It’s rare Netflix films get a physical release. Criterion’s done a few and MPI Media Group released Capelight Pictures’ Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front on 4K UHD.
This is definitely a keeper with its harrowing battlefield scenes and poignant depiction of the war machine. The 1930 adaptation still holds up but Edward Berger utilizes modern cameras and production techniques to bring the war a bit closer. He also kept it in German with subtitles.
You could watch it in 4K on Netflix where it looks good, but without having to stream it adds one notch more sharpness and brightness
Silhouettes are definitely more consistent on the disc. Epic battlefields show in stark blue-gray detail. Mud looks palpably squishy.
A few early scenes in peaceful Germany (actually Prague) are bright and glorious. Suiting up, the idealistic mood in the barracks contrasts the stark gray blue battlefield.
You are there in the trenches with the boys. Dirt and smoke covers them so much that a patch of bare skin is more rare. And to further contrast that, the film cuts to military leaders in their lavish mansions and war rooms, even the luxurious trains while the soldiers are executing the plans on the ground.
This war film is great for sound system demos too. Early mornings on the battlefield surround your living room with battlefield ambiance. Of course gunshots and explosions constantly ring out, and it goes muffled when the soldiers’ ears ring.
Netflix’s “Behind the Streams” video on the making of All Quiet is included. If you didn’t watch it online, it shows what the trenches and snow looked like before it was composited and retouched. You actually see a little bit of them digging the sets, and it reveals some surprising elements filmed on the volume.
But the feature you won’t get on Netflix or YouTube is Edward Berger’s commentary. His description of the technical challenges is more harrowing than seeing it in B-roll. The behind-the-scenes spot only shows when they got it right. Berger describes the hassle of lifting a camera out of a trench for a tracking shot. Berger also gives away some sound secrets that make the effects even more meaningful.
Berger points out where VFX are employed in specific shots, and gets personal with regard to the overwhelm he felt making such a massive movie. The way he learned to focus is universal for any seemingly insurmountable task.
