The book Nothing New in the West * may have been described as apolitical by its author Erich Maria Remarque when it was published in 1929, but it has nevertheless been one of the most important works of anti-war literature for 94 years. The shocking experience of the horrors of the First World War was also transferred to the first film adaptation of the material, which will be shown on TV this evening on Arte: Lewis Milestones nothing new in the West. Since its publication in 1930, there have been two further re-releases, one of them on Netflix.
Today on TV: What is the anti-war film Nothing New in the West about?
In the drama Nothing New in the West, student Paul Bäumer (Lew Ayres) goes to fight in the First World War. At first he and his friends can hardly wait to get to the front and bring fame and honor to their home country. But little by little he experiences the horror of the little soldier firsthand and oscillates between the poles of waiting monotony and mass death in the trench fighting. So he exchanges his increasing euphoria for a disillusionment about the pointlessness of the war.
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nothing new in the West
Lewis Milestones All Quiet on the West impressed as a film in 1930, not least because of the authenticity of its depiction of war, and won two Oscars: the trophies for the Best film and Best Director.
The remake of Nothing New in the West came to Netflix successfully
Lewis Milestones All Quiet in the West was the only film adaptation of the novel for many decades. It wasn’t until 1979 that Delbert Mann’s material was re-released as a TV film Nothing New in the West. In 2022, Edward Berger dared to make the first German adaptation nothing new in the West for Netflix on a remake. This was well received by audiences and critics (90% each on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.2 on Moviepilot). The war film also set a new Netflix record in 2023 by winning 4 Oscars.
Where you can watch the war film Nothing New in the West
Nothing new is happening in the West this Monday November 20, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. on Arte on TV. A repeat will be shown on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. In addition, the film should then be available to stream for free in the Arte media library. Or you can bring home the ultimate limited collector’s box from Nothing New in the West *.
You can stream the 2022 remake of Nothing New in the West on Netflix, and the 1979 version is available to rent on Amazon *.
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