Stalingrad (1993)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Joseph Vilsmaier

Writers:

Jürgen Büscher (writer)
Johannes Heide (writer)

Release Date:

21 January 1993 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Bis zum letzten Mann... (Till the last man)

Plot:

A depiction of the brutal battle of Stalingrad, the Third Reich's 'high water mark', as seen through...

Plot Keywords:

Stalingrad | German | Gunfire | Gunshot Wound | German Soldier

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dominique Horwitz	...	Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Lt. Hans von Witzland
Jochen Nickel	...	Unteroffizier Manfred Rohleder
Sebastian Rudolph	...	GeGe Müller
Dana Vávrová	...	Irina
Martin Benrath	...	Gen. Hentz
Sylvester Groth	...	Otto
Karel Hermánek	...	Capt. Hermann Musk
Heinz Emigholz	...	Edgar Emigholz
Ferdinand Schuster	...	Double Edgar
Oliver Broumis	...	HGM
Dieter Okras	...	Capt. Haller
Zdenek Vencl	...	Wölk
Mark Kuhn	...	Sgt. Pflüger
Thorsten Bolloff	...	Feldmann

Runtime:

134 min | Argentina:135 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Russian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (f) (w) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company:

B.A. Produktion

Trivia:

The original screenplay was written by Christoph Fromm but the producers disagreed with his more realistic direction and had it rewritten. Consequently, Fromm took his name of the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The Stielhandgrenades in the belt of the German soldiers throughout the urban assault are clearly made out of rubber.

Quotes:

Fritz Reiser: They say in Germany when you die as a soldier you are honored. That's something, isn't it? Siberia? Not for me. I'm cold enough.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

An epic drama that impresses

There can be no real victors in war if we value human life at all. That so many German and Russian boys should die in the snow-bound wilderness around Stalingrad is a tragedy beyond comprehension. The camera crew did a great job in bringing to the screen the vastness of Russia with soldiers camouflaged in white struggling on the point of death across frozen landscapes. Far from home and missing their loved ones the German soldiers are depicted as rough diamonds with kind hearts sharing their last crust of bread with starving Russian children. The over-all German plan is to take certain cities important in the flow of oil and supply of food to the Russian enemy, but their plans are thwarted when the Russian armies encircle them. The close fighting is well filmed with lots of explosions, flames and shattered bodies among fallen masonry. I liked particularly the contrast of the opening scenes in sunny Porto Cervo (where the Germans are celebrating their recent victories) with the tragic scenes which followed when calamity overtakes them.I thought too that the three struggling figures exhausted in defeat symbolised the horrific loss of human life and the futility of war. While none of the actors shone above the others, their characterisations were adequate enough though I got somewhat confused with such a large cast and all the same uniforms. The lasting impression is not with individual performances but with the over-all mood of this tragic event captured superbly under expert direction. One soldier says to another:"This will give us the Iron Cross" The reply:"Yes...it will look good on your coffin!"