Stalingrad (1993)

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:

Shot To Death | Place Name In Title | Russian Soldier | Nazi Soldier | German Army

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:

South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Norway:15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (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: When the German soldier in a trench fires his MP-40 up at the T-34 about to run him over, the bullet puffs appear in the snow next to it as though the gun is fired from an elevation above the tank.

Quotes:

One German foot soldier: Where are the horses?
Another German foot soldier: We're the horses!

Movie Connections:

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

More than a war flick

Many of the criticisms levied at this film by other IMDb users take issue with conventional aspects of film-making - and I agree with them. It's true, Stalingrad does offer little that's new in terms of character, screenplay, visuals. And yes, any war buffs coming to this film in hope of some depiction of the battle's broader strategic context will be disappointed. To those people I recommend Antony Beevor's highly readable book, 'Stalingrad'.

Viewed from a straightforward standpoint, Stalingrad is a pretty compelling war film that is nevertheless a league below US celluloid depictions of the battlefield: when it comes to depicting the fate of the 'poor bloody infantry', the second half of Full Metal Jacket, the first quarter-hour of Saving Private Ryan, or much of Black Hawk Down is infinitely superior. And yes, its ending is something of a wimp-out.

Consider, however, that many people compare Stalingrad to FMJ, Ryan, or BHD at all, however unfavourably, and you see something of the revolution of Vilsmaier's flick. What he achieves is a pretty conventional squad-level war flick - ABOUT THE WEHRMACHT. A film about the German armed forces in WWII which invites sympathy. This, don't underestimate it, is important. At no stage is this a Nazi-apologist film. In fact, its over-willingness to be Nazi-condemnatory is what makes much of its dialogue and scenes weak. But no matter whether you find it tame or not, you do eject this one from the VHS or DVD tray thinking "poor b--tards". As the Holocaust, through the global ceremony of Holocaust Day on January 27 and through the power of global films like Spielberg's Schindler's List, becomes transported away from a specific time and place into a world parable of evil, so we are able to reappraise the role of the German soldier as victim. What attitude you take to this question is your affair - Vilsmaier's film is important for daring to raise it in the first place.