Stalingrad (film)
Encyclopedia
Stalingrad is a 1993 war
drama film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier
. It depicts combat on the Eastern Front of World War II
, specifically the Battle of Stalingrad
and showing the German Wehrmacht
(specifically the primary characters) in a sympathetic light.
The movie follows a platoon
of German Army soldiers as they are transferred from Italy
after recent fighting in the North Africa, to Russia
where they ultimately find themselves unwilling participants in the Battle of Stalingrad
.
The film was shot in several different locations, including Finland
, Italy
, and the Czech Republic
.
The film is the second German movie to portray the Battle of Stalingrad. It is predated by 1959 German film Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben
(Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?).
), Unteroffizier Manfred Rohleder ([Jochen Nickel) and Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser (Dominique Horwitz
) are dismissed and advised their unit has been ordered to battle in the Eastern Front of Russia.
During heavy fighting in the city of Stalingrad, the German unit fights its way to an industrial factory and manage to occupy it, but with heavy casualties. The building is surrounded by the Russians, as a stalemate goes on with the dead and wounded lying in the streets. In an attempt to rescue the wounded and retrieve the dead, von Witzland proposes a ceasefire. But the state of calm ends as one of the Germans fire upon the Russians. The next day, the Russians attack again. Without communications, a team of German troops escape underground into the sewers to summon for help. Venturing out on his own, von Witzland later captures and interrogates a Russian woman named Irina (Dana Vávrová
) who later escapes however, following a clash with him. The group arrive at a field hospital, where Reiser threatens an orderly in order to get medical attention for his friend Emigoltz. Despite this, Emigoltz dies, and the group is arrested and delivered to a penal unit. They serve in it for several weeks, during which the Soviets surround and trap the 6th Army in Stalingrad.
After a battle involving Soviet tank-infantry, suffering heavy losses, the men are returned to their unit. Troop morale begins to decline as the German soldiers become disenchanted with the war effort, especially after being forced to shoot unarmed civilians. Reiser proposes a plan to abandon Stalingrad by faking injuries and boarding a medical flight with his fellow soldiers. The soldiers make it to Pitomnik airport, but are left stranded as the last German transport plane takes off under heavy Russian artillery fire. The soldiers attempt to leave on foot and arrive at an abandoned warehouse. There they find Irina, the Russian woman von Witzland encountered in the sewers. She had been captured and raped by the Germans. Depressed, Otto commits suicide. Irina agrees to lead von Witzland and Reiser to safety in the wilderness, but is shot and accidentally killed by Soviet forces. Reiser and von Witzland then try to seek refuge on their own, but von Witzland freezes to death, followed shortly thereafter by Reiser.
The film's epilogue displays a graphic stating that in the Battle for Stalingrad, more than a million people were killed in action, starved or froze to death. Among them, Russians, Romanians, Italians, Hungarians, Germans and Austrians. Of the Sixth Army's 260,000 men, 91,000 were taken prisoner. Of those, only 6,000 returned home years later.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
drama film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier
Joseph Vilsmaier
Joseph Vilsmaier is a German film director.-Work:After attending a boarding school near Augsburg, he was trained as a technician to make film cameras and then spent nine years at a music conservatory. Following this he was a member of a jazz group...
. It depicts combat on the Eastern Front of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, specifically the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
and showing the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(specifically the primary characters) in a sympathetic light.
The movie follows a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
of German Army soldiers as they are transferred from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after recent fighting in the North Africa, to Russia
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
where they ultimately find themselves unwilling participants in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
.
The film was shot in several different locations, including Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
The film is the second German movie to portray the Battle of Stalingrad. It is predated by 1959 German film Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben
Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?
Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever is an 1959 West-German film, directed by Frank Wisbar and based on the eponymous novel by Fritz Wöss. The movie revolves around the Battle of Stalingrad...
(Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?).
Plot
A group of German soldiers enjoy vacation leave in Italy after returning from combat deployment in North Africa. Moments later, an awards ceremony is held to promote military ranks within a troop battalion. Following the assembly, a group of soldiers, among them Lt. Hans von Witzland (Thomas KretschmannThomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
), Unteroffizier Manfred Rohleder ([Jochen Nickel) and Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser (Dominique Horwitz
Dominique Horwitz
Dominique Horwitz is a German film and television actor and singer.-Life:Dominique Horwitz grew up in Paris where his parents ran a delicatessen shop. In 1971 the family moved to Berlin. He attended a Franco-German grammar-school. He has a sister and a brother. About twenty years Horwitz was...
