a worthwhile companion piece

Rating: Null/10 (1 May 2004)

I have studied the battle for Stalingrad for some time and this film presents I think a realistic depiction of the trials experienced by the german foot soldiers in that battle. Hitler had a grudge against communism and Joseph Stalin in particular, so he wanted to capture his name-sake city as a special prize. The lessons of the previous winter defeat in the attack on Moscow were not learned.
The fact that the actors in this movie are not known by the north american audience adds to the mood; the anonymous pathetic front line combatant takes the brunt of the ambitions of egotistical power mad political elite. It is not an exageration that women were fighting on the side of the Russians. I was fortunate enough to find the DVD version in a pawn shop. It includes an optional dubbed english track. It was interesting to see how the subtitles diverged from the dubbing during some of the more 'earthy' sections of dialog.
If you like war movies then you will enjoy this presentation.