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Stalingrad
1992
This German film is a gritty, devastating retelling of the battle for Stalingrad during World War II, in which more than a million and a half soldiers lost their lives. Told from the point of view of the German soldiers, who were under orders to neither retreat nor surrender, this film realistically portrays the brutality of combat. Read more
| Starring | Dominique Horwitz, Sebastian Rudolph, Jochen Nickel, Thomas Kretschmann |
|---|---|
| Director | Joseph Vilsmaier |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
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Stalingrad
This German film is a gritty, devastating retelling of the battle for Stalingrad during World War II, in which more than a million and a half soldiers lost their lives. Told from the point of view of the German soldiers, who were under orders to neither retreat nor surrender, this film realistically portrays the brutality of combat.
| Starring | Dominique Horwitz, Sebastian Rudolph, Jochen Nickel, Thomas Kretschmann, Martin Benrath, Sylvester Groth, Dana Vavrova |
|---|---|
| Director | Joseph Vilsmaier |
| Studio | ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 12 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | English |
| Released | DVD: 22 Oct 2001 Production year: 1992 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet rearguard that cost the Nazis all but 6,000 of their besieging army, Joseph Vilsmaier's combat epic makes its points about the barbarity and futility of war through the sheer scale of the enterprise. However, the lack of a human focus for our horror and pity reduces the impact of the impeccably-reconstructed battle sequences, as the fighting moves from foxholes to street corners without ever really making us care for the stereotypical troopers. Mightily impressive, but insufficiently involving or cautionary.
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An impressive, downbeat account, from the viewpoint of a lieutenant and his troop, of an attempt to survive the depredations of the harsh Russian winter and of their own officers.
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Most helpful member's review
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41 out of 48 people found this review helpful
No Hollywood heroics in this brutal depiction of war.
I agree with most of the other reviewers, this should have been subtitled instead of dubbed. However I don't agree that this is a poor film. As an Eastern Front WWII enthusiast I am delighted that we have version of events from the other side. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from the end of August 1942 until January 1943(it wasn't a Siege as the Germans did not surround it and try to starve it out; they tried to take it by force - think some reviewers got mixed up with Siege of Leningrad). The film is actually very clear about events; although having a background knowledge of events helps. Stalingrad is the high watermark of German conquest in the USSR. They have reached the River Volga which was their original objective and well East of Moscow. The Germans are triumphant however they must take the city of Stalingrad, a city which runs for 40 miles along the Volga's West Bank. A major industrial city the Germans change their tact and instead of surrounding the city ie cross the river and cut off Russian reinforcements they opt to fight for it. In doing so they condemn the average soldier to fight street by street, building by building not what their army was best at. This is made worse by the huge bombardment prior to battle that turned the city into rubble; ideal for defenders. This film begins with an elite German unit under a new and inexperienced Lieutenant being transferred from North Africa fighting the 'Tommies' to Stalingrad. They are immediately thrown into the fray of street fighting, fighting for individual buildings as well as in the sewers. Shortly afterwards the Russians launch their counterattack and surround the Germans trapped in the city and on the Steppe West of the city. As the Russians move in the unit are ordered to help stop the Russian advance out on the snow filled Steppe, however they are vastly outnumbered and outgunned. Despite attempts to desert and to be evacuated out of the pocket they are trapped and with no hope of escape, with Russian captivity out of the question they each attempt to deal with their horrific situation. This is a truly brutal depiction of war in a particularly brutal battle of the most bloodiest war the world has seen. I thought this film was a triumph and I recommend anyone interested in looking at the other side of the war especially on a front that we in the West know compartively little about to watch this film
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Most recent members' review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Comical
What a shame!
I couldn't even watch this film all the way through as the dubbing was so comical, it took all the shine and all the importance away from what was meant to be a dramatisation of one of the turning points in European History. Also, the narrative of this film was appalling - one minute they are in a sewer, the next minute they receive a reprimanding from a disgruntled officer and then as if by magic they are suddenly in some stereotypical Russian snowscape.
Who knows, if I could have stood to watch this film all the way through then maybe I could have offered a better review but it was embarassing to the point of making me cringe - not too disimilar to the embarassment you feel at your parents' dancing!
I only gave this 2 points as the camerawork seemed quite nice. -
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This German film is a gritty, devastating retelling of the battle for Stalingrad during World War II, in which more than a million and a half soldiers lost their lives. Told from the point of view of ... -