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Universalizing Dark Heritage: Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Citations
Abstract
In this study, I analyze Edward Berger’s 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front as a “heritage film.” Scholars use this analytical lens to uncover the ways in which national cinemas portray history and thus partake in the construction of a national heritage. I argue that All Quiet on the Western Front is a special case of the heritage film, for two reasons. First, the film constructs heritage by depicting a history of trauma, thus creating what scholars have termed “dark heritage.” Second, the film does not construct a strictly national heritage; instead, it de-emphasizes the national perspective and universalizes the heritage of WWI. The film depicts the events of the Western Front as a traumatic part of history that concerns all of humanity, thus constructing a universal human heritage. In my study, I first define the terms “heritage,” “dark heritage,” and “heritage film.” Then, I analyze key scenes to show how All Quiet on the Front uses narrative and audiovisual tools to universalize the heritage of WWI.
Type
Thesis (5 Years Campus Access Only)
Date
2025-05
Publisher
Degree
Advisors
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/