Stalingrad

Starring: Dominique Horwitz, Thomas Kretschmann Director: Joseph Vilsmaier Dvd Release: 3rd November, 1998 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Colour, Dolby, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen, Region 0 Encoding Subtitled In: English

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Stalingrad is a 1993 film by Joseph Vilsmaier, similar to Apocalypse Now & Platoon in its approach of depicting the horrors of war in a very realistic fashion. There is no romanticizing about the war - there are no heroes in war & there is no love-story as in Enemy at the Gates. Sticky mud, cold rain & the ever present fear of death dominate the film. The movie follows a platoon of German soldiers in the Wehrmacht & the viewer experiences their hardships in the shattered remnants of the city.

Its tempting to call this harrowing picture a World War II version of All Quiet on the Western Front: both films take the perspective of ordinary German soldiers at ground level. Stalingrad surveys the misery of the battle of Stalingrad, the winter siege that cost the lives of almost one & a half million people, Russian defenders & German invaders alike. Not unlike Spielbergs approach to Saving Private Ryan, German director Joseph Vilsmaier rarely steps outside the action to comment on the higher purpose of the war, assuming the audience is aware of the evil of the Nazi regime. Instead, we simply follow a group of soldiers as they endure a series of gut-wrenching episodes, events which have the tang of authenticity & horror. Vilsmaier has a taste for symbolism & surreal touches, which only add to the unsettling sense of insanity this movie conjures up so well.

Thomas Kretschmann, is a German actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies, mostly as ill-fated characters. Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former East Germany. Before he became an actor, Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 19 he left East Germany & began a month-long trek to West Germany to escape Communism. During this trek he lost part of his finger to frostbite. Kretschmann crossed 4 borders with nothing other than a passport & the equivalent of $100 in his possession. At the age of 25, he began acting, starring in numerous European films & Television Series. In 1991, Kretschmann received the Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser. Popular in his native country of Germany, Kretschmann did not achieve fame in Hollywood until his role as Capt. Wilm Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski s 2002 film The Pianist. Kretschmann currently lives in Los Angeles with his long-time girlfriend Lena. one son named Nicolas & one daughter named Stella & another child whose name is unknown. In Enemy Hands - 1st Watch Officer Ludwig Cremer. Posters Of The Pianist

Editors Choice: The Pianist, Stendhal Syndrome, The Stendhal Syndrome, Stalingrad, View DVDology

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