The delight of watching movies on the big screen
Being my first Camerimage I was hoping to start off the festival with a film that had all the elements I love in cinema – a strong story with characters you connect with and striking visuals that transport you to another time – and seeing “All Quiet On The Western Front” in a movie theatre, on the big screen, delivered more than I hoped for.
Taking place towards the end of WWI, the film follows four friends who eagerly enlist in the German army to participate in the fight. Welcomed with a grand and patriotic speech, the young recruits are imbued with passion and purpose as they pick up their uniforms and joyously perform their first marches – but of course, this youthful enthusiasm is quickly crushed by the realities and horrors of war.
We watch as one of the four friends, Paul Bäumer transitions from an innocent and hopeful young man, to a terrified soldier trying to survive to finally a battle-tested but emotionally exhausted soldier who does what he’s told. His fate and the fate of everyone around him resting in the hands of a general who’s determined to keep up the fight and bring home a victory, no matter what the cost.
Aware that the war was already lost, the German Vice-Chancellor Erzberger begins armistice talks with the French General Maréchal. However, Maréchal’s insistence on making Germany suffer forces Erzberger to choose between an agreement with harsh terms for Germany, or the continuation of a devastating war.
To develop the impressive visuals of the film, Cinematographer James Friend utilized an Alexa 65 mostly for establishing shots and an Alexa MiniLF to put viewers in the trenches. Friend also varied his choice of lenses, shooting with a combination of Arri Rental Prime 65 S lenses, Prime DNA lenses, and even Friend’s own set of Blackwing 7 lenses, depending on the format, lighting conditions and overall feeling he was trying to achieve. He also varies his approach to lighting: often using low contrast, cool tones and soft light to create a kind of nightmarish and surreal feel to the battlefield, while warmer but more contrasty lighting seems to create a classic but somewhat harsh quality to the negotiation scenes.
I was very pleased to see this film at this years’ Camerimage, but it made me think about how important it is to see films like this in a cinema. As a Netflix film, it likely won’t have any sort of theatrical release (except for maybe festivals), and although it’ll surely still be great to see in the comfort of our own homes if you can, try to watch it on the biggest screen you have, in the dark and with headphones. It’ll definitely be worth it!
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The ASC has a very interesting Clubhouse Conversation between James Friend ASC BSC and Erik Messerschmidt ASC about the shooting:
https://ascmag.com/videos/clubhouse-conversations-all-quiet-on-the-western-front
