Opinions on the 1993 Stalingrad movie?

Tequila · Post by **Tequila** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 3:39 am

I just finished Antony Beevor's excellent book on Stalingrad and now would like to find a good movie on it. I saw one on DVD called Stalingrad which had a nice looking cover and was produced in Germany but honestly don't ever remember seeing it in theaters. It's directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and was made in 1993. It was tempting but costs $35 so I'm looking for opinons on it before I buy it.

If you seen this particular movie on Stalingrad please let me know if it's worth the money or not.

Thanks

Birdgunner · Post by **Birdgunner** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 4:56 am

My buddy has the same movie on DVD and I watched it a few months ago.

I think it is a good portrayal of the German perspective of the battle. Your really cheering for them in this one. Some pretty gruesome scenes.

Anyway thats what I thought of it. I'd recommend it.

Birdgunner

ZeroAntipop · Post by **ZeroAntipop** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:42 am

It's great at depicting the tragedy of the battle.

Tbone3336 · Post by **Tbone3336** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:44 am

I have the DVD, bought it on Amazon. The same producers made Das Boot. Very good IMO. Not the best but good representation of what it may have been like there. There are a few bad acting parts but for the most part very well done. If I did not collect war movies I do not know if I would have spent the dough though. However don't want to discourage you. Good movie.

M4Jess · Post by **M4Jess** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 6:42 am

Enemy at the gates sucked!:mad:

Tequila · Post by **Tequila** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 6:53 am

Doh, I loved Enemy at the Gates. How come you thought it sucked? Jude Law, Rachel Wiesz and Ed Harris along with the great cinematogrophy of the rubble of Stalingrad made that movie one of my favorites. However I want something with less focus on Zaitsev and more on the overall battle which is why I'm hoping the 1993 Stalingrad movie is good enough for that

degen · Post by **degen** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:31 am

Tequila,

I would highly recommend this movie. It reminded me of the US' early vietnam movies in that it gives a very anti-war message and did not portray officers in a good light. Despite that slant, the movie is fascinating because it shows the war from Germany's current point of view. Too bad that more WW2 movies are not produced from Germany!

It also has a classic urban assault scene that reminded me of some of the SPWAW battles in the Stalingrad campaign. That assault is grueling and you can see how units just melted away in the rubble of Stalingrad.

The movie is in german with english subtitles, but once the flow of the movie gets going, it is hardly noticeable. I found it at a local video story (Hollywood Rentals), so you may try renting it before shelling out $35. Hope this helps.

BTW, I liked enemy at the gates too and the bleak landscape is similar in the Stalingrad movie. Besides--and this is directed to M4 Jess--you have to support WW2 movies that come out, especially the rare east front ones!

tracer · Post by **tracer** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:52 am

I have it on DVD too...one of my favorite war movies.

tracer · Post by **tracer** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 8:03 am

Originally posted by ZeroAntipop
It's great at depicting the tragedy of the battle.

Great line: when the young German private accidentally shoots his friend and starts breaking down...a sergeant picks him up and says "Don't worry about it...I did the same once".

Tequila · Post by **Tequila** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 9:13 am

Well shucks, it looks like enough of you have given me reason to shell out $35

German with english subtitles is great; I hate seeing that two years of German I took 10 years ago go to waste

Thanks for all the replies.

P.S. I found A Bridge Too Far on DVD for $10. Can't wait to watch it, it's been so many years since I've seen it.

Belisarius · Post by **Belisarius** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 10:13 am

A bit late to for me to jump in, but I'd also like to say that Stalingrad is a great movie.

End scene is one of my favourites, the futility of it all is so clear.

Birdgunner · Post by **Birdgunner** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 1:33 pm

Originally posted by Tequila

P.S. I found A Bridge Too Far on DVD for $10. Can't wait to watch it, it's been so many years since I've seen it.

My all time favourite war movie. I must have watched it 10 times more than my other war movies I have. Lots of great actors and the jump scenes are the best. Especially considering that the movie was made in the 70's before CGI.

Birdgunner

Tbone3336 · Post by **Tbone3336** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 3:04 pm

Just a note that the Version I have has english and German language, however the english voiceovers are lacking for some of the characters imo.

Belisarius · Post by **Belisarius** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 3:08 pm

Yeah, go for the subtitles.

tracer · Post by **tracer** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:01 pm

I found ABTF at WalMart for $8.99 a couple years ago (anyone notice that these deals are getting harder to find?). I wish they would do something about the poor sound quality of this movie; I expected a new version to come out last year to celebrate its 25th anniversary, but I didn't see anything.

I remember I took my dad to go see it when it opened, as a Father's Day gift. Hard to believe that was 26 years ago!

cadmus · Post by **cadmus** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 5:24 pm

Before you shell out $35 (for a worthwhile movie, definitely) take a look at half.com or deepdiscountdvd.com. You might find a better price.

Kanon Fodder · Post by **Kanon Fodder** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:16 pm

I saw the movie in a theatre in '94 and enjoyed it.

It was on Superchannel a few years back so I taped it;
then I noticed in the listing that it was dubbed in English and have never watched it.

I came across the DVD online a while back, but am holding off spending $35 for as long as I can ...

It's definitely on my Wish List.

P.S. It's funny - when I listed Stalingrad as my choice in the "best war movie" thread a while back I was hammered mercilessly - where were you guys when I needed ya ?

Tequila · Post by **Tequila** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:51 pm

Originally posted by xeno
Before you shell out $35 (for a worthwhile movie, definitely) take a look at half.com or deepdiscountdvd.com. You might find a better price.

Thanks for the advice, Xeno! Yea, they have it for $20.99 and free shipping. Very cool

Belisarius · Post by **Belisarius** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:55 pm

Originally posted by Kanon Fodder
P.S. It's funny - when I listed Stalingrad as my choice in the "best war movie" thread a while back I was hammered mercilessly - where were you guys when I needed ya ?

Hey, I was there, IIRC

Tequila · Post by **Tequila** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 8:07 pm

Originally posted by Birdgunner
My all time favourite war movie. I must have watched it 10 times more than my other war movies I have. Lots of great actors and the jump scenes are the best. Especially considering that the movie was made in the 70's before CGI.

Birdgunner

ABTF is not my favorite but it's defintely in my Top 10 list. It has an amazing cast for sure and you're right about the jump scenes. My only beef is with that German tank in Arnhem. What in god's creation is that ugly thing? It's definitely not a tank I recognize. They did a nice job recreating the Sherman tanks though.

Opinions on the 1993 Stalingrad movie?

Opinions on the 1993 Stalingrad movie?

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