The work of Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front, has been making us think about wars and conflicts between states since our school days. Not surprisingly, many films and plays have been made based on this work. One of them is a sample from 1979, which I find one of the best examples of how to make a film based on a novel.
The film begins slightly differently from the book but follows the same plot structure. From the very beginning, we are shown the main characters – young soldiers who have only recently graduated from their school and are already fighting on the front line (Dalbert, 1979). From the first minutes, we are imbued with the characters, their inner conflicts, and their problems in the war, even in everyday little things like shoes.
Further on, we are shown flashbacks from the young soldiers’ past, exactly how they entered the carnage. They were all young students who had been forced to go to war for their homeland. Teachers, parents, and relatives spoke only of one thing – winning the war and their duty to defend their country. Alas, the characters die tragic deaths one after the other throughout the film, and at the end, the inscription: “All Quiet on the Western Front” appears, devaluing the casualties of war.
Speaking of the film itself, it is impossible not to mention the directing and acting. I was most surprised by the drama of Richard Thomas. The way he portrayed the young soldier and the emotions he evoked while watching it is a delight and worthy of separate respect. Director Delbert Martin Mann, Jr did a fantastic job with the staging of the battle scenes and the soldiers’ everyday life. The shots reek of bloodiness and brutality, which looks naive and like a simple game in the eyes of the young soldiers. I watched the film in its entirety and can recommend it to lovers of the novel.
Reference
Delbert, M. (1979). All Quiet on the Western Front [Film]. ITC Entertainment.