Stalingrad (1993 film)

Stalingrad
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph Vilsmaier
Written by	Jürgen Büscher Johannes Heide
Produced by	Hanno Huth Günter Rohrbach
Starring	Dominique Horwitz Thomas Kretschmann Jochen Nickel Sebastian Rudolph Sylvester Groth Martin Benrath Dana Vávrová
Cinematography	Rolf Greim Klaus Moderegger Peter von Haller
Edited by	Hannes Nikel
Music by	Norbert Jürgen Schneider Martin Grassl
Distributed by	Senator Film (Germany) Strand Releasing (USA)
Release date	21 January 1993 (1993-01-21)
Running time	134 minutes[1]
Country	Germany
Languages	German Russian
Box office	$152,972

Stalingrad is a 1993 German anti-war film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. It follows a platoon of German Army soldiers transferred to the Eastern Front of World War II, where they find themselves fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad.

The film is the second German movie to portray the Battle of Stalingrad. It was predated by the 1959 Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben (Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?).

Plot[]

In August 1942, German soldiers enjoy leave in Cervo, Liguria, Italy, after fighting at the First Battle of El Alamein, where Unteroffizier Manfred "Rollo" Rohleder and Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser are introduced to Leutnant Hans von Witzland, their new platoon commander. Their unit is promptly sent to the Eastern Front to fight in the Battle of Stalingrad.

Witzland's platoon joins a company commanded by Hauptmann Hermann Musk. Musk leads an assault on a factory, which results in heavy casualties. Later, Witzland requests a ceasefire with the Soviets so both sides can collect their wounded, which they agree to. Müller (called "HGM" to distinguish him from other Müllers) breaks the ceasefire, much to the anger of Witzland and Reiser.

Witzland's platoon is surrounded in a decrepit building. During a Soviet attack, Witzland, Reiser, Rollo, Emigholtz, and "GeGe" Müller go down to secure the sewers. Witzland gets separated from the others and captures a Soviet female soldier named Irina; she offers to lead him to safety, but instead pushes him into the water and escapes. His men rescue him, and Emigholtz is found severely wounded by an explosive trap; they take him to a crowded aid station, where they grab a doctor at gunpoint to treat Emigholtz, who nonetheless dies. They are then arrested by Hauptmann Haller, who has previously clashed with Witzland regarding the treatment of Soviet prisoners. They end up in a penal battalion disarming land mines.

Four weeks later, a brutal winter has set in and the Soviets have surrounded the German Sixth Army. Hauptmann Musk thus reassigns the penal battalion—which includes disgraced fellow officer Otto—to combat duty. Witzland's platoon defends a position from a Soviet tank column, and emerge victorious after a bloody battle. Hauptmann Haller later orders von Witzland and his men to execute some unarmed civilians, much to their reluctance.

Witzland, GeGe, and Reiser decide to desert and head towards Pitomnik Airfield in hopes of catching a plane back to Germany, stealing medical tags from some dead bodies along the way to feign being wounded. By the time they arrive, the last transport leaves without them as the base is shelled by Soviet artillery. They rejoin the others in the shelter, where they find Musk suffering from severe trench foot. While the men recover a German supply drop, Haller appears and holds them at gunpoint, but is quickly subdued; he accidentally shoots GeGe as he falls, killing him. Haller then pleads for his life, telling them about the supplies he is hoarding in a nearby house before being executed by Otto.

In the house's cellar they find shelves stocked full of food and liquor, and Irina tied to a bed. Witzland cuts Irina free; she reveals she is a German collaborator, and both bond in their despair and disillusionment. As the rest of the men gorge themselves, a deluded and dying Musk tries to rally them to rejoin the fighting. Otto becomes hysterical and commits suicide. Rollo, the only one to obey the order, carries Musk outside, only to find the Sixth Army surrendering to the Soviets. Rollo and Musk's fate is unknown.

Irina offers to help Witzland and Reiser get away, but while trudging through the snow they are shot at by the Soviets; Irina is killed and Witzland is wounded. The two Germans get away, but Witzland eventually becomes too weak and dies in Reiser's arms. Reiser cradles his body, reflecting on his time spent in North Africa before freezing to death.

Cast[]

Production and release[]

The film was shot in several locations, including Finland, Italy, and Czechoslovakia, and cost approximately DEM 20 million (around EUR 10 million in modern German currency). Director Joseph Vilsmaier hired a German military consultant to advise him on set. A series entitled The making of Stalingrad was released, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the film. Stalingrad was released on 4K Blu-ray in 2021.^[2]

Reception[]

In 1993, the film won Bavarian Film Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Production.^[1] It was also entered into the 18th Moscow International Film Festival.^[3] In Germany, the film earned mixed reviews, allegedly due to the second half of the film containing plot holes, although what these apparent plot holes were is not revealed; this may in fact have been a reference to the film's bleak and nihilistic ending.^[4]

See also[]

• Stalingrad (1990 film)
• Stalingrad (2013 film)

References[]

External links[]

• Stalingrad at IMDb
• Stalingrad at AllMovie
• Stalingrad at Reelviews.net (James Berardinelli)
• Stalingrad at Rotten Tomatoes