In the midst of the conflict in Ukraine and as Germany sends Leopard tanks into the war, expanding and reinforcing European participation, the Hollywood Academy nominates ‘All Quiet Front’, based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, among its major Oscar nominations. – Offered by Netflix and billed for the first time this time in Germany- Due to its popularity, it was perhaps the most influential novel of the period. World War I. A book that stood up to the warmongering that later reigned, it became an instant and unprecedented international success from its appearance in 1928. Now, ‘No News…’ continues to hold its place in bookstores almost 100 years later, and once again delivers its pacifist message at a time when Europe needs reflection.
If the Great War had not occurred, erich maria remarque A German of Franco-Catholic descent could eventually become an obscure teacher. But in 1916 he was summoned. According to legend, he joined the first line of fire and even received an iron cross, a somewhat exaggerated version that the author never undertakes to deny. The truth is that it was wounded from behind by an artillery shell and direct action was barely visible. He wasn’t cannon fodder, but he was an extraordinary witness. His long stay in the infirmary allowed him to learn firsthand the experience of his fellow soldiers, the deadly technology of sinking chemical weapons, and the use of artillery and modern machine guns in muddy trenches. This world war, which will be counted as the first in years, deeply penetrated the imagination of the people. War, perhaps for the first time, ceased to be a game between gentlemen.
After graduating, Remarque spent ten years working for sports papers and selling tombstones; this was a very lucrative business after the carnage of war. And meanwhile, he was writing a novel about the experiences of novice Paul Bäumer, an innocent boy just out of adolescence who, after dreaming of taking part in a heroic act, gradually realizes the horror and senselessness of war. The reader accompanies him with a heavy heart.
too many staff
“One day I started writing. I had supplies and just wanted to order. But for a long time I left my writings in a drawer. The book seemed very personal to me,” he wrote, as if apologetically. amazing reception of the book. Billy Wilder, who lived in Berlin at the time, said, “The year is 1928. Who wants to read a novel about the Great War?
It sold half a million copies in the first three months alone in Germany, the first of 20 million billed worldwide. It was quickly translated into 30 languages. He launched himself to get Hollywood rights, and in 1930 Lewis Milestone made a poignant and poetic version that swept the Oscars. The sight of hands being cut off and trapped in a wire mesh is hard to forget even today. The first translation in Spain is instantaneous from 1929 and can be found today on Edhasa and Navona stamps.
hated by the nazis
This work served as a catalyst for German society. A kind of password to define ideologies, but careful Remarque would insist on describing himself as apolitical. For rising nationalism, disgust for war that devastates wars and does not portray the French as nameless enemies – we can say today that it has made them zombies -, that novel was cursed. Nazism blacklisted the author.
In 1930, during the premiere of the American film in Berlin, Goebbels sent stormtroopers to throw stink bombs and rats at the audience, as well as choreographed several shows against the author’s “patriotism.” They also managed to remove the novel from all school libraries in Prussia. Today it is compulsory to study in German schools. When they came to power, it’s no surprise that one of the books that fueled the bonfires in 1933 was ‘All Is Quiet on the Front’.
A few months ago, Remarque had decided to flee to Switzerland and then to the United States, where he was welcomed with open arms. The film industry was ready to adapt a significant number of the novels, among which it continued to ‘publish’.‘Three Comrades’, scripted by Scott Fitzgerald During the darkest and most painful years of his time in Hollywood-Babylon.
‘playboy’ is depressing
The introverted and depressed German, who became an overnight millionaire and in vogue in all the halls of the moment, later reincarnated as a sort of ‘playboy’ to the delight of carefully told film industry gossip. that today is given to Shakira and Piqué, their Love affairs with divas like Hedy Lamarr, Dolores del Río and above all Marlene DietrichIt turned out to have a complicated relationship that led to correspondence between 1937 and 1940, and it was published in 2003. In them is the fiery prose of Remarque, a very passionate man, in which the actress is trying to break their ice. .
He wrote other novels like the author ‘Time to love, time to die’, which led to the fiery melodrama of Douglas Sirk. And he hid his sullen nature in Switzerland, next to his second wife. actress Paulette Goddard. Upon his death in 1970, some critics denied his literary merits, as Stefan Zweig wrote as an allegation to the group ‘All Quiet Front’: “An excellent work of art and an indisputable fact at the same time”. This misleading novel may be considered a kitsch point today, perhaps to be called “cheat”, “outdated” and “perfect”, but it cannot be denied that it has managed to reflect the most human and painful face of a war. From any war.
Source: Informacion
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.