Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s classic anti-war novel, this gripping German-language film follows Paul Baumer (newcomer Felix Kammerer, in his first film) and his enthusiastic comrades who enlist in the German army during World War I. The brutal realities of the Western Front, however, soon crumble Paul’s preconceptions about the enemy, and the conflict itself. As a protracted Armistice looms, the soldiers fight for their lives, and each other, to the bitter end. The haunting score, which won an Oscar, features the refurbished harmonium that once belonged to composer Volker Bertelmann’s great-grandmother.
Winner of 4 Academy Awards: Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Original Score
Winner of 7 BAFTAs, including Best Film
“Remarkable, if harrowing, filmmaking.” — Wendy Ide, The Observer (UK)
“A film that feels both aesthetically dazzling and full of necessary truths: an antiwar drama that transcends the bombast of propaganda mostly just because it’s so artfully and indelibly made.” — Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
Edward Berger
Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer
German, French
Germany, United States, United Kingdom
Netflix