CONSENSUS #35 Cross of Iron (1977)

 

SYNOPSIS: A squad of German soldiers is fighting on the Eastern Front after the Battle of Stalingrad. They are led by an anti-hero named Steiner (James Coburn). The men are just trying to survive the war and deal with their status as pawns within the Wehrmacht. Steiner clashes with their new commanding officer (Maximilian Schell) who is a blue blood intent on winning the Iron Cross. The movie goes from last stand to lost patrol as the men hold off a Russian attack and then have to retreat back to German lines.

BACK-STORY: “Cross of Iron” is a war movie set on the Eastern Front in World War II.  The film was Sam Peckinpah’s last great feature and his only war movie. He supposedly was heavily drinking during the shoot. The movie is based on the novel "The Willing Flesh" by Willi Heinrich. The movie follows the book fairly closely. The movie was filmed on location in Yugoslavia with the cooperation of the Yugoslavian army. Because the production ran out of money, the ending had to be improvised. The release met with mixed reviews and it did not do well at the box office. Its reputation has been rising over the years, however.

Belle and Blade  =  2.5

Brassey’s              =  4.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  3.1

Military History  =  #64

Channel 4             =  #37

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  yes

Rotten Tomatoes  =  no

 

TRIVIA:  Wikipedia, imdb

1.  The movie is set on the Eastern Front in 1943 after the Soviet victory at Stalingrad.  The Soviets are attacking the German salient at Kuban on the Taman Peninsula.

2.  The exterior scenes were filmed in Yugoslavia because the Yugoslavian Army could provide WWII era equipment like T034 tanks.  It also provided 1,600 soldiers for extras.

3.  The movie was a joint Anglo-German production.  One of the producers, Wolf Hartwig, had made porn films. 

4.  The was Sam Peckinpah’s only war film.  He supposedly drank four bottles of whiskey and vodka a day and slept only 3-4 hours.

5.  Robert Shaw turned down the Steiner role over money. 

6.  The film was not successful in America, but did very well in Germany.

 
OPINION: “Cross of Iron” is a special movie. There is no other war movie quite like it. It has the Peckinpah touch throughout it – the trademark slow motion violence, the iconoclastic anti-hero, the lack of respect for authority. An American war movie concentrating on Germans on the Eastern Front is pretty rare.  The movie is certainly action-packed with lots of explosions. It is a great combat movie and has several combat scenes that are among the best filmed. It does have its exposition parts (which are necessary to develop the conflict between Steiner and Stransky and to explain Brandt’s role in the triangle), but the movie is definitely not wordy.

The movie is an excellent depiction of small unit warfare, but it also gives a taste of command. Brandt is a sympathetic soldiers-general and Keisel represents another type – the cynical staff officer. Stransky is yet another type – the chicken-hearted glory hound. Steiner portrays the hardened NCO who cares more for the survival of his men than the “big picture”. The movie is refreshingly free of the stereotyped evil Nazis. Stransky is not a Nazi – he is an aristocrat who is fighting for his family honor, not Hitler.

The acting is outstanding. Coburn deserved an Academy Award nomination and has one of his best roles. He is perfect as Steiner. He is ably supported by Mason, Warner, and Schell. I especially enjoyed Warner’s cynical Keisel. He is riveting whenever he appears. Schell is appropriately loathsome. The unknown actors who make up the squad also do a good job.

If you want a war movie that is adrenalin-fueled and well-acted, try “Cross of Iron”. It is not subtle, but it is not one-dimensional either. It seems comfortable at #35 and is much better than “The Thin Red Line”.  And infinitely better than the next movie.