Edward Berger – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER – Review by Lynn Venhaus

October 29, 2025October 30, 2025 Lynn Venhaus Alex Jennings, Ballad of a Small Player, Colin Farrell, Edward Berger, Fala Chen, netflix, Rowan Joffe, tilda swinton

Stylish but slow and shallow, Ballad of a Small Player is an underdeveloped and overproduced drama that drowns in its own pretentions. Despite its visual splendor, the storytelling is scattered and too surreal to sustain interest. A mystifying misfire from director Edward Berger, it’s disappointing because his two previous films were Oscar nominees for Best Picture – the international winning feature All Quiet on the Western Front in 2023 and Conclave in 2024. He knows how to frame a narrative – the conundrum is do we want to spend 101 minutes on this one?

Reviews

CONCLAVE – Review by Diane Carson

October 18, 2024 Diane Carson College of Cardinals, Conclave, Edward Berger, John Lithgow, ralph fiennes, stanley tucci, Vatican

In director Edward Berger’s Conclave, Roman Catholic cardinals convene to choose a new Pope, a formidable task given the political intrigue and jockeying for power. With everyone sequestered for the duration of the election, the twists and turns keep revealing depths of deceitful, cunning machinations. Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow hold center stage in dynamic, combative performances. Unfolding like an intricate, masterfully played chess match, Cardinal Lawrence guides the proceedings: seeking the truth, reacting to dangerous revelations, fighting for spirituality, and fearing the outcome of the virulent power plays. A taut thriller and a fascinating dramatization of religious duplicity, Conclave is one of this year’s best films.

Reviews

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Review by Susan Granger

January 22, 2023January 25, 2023 Susan Granger All Quiet on the Western Front, Daniel Brühl, Edward Berger, Felix Kammerer, german films, netflix, oscars

Adapted by writer/director Edward Berger from Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel, it follows idealistic young Germans, caught in patriotic fervor, as they proudly enlist to serve for “the Kaiser, God and the Fatherland,” marching off to war in France, only to find themselves mired in muck, facing almost certain death.

Reviews

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

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) 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.