Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever? (1959)
"Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben" (original title)

In the winter of 1943, against the background of battle scenes, a young German Lieutenant who increasingly distrusts the inhuman Nazi ideology struggles with the concept of war.

Director:

Frank Wisbar

Writers:

Frank Dimen, Heinz Schröter,

Stars:

Joachim Hansen, Wilhelm Borchert, Wolfgang Preiss

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joachim Hansen	...	Oberleutnant Wisse
Wilhelm Borchert	...	Gen. Friedrich Paulus
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Major Linkmann
Carl Lange	...	General von Seydlitz
Horst Frank	...	Feldwebel Böse
Peter Carsten	...	Gefreiter Krämer
Richard Münch	...	Oberstleutnant Kesselbach
Günter Pfitzmann	...	Wachtmeister Kunowski
Sonja Ziemann	...	Katja
Gunnar Möller	...	Leutnant Fuhrmann
Ernst von Klipstein	...	Ein General
Armin Dahlen	...	Major Stanescu
Paul Hoffmann	...	General Codreanu
Karl John	...	Generaloberst Hoth
Alexander Kerst	...	Kriegspfarrer Busch

Storyline

1942. First lieutenant Wisse, young and still idealistic, is sent to the Eastern front where a renewed German offensive is in full swing. During his trip, he witnesses the hardships entailed by the occupation of Russia, but keeps his faith in the success and ultimate good of the national-socialist endeavour. Upon arriving at his new quarters, he quickly gets informed about the precarious nature of the strategic situation. As a matter of fact, Wisse is unusually well-placed to gain an unvarnished insight into the state of military affairs. His assignment: liaison officer to the Romanian army. His station: in the Russian plain, on the flank guarding the advance of the German sixth army to Stalingrad...

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Plot Keywords:

russia | stalingrad | question in title | german soldier | uniform | 

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Genres:

War | Drama

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

7 April 1959 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Battle Inferno

Filming Locations:

Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deutsche Film Hansa

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

German soldiers carry the Yugoslavian M56 submachine gun instead of the MP40. Yugo M56s are basic copies of the German design, but there are subtle but noticeable differences, such as the long smooth barrel.

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Connections

Referenced in Starship Troopers (1997)

User Reviews

One of the best war films

A lot of times I read here by IMBD, that there are only three war-films on the eastern front (Cross of Iron, Stalingrad and Enemy at gates). There are a lot of other european films with this topic and for me this one is the best of all. There are war films better than this, but no one at the eastern front.