About
On the Eastern front in 1943, the German soldiers no longer had any ideals. They were not fighting for the Party—but for their lives!
Themes:The Horrors Of WarCamaraderie In AdversityMoral AmbiguitySurvivalThe Cost Of AmbitionMan Vs. NatureDiscover Similar ThemesMood:Heart-WrenchingTragicBleakIntenseGrittyDiscover Similar Mood
It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.
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Battle For Strategic PositionDesertion From DutyHarsh ConditionsMoral Dilemmas In WarLife On The Front LinesAnti-War SentimentMilitary CamaraderieLeadership ChallengesQuest For SurvivalUnfulfilled Ambitions




Cinematic Style




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Crew
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah, John Coquillon, Bert Batt
Produced by: Wolf C. Hartwig, Alex Winitsky, Arlene Sellers
Composed by: Ernest Gold
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 Treibig

Dieter Schidor
Anselm

Burkhard Driest
Schütze Maag

Fred Stillkrauth
Unteroffizier Schnurrbart
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