Cross of Iron (1977)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

Julius J. Epstein (writer)
James Hamilton (writer)

Release Date:

28 tammikuu 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

The Power of Peckinpah Has Never Been So Real...Or So Brilliant!

Plot:

In 1943, in the Russian front, the decorated leader Rolf Steiner is promoted to Sergeant after another successful mission...

Plot Keywords:

Squad | Sergeant | WWII | Soldier | German Soldier

Awards:

1 win

Cast

James Coburn	...	Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner
Maximilian Schell	...	Hauptmann Stransky
James Mason	...	Oberst Brandt
David Warner	...	Hauptmann Kiesel
Klaus Löwitsch	...	Unteroffizier Krüger
Vadim Glowna	...	Gefreiter Kern
Roger Fritz	...	Leutnant Triebig
Dieter Schidor	...	Anselm
Burkhard Driest	...	Schütze Maag
Fred Stillkrauth	...	Gefreiter Schnurrbart ('Private Mustache') (as Fred Stillkraut)
Michael Nowka	...	Dietz
Véronique Vendell	...	Marga
Arthur Brauss	...	Pg. Zoll
Senta Berger	...	Eva
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Rietty	...	German Officer (voice)

Also Known As:

Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz (West Germany)
Rautaristi (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

132 min | USA:119 min

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English | Russian | French | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:M (alternate rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Italy:T | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Obrov, Slovenia

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

The lyrics to the famous 'Kinderlied' which is played over the montage at the beginning of the movie are, in German: Hänschen klein Geht allein In die weite Welt hinein. Stock und Hut Steht im gut, Ist gar wohlgemut. [first verse] Which, translated, means: Little John He has gone Out to see the world alone Staff and hat, Look at that, He's one happy cat. But his mommy cries a lot Now she has no Johnny got. "Fortune find, But you mind, Come back to your kind." Seven years, Joy and tears, John in many lands appears. Then he thought That he ought To go home and got - But now he's no Johnny small, No, he is now big John tall. Tall and tanned, Face and hand. Will they know this man? One, two, three Pass and see, Don't know who this man might be. Even Sis: "Who is this?" Knows not who he is. Then along comes mother dear, Barely sees his eyes so clear, Says: "My son, Welcome home, God bless you my son." [all verses]

Goofs:

Factual errors: Lieutenant Triebig and Captain Stransky have an enlisted orderly to assist them. However, lieutenants and captains, because of their relatively low rank, were not authorized to have orderlies.

Quotes:

Kern: Do you believe in God, Sergeant?
Sargeant Steiner: I believe God is a sadist, but probably doesn't even know it.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Im Feldquartier

If you like (anti-)war movies like All Quiet on the Western Front than this is a movie you shouldn't miss

I have to admit that I had some reserves about this movie before watching it. Although my mother told me this is one of her favorite war movies ever (yes I know, it may sound a bit strange, but we have the same taste for war movies), I also saw a rather bad score on IMDb (about 6.6 at the time). Well, now that I've seen it, I can only say that this movie will be in my top 5 of war movies. This movie shows war the way it actually is: dirty, deadly, tragic,... and with plenty of losers, but no winners. In this movie you won't find any glorification of fake patriotism or dying for a good cause that only politicians in their ivory towers seem to know. No, this movie shows the war in its purest and most horrifying form.

It brings us the story of Rolf Steiner, a veteran hardened by the war, who leads his men through every battle and dangerous situation, but who also takes care that they will survive the madness. Than a Prussian officer, who volunteered to leave the quiet, battle-free world of France for the real action in Russia, joins his fighting group. The man thinks of only one thing: to get an iron cross as fast as possible, so his family can be proud and shouldn't see him as a disgrace to their military tradition. This leads to a lot of problems between the two of course and gradually the tension cumulates until it explodes...

I don't know if the story is based on true facts, but the movie certainly gives a good idea of what the war at the Eastern Front was like, especially after the Germans had suffered a major loss in Stalingrad. They had to retread, but had to take care that they didn't get overwhelmed by the Soviet troops when doing so; a lot of the man had lost faith in victory; no prisoners were taken, but were shot at the spot; optimism had made place for cynicism ... It all feels very real and believable.

And the feeling of realism can also be found in the way of filming. Some might say Peckinpah experimented too much with slow-motion, hand-held camera's,... but personally I believe it only gives an extra dimension to this movie, giving it that extra touch that makes it different from so many mediocre Hollywood productions. I really liked the way he followed the action closely, making you feel like you are part of it yourself, but what really sparked my interest was the contrast between the child's voice singing a "happy" song and the images of the horrors of the war at the beginning and the end of the movie. That really made shivers go down my spine.

If I thought about anti-war movies, I always used to name the World War I classic "All Quiet on the Western Front" (the 1930 version as well as the remake from 1979), but from now on I'll have to add one extra movie: Cross of Iron. If you are a fan of realistic (anti-)war movies, than this is a movie you shouldn't miss. I give it a 9/10.