Years ago, the entertainment industry tried to get a new version of All Quiet on the Western Front made. It was going to have English actors, but this did not come to pass, and, now, a trailer for the first-ever German adaptation of the story has been revealed.
Footage of what the piece, featuring Daniel Bruhl, will look like is on the official YouTube channel for Netflix. The work takes place during the First World War, is based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque, and intends to, based on the text at the beginning of the footage, stick to the anti-war nature of the piece Remarque wrote based on his own experiences as a conscript in the brutal conflict.
The story follows Paul Bäumer and his friends as they feel euphoric about heading to the front at first before the horrors of their situation set in upon them. Throughout the piece, they experience fear and desperation, and, in the end, everyone ends up broken and battered. Remarque’s book was a hit with many when it came out, but was later banned by the Nazi Party, and he himself was made a public enemy in Germany before he had to flee the nation. Remarque died in 1970 and saw his sister executed in place of him.
This version of the film is the third adaptation, with prior theatrical and television releases being in 1930 and 1979 respectively. The new take is shaping up to be something special, as Germany has selected it as their official selection for the upcoming Academy Awards, and it comes out into select theaters in October before debuting on Netflix on Oct. 28.
