Albrecht Schuch – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Review by Martha K Baker

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 Martha K. Baker Albrecht Schuch, All Quiet on the Western Front, Daniel Brühl, Edward Berger, Erich Maria Remarque, Felix Kammerer, James Friend, Volker Bertelmann

Here’s a thought: do not go shopping on November 11. Watch Edward Berger’s version of Erich Maria Remarque’s anti-war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. November 11 used to be Armistice Day until President Eisenhower changed the title in 1954 to Veterans’ Day to honor all who serve. Berger honors them by showing the truth. All Quiet on the Western Front is mostly in English despite being told from a German point of view. Instead of being disconcerting, the English emphasizes the universality of the insanity of war.

Reviews

BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ – Review by Diane Carson

April 23, 2021April 24, 2021 Diane Carson Albrecht Schuch, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Burhan Qurbani, Jella Haase, Welket Bungué

German director Burhan Qurbani anchors his version in undocumented Guinea-Bissau immigrant Francis, adds surrealist interludes with psychedelic colors, and loses the complexity of the novel. Moreover, his simplistic, formulaic focus on drug dealers marginalizes women, granting them agency primarily as sex workers or inconsequential sex partners. An update to reflect a current oppressive environment, especially for undocumented immigrants, is a relevant, worthwhile endeavor. However, it requires an avoidance of clichéd scenarios.