left feeling it's all a bit of a let-down?  I think my main problem is that it doesn't really add anything to the whole "war is bad, kids" genre - yes, the ending is poignant (and depressing) but it takes an awfully long time to get there (it's nearly 2:30 long) and there weren't really any scenes which added anything to my knowledge of the area.  

So I'm glad I watched it and I don't consider I wasted my time on it but I do think it could have done with some pruning - I think it's worth a watch if you're in the mood for something serious.  And it's a Netflix production, so it'll be there for you for some time yet.

#36 - Very disappointing
#34 - A good final third