Cross of Iron (1977)

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

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

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:

Sergeant | Soldier | WWII | German Soldier | Arrogance

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)
Igor Galo	...	Leutnant Meyer (uncredited)
Ivica Pajer	...	(uncredited)
Nedim Prohic	...	(uncredited)
Slavko Stimac	...	Michail (uncredited)
Vladan Zivkovic	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Peckinpah

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Julius J. Epstein		writer (as Julius Epstein)
James Hamilton		writer
Willi Heinrich		novel "The Willing Flesh"
Walter Kelley		writer

Produced by
Wolf C. Hartwig	....	producer
Arlene Sellers	....	producer
Alex Winitsky	....	producer

Original Music by
Ernest Gold

Cinematography by
John Coquillon

Film Editing by
Michael Ellis
Murray Jordan
Tony Lawson

Production Design by
Brian Ackland-Snow
Ted Haworth

Art Direction by
Veljko Despotovic

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Milos Antic	....	assistant director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director
Chris Carreras	....	second assistant director
Branislav Brana Srdic	....	assistant director
Mark Winitsky	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harold Michelson	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Hildyard	....	sound mixer
Rodney Holland	....	sound editor
Ray Merrin	....	dubbing mixer
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Marton Jankov-Tomica	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Brayham	....	stunt coordinator
Milan Mitic	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Breeze	....	assistant camera
Dennis Fraser	....	key grip
Branko Knez	....	assistant camera
Lars Looschen	....	still photographer
Herbert Smith	....	camera operator (as Herbie Smith)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Josef Satzinger	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Joseph Satzinger)

Editorial Department
George Akers	....	assistant editor
Pat Brennan	....	assistant editor
Ronny Reyer	....	assistant editor
Mark Winitsky	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Robin Clarke	....	music editor
Ernest Gold	....	conductor
Gerard Schurmann	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Peter Brayham	....	action arranger
Marilyn Clarke	....	production secretary
Stipe Gurdulic	....	technical services supervisor
Katherine Haber	....	production assistant to director
Major A.D. Schrodek	....	military consultant
Claus von Trotha	....	military consultant
Trudy von Trotha	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Ron Hosberle	....	acknowledgment: archive still photographs provided by
Tim Page	....	acknowledgment: archive still photographs provided by

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• Incorporated Television Company (ITC)
• Radiant Film GmbH
• Rapid Film
• Terra-Filmkunst

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Hen's Tooth Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Hen's Tooth Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Constantin Film (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1977) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2006) (Greece) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• EMI Films
• Ekaterinburg Art Home Video (EAHV) (Russia) (VHS)
• Future Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Hen's Tooth Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2009) (Thailand) (DVD)
• Lumiere Home Video
• Lumière (Brazil) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia
• Warner Home Video

Other Companies

• Jadran Film  technical and production facilities

Also Known As:

Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz (West Germany)

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:

Sgt. Steiner, as an officer at the hospital notes, "has been highly decorated." His awards: the Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class (rarely awarded to enlisted men), the Silver Wound Badge (3 separate times wounded), the Infantry Assault Badge (combat in 3 separate battles) and the rare Gold Close Combat Bar.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During Sgt Steiner's hospitalization for wounds, he yells from the hospital balcony to a driver below, "Corporal, hold that truck!" However, the rank insignia on the driver's shoulder straps clearly indicates that he is a Senior Sergeant.

Quotes:

Captain Stransky: All right. I'll do it. I will show you how a Prussian officer fights.
Sargeant Steiner: And I will show you where the Iron Crosses grow.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Steiner - Das eiserne Kreuz, 2. Teil (1979)

Soundtrack:

Oh, Du wunderschöner Westerwald

Underrated Classic

When Nazi Germany invaded The Soviet Union in 1941 it led to the worst carnage in human history . From June 1941 to the final battle of Berlin in April 1945 the conflict between the Nazis and red army cost the lives of 35 million people. IF you look upon the war between Hitler and Stalin as being separate from all the other campaigns of conflict in the second world war then the campaign in Eastern Europe is the bloodiest conflict in the history of mankind. Something that seems very unlikely to be exceeded . Alas however western film makers seem reluctant to acknowledge this . Off the top of my head I can think of only 3 American / European movies to be set on the Eastern front: ENEMY AT THE GATES , STALINGRAD and CROSS OF IRON.

I first saw CROSS OF IRON in 1983 and have seen it umpteen times since then. This is an intelligent anti war classic and I never get bored with it. James Coburn , star of many a forgettable lightweight caper movie is perfect as the cynical Sgt Steiner. For the first time in his career he shows he has presence and probably gives his best performance in any film . James Mason is also good , though you have admit has Mason ever been bad ? but the best performance award goes to Maximillian Schell as the villain of the piece. It`d be all too easy to have Schell as a goosestepping Nazi , but Schell`s character is a Prussian aristocrat opposed to fascist egalitarianism . He dislikes the Nazis almost as much as Steiner does.

That`s one of many good aspects of the script , it`s so thoughtful and with one exception it doesn`t show any of the Germans as out and out idealogue fascists. But notice the couple of ironic touches in the film where people say the excuse of " I obey orders. It was none of my doing. I was not responsible " Something that has been said a lot of times during the last century , and the century before that , and the one before that. Guess if you travelled a thousand years` in the future we`d still be hearing that. I also find the script perfectly paced, CROSS OF IRON lasts nearly two and a half hours but no matter how many times I watch it I never find it dragging in any way. I sometimes watch SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but I only watch the first half hour and last half hour `cos the middle of SPR is totally tedious. CROSS OF IRON has a much better script.Maybe the battle scenes of SPR are slightly more gory but at best they`re only as good as the ones in this film. I`d say this is Peckinpah`s best film . The editing during the battle scenes are absolutely superb as we see Soviet soldiers in slo mo , Germans in real time, cutting back to Soviets in real time then Germans in slo mo. Then seeing a cross cut with a Soviet and German dying at the same time.

A classic and unforgivably forgotten film set during the worst conflict in history . In my opinion the greatest WW2 film ever surpassing even DAS BOOT