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Cross of Iron (1977) More at IMDbPro »

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18 April 2013 12:59 AM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

James Coburn and Maximilian Schell star as Wehrmacht officers battling each other in this slow-moving second world war film

Cross of Iron (1977)

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Entertainment grade: C+

History grade: B+

The German invasion of the Soviet Union during the second world war began in 1941. By 1943, troops were in retreat, and the tide of the war had begun to turn against Adolf Hitler.

People

Troops of the Wehrmacht 17th Army have retreated across the Taman peninsula to the Kuban bridgehead. Indestructible platoon leader Sergeant Steiner (James Coburn) is stuck serving under Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell), an oily Prussian aristocrat who has transferred to the Eastern front with the explicit intention of winning the distinction of the Iron Cross. Steiner couldn't give a hoot for Iron Crosses, and he actively dislikes oily Prussian aristocrats. These characters are fictional, though some sources suggest Steiner may have been inspired by real-life Feldwebel (Sergeant) Johann Schwerdfeger. »

- Alex von Tunzelmann

1 item from 2013