Ahead of its global debut at the Toronto International Picture Festival, Netflix has announced when viewers will be able to see the German film in cinemas and on the streaming service. Last month, Netflix stealthily shared new photographs for their upcoming adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Germany’s Oscar submission will premiere in German theatres on September 29, followed by select international markets in October and Netflix on October 28. The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by German author Erich Maria Remarque was published in 1929 and was immediately banned across Europe for its anti-war preaching and acclaimed by pacifists for the same reason.
There have been many film adaptations of the novel, the first appearing in 1930, a year after the book was published, and the most recent in 1979. Written from Remarque’s first-hand experience in the trenches of World War I, the novel is told from the perspective of a soldier. Both the novel and the Oscar-winning 1930 film adaptation, which featured Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, and Ben Alexander, will serve as inspiration for the picture. Edward Berger, a German director, helms the remake using a script he co-wrote with Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson. Paul Bäumer, played by Felix Kammerer, is a central character who enlists with his friends because it’s the right thing to do.
He is suddenly confronted by the atrocities of war and the unending tragedy of trench warfare. Cast members also include Anton von Lucke, Tobias Langhoff, and Edin Hasanovic. Other actors include Daniel Brühl, Albrecht Schuch, Moritz Klaus, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, Adrian Grünewald, Devid Striesow, Andreas Döhler, Sebastian Hülk, Alexander Schuster, Luc Feit, Michael Wittenborn, Michael Stange, André Marcon, Tobias Langhoff, and Luc Feit. Brühl appears to be playing Matthias Erzberger, the German Minister of Finance from 1919 to 1920, when he was forced to quit due to political pressure, based on the images that were revealed last month.
Although he publicly opposed the war, he was seen as a traitor for signing the armistice that halted hostilities between Germany and the Allies in 1921. Given that Remarque drew inspiration for the novel from his personal experiences in World War I, it stands to reason that the film adaptation will feature historical people from the time period. The premiere of All Quiet on the Western Front will take place at TIFF next week, and the film will then roll out to cinemas in Germany on September 29, select international markets in October, and Netflix across the world on October 28.