‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ can break the Oscar glass ceiling for non-English language adapted screenplays
Three years ago, “Parasite” became the sixth non-English language film to win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Best Adapted Screenplay, however, has exclusively awarded English language films, but that can all change with “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Written by Edward Berger, who also directed, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, the German adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque‘s novel stands a very good chance at becoming the first non-English language winner in Best Adapted Screenplay. Currently in second place in the odds, it’s been been on an uphill trajectory since it ruled the BAFTAs with seven wins, including for its script. At 18/5 odds with 12 Experts and six editors in its corner, it trails Sarah Polley‘s “Women Talking,” which sits at all 69/20 with eight Experts and six editors predicting it. “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and “Living,” all at 9/2, round out the list.
“Women Talking” has been the presumptive favorite from the start, but its weak performance throughout the season — it squeaked out a Best Picture bid, its only other Oscar nomination — has hardly made it a lock. On the other hand, Berger’s World War I epic, which has nine nominations and is a shoo-in for Best International Feature Film, emerged as an industry favorite after quietly (no pun intended) premiering on Netflix in October.
SEE Can ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ win the Oscar categories the 1930 film failed to claim?
Can the love for “All Quiet” help it make history in Best Adapted Screenplay? It’s hard to measure its heat index after its BAFTA sweep as the late-breaking film has been MIA on the circuit since it missed top guild nominations. It was ineligible at the Writers Guild of America Awards, where “Women Talking,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Glass Onion” were nominated (“Living” was also ineligible). At the BAFTAs, “Living” was the only other nominee in the adapted screenplay lineup, so who knows how “All Quiet” will fare against three films that had better showings stateside than across the pond. War films are also not generally seen as writing achievements, but this is a landmark novel we’re talking about here (though the script for the 1930 English language version of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which won Best Picture, did not win).
The Oscars have historically favored international scripts in original screenplay more so than adapted. “All Quiet” is the 22nd non-English language film shortlisted in Best Adapted Screenplay and just the sixth this century. By comparison, Best Original Screenplay has seen 66 non-English nominees total, including 13 since 2000 with two winners, the other being “Talk to Her” (2002).
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