robertmaybeth
Based on the novel of the same name, this film is one of Peckinpah's best films. The ambition of Peckinpah's efforts are shown by the large scale of the events shown, and you truly get a feel of the story he was trying to tell. But something gets lost in the translation from book to film, and this film is at times too subtle or too overt, with a lot of the subtleties of the characters getting lost in the process. Despite a fine cast, with many first rate actors, the movie aims high but just doesn't quite achieve the scope Peckinpah was going for.And what a cast it is, too. Including James Coburn, James Mason and Maximilian Schell, the chemistry between them proves to be one of the best parts of this movie. Coburn plays Sergeant Steiner, a man too long in the war and too jaded to be false in any way. His superior Captain Stransky (Schell) needs Steiner's help to vouch for him so he can get the Iron Cross medal he is obsessed with getting. Schell will go to any lengths to get the medal, and tries to convince Steiner to vouch for him regarding a battlefield event (that didn't happen the way Stransky said it did). Steiner, predictably, dislikes officers almost as much as he hates the war, and refuses to do it. At one point Steiner throws his own Iron Cross on Stansky's desk and blurts, "Here, take it!" but nothing less then a real Iron Cross will do. The two continue to be in conflict for the rest of the film, all done in a very murky subplot that is sometimes unclear - the main issue I have with this movie. This was obviously a herculean effort by Peckinpah, and despite the muddy subplot that the film centers around, the battle scenes are fairly well done. Filmed partly in Croatia - that was still firmly in the Communist Bloc at the time of filming - the battle scenes feature genuine T-34 tanks along with dozens of extras during the Russian assault scenes and give the movie a real touch of authenticity. Set in spring 1943 - one of the rare lulls in the Ostfront between Stalingrad and the colossal battle at Kursk - it does manage to give a sense of the overwhelming enemy facing the German Wehrmacht during all stages of the war. There's enough great battle scenes here to distract from the, somewhat weak subplot and to show what war in the mud of Russia might have been like. Unfortunately the movie has a relatively weak ending - Steiner and Stransky are still alive but still battling on at the end. So the ultimate fate of the two strongest characters is left untold.All in all a great war movie, if a little frustrating to interpret while viewing.
papasergey
This is the first time I have, eager to 'know the enemy', not given a damn about the feud with the 'Axis' warriors of the World War II and have watched a film — regarding the position of the opposing force. What affected my choice, was, perhaps, the current situation, when, with the outbreak of the most recent war, I have been getting more and more uneasy about the thought, that the previous war was, in fact, far less unambiguous than the banal cliché 'Great Partiotic War', what we call it in Russia meaning homespun truth: 'we had been under attack — so we stroke back'. In actual fact, the USSR just certainly participated in the most awful war of all time. And that was participation to full capacity, our land was lucky to have so much human and economic resources, that, paying little attention to casualties and even speaking about colossal casualties need with a plump 'YES'... In the both world wars' history there were neither the right nor the wrong, neither the defenders nor the aggressors, neither the conscientious nor the deceitful. What there were, was just overcrowded battlefields and tremendous massacres due to the super-powerful military blocs' confrontation. And Germany was against all. It is not just German propaganda! Because saying that Japan and Italy sufficiently helped the Reich to achieve, by 1942, impressing spreading over the larger part of Europe, from Norway, France, and Greece, eastwards to the Lower Volga, — would be, quite sure, a hypocrisy. The Germans (there is no denying their fantastic fighting spirit and self-denial), under their Führer, Hitler, an Austrian himself actually, would indeed approach the Superpower status — only to be eventually pulled up and occupied by the wartime allies whose coalition, however, dissolved shortly after. The former have gone down in history as the monstrous evil fanatics, tormentors of peoples, and what of it? image of the enemy (especially of the shattered one) is likely to be demonised, and since the war was the most monstrous one, the demonisation was likely to reach the unparalleled extent. Jews, alas, have always been destroyed; antisemitism has still not ceased to exist. Shootings of civilian population and property destruction by advancing or retreating troops used to take place on any war and still does. When the war was over, the German and the Japanese rulers were dismissed and they were in the dock, accused of 'war crimes', but that was because the winner is always right and judges the beaten. Just a decorum of diplomacy. I even wonder why so many people still believe that was really a holy violence and a fair trial. And the current war, Donbass war, must wipe out the rose-coloured view of victory in the anti-Nazi war, as Nazism then was not a simple and unambiguous enemy, and there was no deathnail for it then. Today, some heavy-metal songs from the turn of the 1980s and 1990s are extremely topical again. As they describe bombing; warn that just as decades ago the Nazi Germany recarved the map of Europe, sparks of crematory fire of death camps are still visible; narrate the stories of hirelings of dirty tricks and monkey business. In fact, I, just a teenager that time, foresaw that revanchism, that came up in our pluralism age together with any other 'dissenting opinions', would lead to no good... But the Germans are just the ones who least of all stick to their demands in this regard! And the world is lucky to have SUCH Germans today, as otherwise, it might be a World War III with once more 'Germany against all' - and doomsday! However, Germany at the moment needs revanchism like one needs a hole in the head. Who eulogise it, are rulers of Eastern European states as it is a safe bet of giving up everything that connects with Russia, the parent state, and that is none of Germany's business. But how are we Russians going to solve the current pending problem, — that is the challenge. We would be lucky to have the majority once again, as in 1941, been convinced of being victorious: 'victors need never explain'... But what if not?..Having grounded the significance and topicality of this film, I am going to describe its advantages. This old film measures itself against many modern war films as well as it is still thrilling-to-watch. Almost no 'tall tale' but striking accent when meeting almost any Russian characters (bit parts). Why not involve Russians in auding. There have always been millions of those abroad ('Iron Curtain' is also just a cliché shown to the best advantage by certain circle, isn't it?). The female unit episode is certainly a shocksploitation, but there is a black sheep in every flock. And why, the Western filmmakers showed the Soviet female warrior not just as an abusive woman who immediately laid her arms down and gave in to the Germans. Instead, this composite character is shown as a female hero who combats the enemy many times superior, ready to sell her life and honour dearly...But the Germans are main characters here. They are neither protagonists here, nor those who are praised and white-washed. We see them such as they must have been on that war. Soviet posters showed them next to trench rats with arms round each other, and quite similar to each other, and that was not just propaganda. No military bearing in the war: it is at the parade where a fighter is clean-shaven, and wears full-dress uniform, and is in blanched boots! While in trenches, even the question of insignia is often of no importance. (Because an officer who keeps subordination too zealously takes chances to have his own soldiers got rid of him). So some exclusively brave Wehrmacht soldiers would wear trophy Red Army garments, give higher commanders a piece of mind, pardon Soviet captives and even exchange defeatist views, wishing Hitler himself 'kaputt'!
gilligan1965
WHEN HAS SAM Peckinpah EVER DIRECTED A BAD MOVIE...OR, EVEN ONE THAT WAS 'JUST O.K?' "NEVER!" This is probably the best World War II movie ever made! As far as effects and story go, this movie even gives "Saving Private Ryan;" "A Bridge Too Far;" and, "The Longest Day" a run...and, they are all "PERFECT" movies, too! This is just a terrific war movie with a lot of action; but, it's also a great and deep story of military corruption, lying, manipulation, and, of how the rich and privileged so easily take advantage of the poor and unprivileged and bully them because they're vulnerable.Although this movie is of and about the German Army in Russia during World War II...in many ways it's about "all armies;" and, about many corporations and businesses that have nothing to do with war at all.It's really about human nature and about who can get what from whom; and, whom can get what from who...by throwing their weight around.THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE! :)
