Product: Stalingrad (2003)
Rating: 3.0
Good, but could have been better
The overall view presented was well documented by archival footage from both sides, as well as eyewitness accounts of what happened. My major complaint is with the narration. First off, the narrator mispronounces several words such as the name of the Soviet General Zhukov. The narrator pronounces it Chuikov, who was the defender of Stalingrad, not the general in charge of Operation Uranus. Also, during the beginning of Part II "The Kessel," the narrator states that "On November the 19th, World War Two took a turn for the worse." This is only true if you were German. For the Allies, this was the turning point of the war. Which raises the question: Was the narrator biased or was the narrative written for him slanted to put a more positive spin on the German invasion of the Soviet Union? Perhaps the European Union would like to paint itself in a more favorable light, even if it means leaving out a lot of information.This documentary is too long for one battle. I don't particularly like documentaries that try to paint a sympathetic portrait of armies, militarism or war. Too often these films, instead of being anti-war, end up glorifying war instead. All my sympathy goes to the civilians caught in the crossfire. My sympathy also goes to the country invaded, and against those who start the war. What was missing from this documentary were the Einsatzgruppen, Babi Yar, and the ultimate goal of exterminating Slavs, Gypsies, Jews, and the forced labor of the Soviet people. In the name of Lebensraum and hatred for "Jewish Bolshevism" they attacked Russia, and rose colored lenses are not going to be able to distort that fact.Adolf Hitler and the cult of personality worship that created the Third Reich, was adamant in its belief that they were superior to other races. Hitler wanted Germany's youth to have the eye of a bird of prey, and the heart of Krupp Steel. So when these supermen invaded the Soviet Union, they thought they were invincible against the sub-human Slavs. It's too bad that it took Stalingrad to change their minds (some never did).There have been other documentaries about Stalingrad and Barbarossa that have excellent footage such as "The Battle of Russia" produced by the U.S. Army as part of its "Why We Fight" series during WWII. It has a propaganda style suited to persuading Americans of our cause during the war, but also explains the Soviet strategy of defense in depth. Also "The Unknown War" has some excellent footage as well. All of these films however leave out the fact that Stalin purged his upper military leadership prior to the invasion, and failed to act on intelligence received from Switzerland of the impending attack.