) are dismissed and advised their unit has been ordered to battle in the Eastern Front of Russia.
During heavy fighting in the city of Stalingrad, the German unit fights its way to an industrial factory and manage to occupy it, but with heavy casualties. The building is surrounded by the Russians, as a stalemate goes on with the dead and wounded lying in the streets. In an attempt to rescue the wounded and retrieve the dead, von Witzland proposes a ceasefire. But the state of calm ends as one of the Germans fire upon the Russians. The next day, the Russians attack again. Without communications, a team of German troops escape underground into the sewers to summon for help. Venturing out on his own, von Witzland later captures and interrogates a Russian woman named Irina (Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová was a Czech-German film actress and director.-Biography:Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in Ať žijí duchové! in 1976, having played a minor role in Jak se točí Rozmarýny...
) who later escapes however, following a clash with him. The group arrive at a field hospital, where Reiser threatens an orderly in order to get medical attention for his friend Emigoltz. Despite this, Emigoltz dies, and the group is arrested and delivered to a penal unit. They serve in it for several weeks, during which the Soviets surround and trap the 6th Army in Stalingrad.
After a battle involving Soviet tank-infantry, suffering heavy losses, the men are returned to their unit. Troop morale begins to decline as the German soldiers become disenchanted with the war effort, especially after being forced to shoot unarmed civilians. Reiser proposes a plan to abandon Stalingrad by faking injuries and boarding a medical flight with his fellow soldiers. The soldiers make it to Pitomnik airport, but are left stranded as the last German transport plane takes off under heavy Russian artillery fire. The soldiers attempt to leave on foot and arrive at an abandoned warehouse. There they find Irina, the Russian woman von Witzland encountered in the sewers. She had been captured and raped by the Germans. Depressed, Otto commits suicide. Irina agrees to lead von Witzland and Reiser to safety in the wilderness, but is shot and accidentally killed by Soviet forces. Reiser and von Witzland then try to seek refuge on their own, but von Witzland freezes to death, followed shortly thereafter by Reiser.
The film's epilogue displays a graphic stating that in the Battle for Stalingrad, more than a million people were killed in action, starved or froze to death. Among them, Russians, Romanians, Italians, Hungarians, Germans and Austrians. Of the Sixth Army's 260,000 men, 91,000 were taken prisoner. Of those, only 6,000 returned home years later.
Cast
- Thomas KretschmannThomas KretschmannThomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
as Lt. Hans von Witzland - Dominique HorwitzDominique HorwitzDominique Horwitz is a German film and television actor and singer.-Life:Dominique Horwitz grew up in Paris where his parents ran a delicatessen shop. In 1971 the family moved to Berlin. He attended a Franco-German grammar-school. He has a sister and a brother. About twenty years Horwitz was...
as Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser - Jochen Nickel as Manfred Rohleder
- Sebastian Rudolph as GeGe Müller
- Dana VávrováDana VávrováDana Vávrová was a Czech-German film actress and director.-Biography:Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in Ať žijí duchové! in 1976, having played a minor role in Jak se točí Rozmarýny...
as Irina - Martin BenrathMartin BenrathMartin Benrath was a German film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1954 and 2000.-Selected filmography:* Court Martial * From the Life of the Marionettes * Put on Ice...
as Gen. Hentz - Sylvester GrothSylvester GrothSylvester Groth is a German film actor and tenor.He is best known to English-language audiences for appearing in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, in which he portrayed Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels....
as Otto - Karel HeřmánekKarel HeřmánekKarel Heřmánek is a Czech actor. He appeared in more than forty films between 1976 and 2008.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Capt. Hermann Musk - Heinz EmigholzHeinz EmigholzHeinz Emigholz is a filmmaker, actor, artist, writer and producer. He is a Professor for Experimental film at Berlin University of the Arts and at European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. He worked as an illustrator and a retoucher, and studied philosophy and literary studies in Hamburg...
as Edgar Emigholz - Ferdinand Schuster as Double Edgar
Filming
The film was shot in several countries and took much effort to make. Director Joseph Vilsmaier had a German military consultant with him on set. A series entitled "The making of Stalingrad" was released, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the film.Accolades
In 1993, the film won Bavarian Film Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Production.External links
- Stalingrad at Reelviews.net (James Berardinelli)