War cinema has always lived in an eternal contradiction, pointed out long ago by François Truffaut with that “every war film ends up being pro-war” that is still relevant today. It is almost impossible not to fall for the glorification of war when you try to make it visually powerful and, in the end, fascinating. Something that contradicts any critical message about the war itself.
It is not that cinema in general is free of contradictions. Precisely many great movies know how to navigate them, and there are great examples of war movies in that regard. However, one of the most unexpected surprises of the moment manages to make credible his portrayal of the horror of war more than works like ‘1917’ or ‘Dunkirk’, and it doesn’t have so much to envy in terms of spectacularity. It is ‘All Quiet on the Front’.
How humanity is lost
The new version of Erich Maria Remarque’s literary work has become one of the biggest hits in cinema on Netflix, and nothing started exactly in his favor for it. It is a proposal that, even with its powerful moments, is very relaxed, spoken exclusively in German and lasts approximately two and a half hours.
It is true that the platform tends to have many international hits, but the case of the Edward Berger film is interesting precisely because it does not fall into algorithmic tendencies, which are usually common in big hits. It is an authorial proposal that has triumphed emphatically there where very laudable people like Martin Scorsese or Jane Campion have remained touching with the tips of their fingers.
It is, to some extent, hopeful for elegant proposals and things to tell like the german movie His exploration of the First World War from the perspective of the German side is capable of deconstructing truly incredible battle sequences so that they are visually impressive but do not miss out on denouncing the terror and deplorable human attitudes during the conflict. In that aspect, it has a very direct influence from devastating experiences like ‘Massacre. Come and look’.
‘All Quiet Front’: Come and See
Among the most valuable of his film is how he tells with great care how the authoritarian forces of the state are captivating the illusion of young patriots, who soon they will become broken men. The obscurity with which Berger points out the different forces involved in maintaining an unnecessary conflict makes the experience poignant.
Not for this reason, there are moments of respite, where there can be a certain humanity that gives life and realism to the characters we see, although later it shows us how it is buried between ashes and artillery. This richness in the story makes it a worthy heir to the first adaptation made by Lewis Milestone in 1930, perhaps less forceful seen through the eyes of the present but not devoid of excellently developed exploration and humanism.
However, it is also worth noting how the current ‘All Quiet Front’ ends up losing its fang on its own due to aspects such as its duration. In her eagerness to want to cover all possible fronts in her story, the experience ends up partially diluted, leaving a bittersweet note in what, on the other hand, continues to be a film that must be seen and appreciated carefully. In other words, the antithesis of a movie to watch while ironing, which is always tempting with something original from Netflix.