Stalingrad

Absorbing, horrendous descent into the nightmare of combat. Focusing on the invading German army (into the Soviet Union) in the second world war, the impact no less awful. These men are enlisted men, who had no more control over their government's criminal actions, than US troops had over their government during the Vietnam War. Or any government sending their military in any war, for that matter. To assume they could belies a certain lack of acquaintance or experience, with the structure of a military organization.

These men are trapped like rats, and survival at any cost, to preserve ones life is paramount. Politics and lofty notions fly out the window, as the veneer of civilized behavior is stripped off.

STALINGRAD is gripping, grotesque, poignant and pitiful in its graphic presentation of war time experience. Highly recommended.

Stalingrad should be ranked right up there among the top World War II movies ever made. I can't say it's the best but it certainly is a great film and is under rated in its importance. What the movie is about is simple. It shows the German soldiers war on the Russian front, in Stalingrad from the point of view of a few German soldiers. It should not be viewed with the intentions of seeing the battle of Stalingrad or any strategic view of the Russian Front. This is from the eyes of a select few. You won't see the broad picture. Just like the average soldier doesn't see it. He knows and sees the part of the war that is directly around him. That is his world and that is how you will see it. It's often very graphic and brutally honest in its depictions. The cold and the feeling of hopelessness were excellently portrayed. You could just feel it. I did have one major problem with the German English barrier. I watched this on DVD. It was dubbed in English and I chose to also play it with English subtitles. I started to see that frequently the subtitles and the dubbing were different. That was annoying hearing one thing and reading different words for the same lines. I soon shut off the subtitles and started watching it over again from the beginning without the subtitles. I have no idea if the subtitles or the dubbing was the more accurate translation. I'm very glad I viewed this film and I'm sure that I will watch it a second time. Highly recommended. A must see for the historian and war movie fan.

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!"

I can believe this movie will be a serious disappointment for a person, who is used to and likes to watch Hollywood war movies. Four reasons: 1. It's made in a world, where movie makers tries to have some personality. If you think 'When We Were Soldiers'... well, there are hundreds of directors who you can imagine making a similar war movie with personality and values of a hamburger.

2. Screenplay has a different structure. There's no shocking opening scene like in 'Saving Private Ryan'. This movie starts slowly in a very nice place and ends slowly in a very bad place, without hope or feeling that the characters have achieved something by their heroic actions.

3. It is first a movie about lost causes in the world of war, and only secondly a war movie which takes place in Stalingrad.

4. War scenes portray the horror, insecurity and confusion of a battle, instead of how cool, heroic and exciting fighting looks like. In this sense, this movie is closer to reality than most of the war movies you will ever see. 'Thin Red Line' also had similar "I would probably crap in my pants in that situation"-feeling.

Stalingrad, whether you think it as a movie or a war movie has so many good things in it... like honesty. Even the ordinary German soldiers were dreaming about farms in Russia when they were advancing. What a disappointment they must have had in Stalingrad! If you like to watch war movies, meaning also other war movies than When We Were Soldiers or Saving Private Ryan, you should see this one. (9/10)

Well-meant attempt to depict the events concerning the battle of Stalingrad, though the individuals Vilsmaier concentrates on, remain - due to his direction - too far away from the viewer to have him/her really involved and the result is that the drama of the war is never really felt. Thus the film's last and symbolic shot is devoid of a deeper meaning, Thè anti-war film based on the Stalingrad event - as Vilsmaier has clearly given himself as task - is never established. An anti-war film it may be, but "die Brücke" by Bernhard Wicki still has far more impact. It also noteworthy that the film concentrates on the German soldiers only and hardly shows anything on the Russian side.

Moreover as far as the political side is concerned the film never surpasses the level of the 08/15 films by Paul May: it is simple in its division between the politically "good" and "bad" soldier, finding the latter in the higher ranks only, while the lower and lowest in rank are basically decent people; the soldier is just another victim of the regime. Compare this, if you have ever the opportunity, to what 6 German ex-soldiers tell about their experiences at the Russian front in the documentary "Mein Krieg" by Harriet Eder and Thomas Kufus (q.v.). I certainly do not want to suggest that Vilsmaier excuses the war (or worse), but he does not succeed in incorporating the socio-political situation, if he had ever the intention to do so..

There are surely impressive scenes (short truce in the plant; attack of Russian tanks, shooting of Russian civilians e.g.) and the battle scenes ar extremely well choreographed; the cinematography is sometimes stunning. But on the minus side: the cast is never more than average and the music is heavy handed.

In short: despite elementary shortcomings, certainly worth a view.