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Stalingrad | Year: 1992 Classification: Foreign Film - German Directed: - Joseph Vilsmaier Actors/Actresses: - Dominique Horwitz - Thomas Kretschmann - Jochen Nickel - Sebastian Rudolph - Dana Vávrová Astounding in every way There were several scenes in this movie that made me feel awe-inspired by it. For one, it has some of the most gruesome albeit realistic urban warfare scenes that I've ever watched. For another, it has one of the most harrowing battle scenes I've watched on film. The scene I speak about is when the main characters fight off a Russian armor unit - the minute those tanks roll out into the open field and then turn to face our heroes...you can feel your heart sink deep into your stomach. It also has one of the most touching endings I've ever seen. Yes, I will proudly admit, I cried during this movie. The factors of character and the different personalities are well achieved, and even if maybe the German attack on Russia wasn't a good thing, you can't help but feel for the men who had to fight it (in fact, study German military history and you'll find out the majority of military officers in the German army DIDN'T want the war). It is not a play by play historical drama of the Battle of Stalingrad, however, it manages to capture many aspects of the battle just by following the characters through their campaign: you see the urban fighting, the sewer systems, the Russian attacks, and even the aweful affair of evacuation (and how men with influence got away while men with out it were left behind to die). In portraying the worse defeat in German military history, this film accomplishes its task on all fronts. Hell is man-made Stalingrad is one of thoses films that when watched there's no other feeling than shock. It's messages are delivered on the screen in an very shocking way thanks to the great level of realism in the combats and in it's visceral violence. This movie is whitout a doubt the WWII version of "All quiet on the Western front" showing in a vivid way all the misery and death that surrounded the german soldiers of the ill-fated Sixth Army. His characters are all starving, tired, and hopeless man forced to fight in a war that they don't understand because their leaders told them to. Along with "Saving private Ryan" and "The thin red line" Stalingrad shows in a very clear way all the savagery, brutality and lack of sense that comes with war. It's characters are very human and tragic, especially Lieutenant von Witzland that after seeing the bloodbath war really is has his beliefs about honor, obedience and loyalty as an officer unmercifuly shattered . Far way from being the nazi propaganda supermen, the german in Stalingrad were all desperate and frightened man fighting not only the russians but also the terrible winter, starvation, madness and day-to-day fear. For WW2 fanatics and people who whants to see a film that will make them think and reflect next time their government decides to blow to hell other countries just because they don't wanna play by their rules, Stalingrad is recomended. About as much fun as being there. "Stalingrad" is the most depressing film I've ever seen. Mind you, I didn't think a story about the death of 260,000 German soldiers would be as uplifting as, say, "The Sound of Music" but this movie pulls out all the stops in an effort to leave the viewer a quivering, glassy-eyed emotional pulp. Made by the same producers who gave us the seminal "Das Boot" I found it not in that league. The film is overlong, sterotypical, and spends too much time cramming postwar German conscience pangs down the viewer's throat. Moreover, the last hour or so reminds me of those interminable scenes from "Born on the Fourth of July" that seem more interested in punishing the audience than advancing the story. The battle for, and siege of, Stalingrad, was no doubt an experience of horror and misery beyond the power of words or images to describe it, but what I was hoping for here was a German version of "Saving Private Ryan" -- high on combat and confusion, short on moralizing. Unfortunately, all postwar German cinema is filtered through the same revisionist political opinions; this explains why all German war movies inevitably leave you with the feeling like you've been punched in the stomach or clubbed over the head. After about an hour I was hoisting my own flag of surrender; but the pummeling continued. The scene at the airfield, for example, when the wounded men are trying desperately to get out on the last transports, is very hard to watch. From what I've read, however, it seems that discipline in the Stalingrad pocket was maintained until the bitter end, and the airfield scene may more resemble how the producers of the film wanted history to unfold rather than the actual way it did. In fact, the 90,000 men who lived to surrender (all but 5,000 of whom died in captivity) did so only when they were completely out of fuel, medicine, and ammunition, and had no other means to resist; but the producers, of course, permit to trace of pride in military accomplishment to enter into their film. Most American movies and television portray the Germans in World War II as heel-clicking cartoon idiots ("I know nutink! Nutink!"). Most German war movies portray the Germans as either villainous martinet Nazis, or cynical disbelievers who carry arms only for Germany and not for Hitler or the Party. In fact, the record shows that the Germans overwhelmingly trusted Hitler and were deeply inspired by his ideology. It is this fact, and not what was done in the name of National Socialism, that seems to sit very hard in the modern German stomach. Buy Stalingrad at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Stalingrad Search with the Priority Search Engine on Stalingrad This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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