Stalingrad

Rating:
Summary: Hoplessness Epitomized
Review: The pain and hoplessness of the German and Austrian soldiers was well displayed. The film leads you in a depressing progression as winter sets in and the army becaumes trapped. The film portrays the crecendo of demoralization and health which destroyed the army. However, not enough notice was made as to why they lost the battle and the circumstances leading to their downfall. A great movie for people looking for the human suffering side of war, but not for the history buff.

Rating:
Summary: This film shows what is was like to be on the Ostfront.
Review: This would have to be one of the most depressing films I have ever scene. It starts with a group of Pioneers who have just returned from Afrika that are relaxing in Italy. They are then thrust into the most brutal battle of this century. The close combat scenes are very realistic as are the depictions of the individual soliders. The equipment and uniforms are very good. The 'best' scene in the film is the anti-tank battle. This is a must see for anyone intrested in knowing what the horrors of the Ostfront were like. The film shows the transformation of ordinary men into pure soliders who really have no place outside of the war. A very depresing film, it makes you want to go talk a walk on a nice sunny day to remove the images of ice covered Russia.

Rating:
Summary: Stalingrad? A Misnomer
Review: While this movie is supposed to take place during the epic battle of Stalingrad, this movie has nothing to do with this 6/7 month battle. If you are looking for a movie that accurately portrays this battle, this movie definitely is NOT it. Any military buff is going to be sorely disappointed. How a movie about this battle can ignore and not recreate the famous battles of Stalingrad such as the Red October factory, the Tractor works, or the Barricady Gun factory is beyond my understanding. The title of the movie is just that: just a title. The battle scenes could come from any street-to-street battle on the Eastern Front. Just put Platoon and put it on the Eastern Front and you'll have a pretty good idea of what this movie is like. Ok for war freaks who care nothing for historical accuracy and just want a "war sucks" message.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best war movies I have come across.
Review: This is a great one that is a true must see. This movie shows that war is hell and there are never real winners. This is not the movie for the faint of heart. A true winner.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best War movies
Review: If you liked Das Boot, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket-you will like this. Excellent Visually and quite profound. The only downside is the total unremitting brutality which can be wearing-like the battle I guess:)Kicks Private Ryans ass( in my view quite a dumb film)

Rating:
Summary: A film with an agenda.
Review: This is not an unfiltered look at this epic battle, but rather an anti-war, Oliver Stone-ish statement wrapped conveniently in the most devastating battle of the 20th century. It is, as well, palpably over-sympathetic to the Soviets at various points. Additionally, the film is capped by a truly bizarre bunker scene involving a few German soldiers and a Russian woman. The only saving grace for the film are some cool battle scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Exelent film production
Review: At last the germans are showing to the world their side of the war, it's very human, well documented, make up, surroundings, sound, costumes. etc.What makes it better is that does not comes from Hollywood, were all the war films are won by the allies, and never showed the truth, making fun of the german soldiers.And I am not a nazi, but from the military point of view, the truth must prevail., and not always the allies won battles. END

Rating:
Summary: One of the best war movie's
Review: This must be the best war movie I have seen, telling the story of german soldiers. When you are watching the movie, you almost feel the cold they are in. People who love war movie's will love this one. END

Rating:
Summary: What's my motivation to buy this dvd?
Review: Why does this dvd have an english (dubbed) soundtrack only. It was obviously made in german (like Das Boot), so why no german soundtrack available? Surely some people would prefer to watch the film in the original german soundtrack with english subtitles. But no subtitles either! What were the people who compiled this dvd thinking! Why not include the original soundtrack. Surely this was available.
One of the best parts of the film, a scene showing the platoon listening to a speech by Hitler (the actual recording) over an improvised radio, also has no subtitles! So good luck to anyone who would have been interested in knowing what the speech was about.

If ever there was a film that could benefit from rudimentary features like a choice of language or subtitles - this is it.

Probably one of my favourate war films. Probably the worst DVD in my collection.

Rating:
Summary: About as much fun as being there.
Review: "Stalingrad" is the most depressing film I've ever seen. Mind you, I didn't think a story about the death of 260,000 German soldiers would be as uplifting as, say, "The Sound of Music" but this movie pulls out all the stops in an effort to leave the viewer a quivering, glassy-eyed emotional pulp.

Made by the same producers who gave us the seminal "Das Boot" I found it not in that league. The film is overlong, sterotypical, and spends too much time cramming postwar German conscience pangs down the viewer's throat. Moreover, the last hour or so reminds me of those interminable scenes from "Born on the Fourth of July" that seem more interested in punishing the audience than advancing the story. The battle for, and siege of, Stalingrad, was no doubt an experience of horror and misery beyond the power of words or images to describe it, but what I was hoping for here was a German version of "Saving Private Ryan" -- high on combat and confusion, short on moralizing. Unfortunately, all postwar German cinema is filtered through the same revisionist political opinions; this explains why all German war movies inevitably leave you with the feeling like you've been punched in the stomach or clubbed over the head. After about an hour I was hoisting my own flag of surrender; but the pummeling continued.

The scene at the airfield, for example, when the wounded men are trying desperately to get out on the last transports, is very hard to watch. From what I've read, however, it seems that discipline in the Stalingrad pocket was maintained until the bitter end, and the airfield scene may more resemble how the producers of the film wanted history to unfold rather than the actual way it did. In fact, the 90,000 men who lived to surrender (all but 5,000 of whom died in captivity) did so only when they were completely out of fuel, medicine, and ammunition, and had no other means to resist; but the producers, of course, permit to trace of pride in military accomplishment to enter into their film.

Most American movies and television portray the Germans in World War II as heel-clicking cartoon idiots ("I know nutink! Nutink!"). Most German war movies portray the Germans as either villainous martinet Nazis, or cynical disbelievers who carry arms only for Germany and not for Hitler or the Party. In fact, the record shows that the Germans overwhelmingly trusted Hitler and were deeply inspired by his ideology. It is this fact, and not what was done in the name of National Socialism, that seems to sit very hard in the modern German stomach.