Stars: Dominique Horwitz, Sebastian Rudolph, Jochen Nickel, Thomas Kretschmann, Martin Benrath, Sylvester Groth, Dana Vavrova

Director: Joseph Vilsmaier

Summary: The story of the fight for Stalingrad during World War II, which left the German Army devastated.

This German film is a gritty, devastating retelling of the battle for Stalingrad during World War II, in which more than a million and a half soldiers lost their lives. Told from the point of view of the German soldiers, who were under orders to neither retreat nor surrender, this film realistically portrays the brutality of combat.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on May 11, 2006 8:05 AM

It seems that in every decade , there are one or two war pictures that become classics and set the tone for new excellence in filmmaking .
From the same production team that was responsible for the great war classic DAS BOOT , this film brings to the screen the story of the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare - the fight for Stalingrad -
where over 2 million men lost their lives . Stalingrad was the turning point in the war for the Germans . They never recovered from this devastating defeat . STALINGRAD'S emphasis is not simply on the battle , just hopes and fears !

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It's tempting to call the harrowing Stalingrada World War II version of All Quiet on the Western Front, since both films take the perspective of ordinary German soldiers at ground level. Stalingradsurveys the misery of the battle of Stalingrad, the winter siege that cost the lives of almost one and a half million people--Russian defenders and German invaders alike. Not unlike Spielberg's approach to Saving Private Ryan, German director Joseph Vilsmaier rarely steps outside the action to comment on the higher purpose of the war, assuming the audience is aware of the evil of the Nazi regime. Instead, we simply follow a group of soldiers as they endure a series of gut-wrenching episodes, events that have the tang of authenticity and horror. Vilsmaier has a taste for symbolism and surreal touches, which only add to the unsettling sense of insanity this movie conjures up so well. --Robert Horton

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailers, Stills Gallery, Filmographies
Year:	1992
Release Date:	October 22, 2001
Runtime:	132 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9025
Keywords:	War, Stalingrad
Genre:	War