All Quiet on the Western Front 2022: release date of movie on Netflix, cast with Daniel Brühl - and trailer

Netflix war drama All Quiet on the Western Front is a German remake of the 1930 Best Picture Oscar winner which tells the story of life as a German soldier in the First World War. It is based on a landmark anti-war novel written by a German First World War veteran in the 1920s, although the new adaptation diverges from the book at several points.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and has enjoyed a limited cinematic run before its release on Netflix next week. All Quiet is a stark depiction of the first world war, showing in bloody detail the brutality of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

What is All Quiet on the Western Front about?

The All Quiet on the Western Front adapted from the book of the same name follows German soldier Paul Baumer, a young man who, along with his friends, was encouraged to join the military by his jingoistic teacher.

He and his former classmates witness the brutal horrors of warfare as men die in their thousands across the fields of France. Paul sees many of his friends killed by gunfire, grenades, and bombs, and is traumatised by his time in the trenches.

The film’s director, Edward Berger, who also directed Cold War drama series Deutschland 83, said: "All Quiet on the Western Front may be set in 1918, but it speaks directly to our times and the divisive tone in today’s discourse. It is a physical, visceral and very modern film that has never been told from my country’s perspective, it has never been made into a German-language film.”

Who is in the cast of All Quiet on the Western Front?

Daniel Brühl is a producer on the film and also  stars as Matthias Erzberger - a real-life German politician who opposed the war. The character did not feature in the original novel or earlier film adaptations.

Brühl is best known for his role as Zemo in the Marvel film Captain America: Civil War. He has also played Fredrick Zoller in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Niki Lauda in Rush. He had the lead role of Alex in German comedy romance film Good Bye Lenin!

All Quiet on the Western Front also stars:

• Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus Katczinsky
• Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer
• Moritz Klaus as Frantz Müller
• Aaron Hilmer as Albert Kropp
• Edin Hasanovic as Tjaden Stackfleet

Is All Quiet on the Western Front based on a book?

Yes, German novelist Erich Remarque published All Quiet on the Western Front in 1929 - he had been conscripted into the German army during the First World War when he was 18 and fought on the Western Front. Remarque was injured in the leg, arm, and neck during the war and the novel is a semi-autobiographical account of his experience in the trenches.

The Nazis banned Remarque’s books for its anti-war sentiments and he left Germany to live in Switzerland before and during the Second World War - his sister Elfriede Scholz was beheaded by the Nazis in 1943.

All Quiet on the Western Front was first adapted into a film in 1930 and won Best Picture at the third Academy Awards. It was adapted again in 1979, this time in colour. Remarque also wrote The Road Back, published in 1931 which is regarded as a sequel to All Quiet and follows a German soldier attempting to reintegrate to civilian life after his time in the trenches.

When is the release date of All Quiet on the Western Front?

All Quiet on the Western Front will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September. There will be a limited cinematic release beginning in Germany on 29 September. It will be released on Netflix in the UK and worldwide on 28 October 2022.

Is there a trailer?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here: