1. All Quiet on the Western Front
For this World War I drama centered around a young German soldier fighting against the French, hundreds of meters of trenches were dug on an airfield in the Czech Republic. Though around 15 machines were used to dig the initial holes, a grounds crew of 60, a carpentry crew of 160, and about 30 scenic painters were brought in to make the battlefield look as authentic as possible. The trenches also featured a drainage system, as plenty of water had to be used to make the scene look the same as in real life. Production designer Christian M. Goldbeck said that “We thought that the audience should not only be able to see the sets, but they should also be able to smell them”.
Main filming locations: An old Soviet airfield in Milovice, Czech Republic; other various locations around Prague; and Barrandov Studios in Prague.