A depiction of the brutal battle of Stalingrad, the Third Reich's 'high water mark', as seen through the eyes of German officer Hans von Witzland (Thomas Kretschmann) and his battalion.
There is something historically and culturally significant about this film. One, as an American, history is very much taught in this country from an American point of view. That may not be a bad thing, but it leaves us with the impression that America won World War II. That is true in the general sense, but it was the Soviet Union that defeated Hitler. The Americans were much more involved with Japan. So to have films that focus on Russia during World War II is always good.
But two, it is interesting to see films like this come out of Germany. You walk a fine line. Obviously, you want to be proud of your country and part of that is being proud of military victories. But, at the same time, you don't want to praise the Nazi regime or suggest that what they did was right. How you promote the bravery of soldiers without endorsing their fight is tough, but this film seems to make a serious effort at doing so.
There is something historically and culturally significant about this film. One, as an American, history is very much taught in this country from an American point of view. That may not be a bad thing, but it leaves us with the impression that America won World War II. That is true in the general sense, but it was the Soviet Union that defeated Hitler. The Americans were much more involved with Japan. So to have films that focus on Russia during World War II is always good.
But two, it is interesting to see films like this come out of Germany. You walk a fine line. Obviously, you want to be proud of your country and part of that is being proud of military victories. But, at the same time, you don't want to praise the Nazi regime or suggest that what they did was right. How you promote the bravery of soldiers without endorsing their fight is tough, but this film seems to make a serious effort at doing so.