Cross Of Iron (1977)
This is one of the most realisitcally put together war movies ever made about World War II. It is very contraversial because it was done from the point of view of German soldiers, but only a fool would see this thing as pro German or pro nazi. The poltiics of the movie are simply, if anything, anti war and anti authoritarian.
But what many reviewers miss, is the biting realism of this movie. The tanks (real T-34's) the fighting, the explosions, the confusion are all chillingly real, and frightening. You really get a sense of fear and danger from this which you just don't from Hollywood.
But perhaps what is most interesting, is the personal crisis of individuals caught in harms way, which is so often the focus of Pekinhpahs better movies, from "Straw Dog's" to "Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia". This film focuses on the way different people react to emergencies, horror, and facing the ongoing threat of imminent death. If you have ever been in a life or death situation you will recognize the way some people think fast on their feet, some people rise to the occasions, some falter and hesitate, others drift into fantasy or insanity.... This is where it is most interesting psychologically.
I would also add, that this is one of the few movies I have ever seen on WW II in which the Soviet Army is portrayed as the immenssely powerful war machine which it was in the second half of the war.
Other than a general (small l) libertarian mood of distaste for all forms of authority, forget the politics. This movie has nothing to do with being for or aginst certain groups of people, or anything like that. It is simply a chillingly realistic war film, and as such, something many people more used to standard Hollywood fare just don't get. If you like war films but are disapointed by a lack of realism, if you liked Paths of Glory, Das Boot, When Trumpets Fade, (the original) Alls Quiet on the Western Front, Hamburger Hill, Apocolypse Now, The Longest Day, The Last Valley, and the Samurai -War films of Akira Kirosawa (such as Ron), to name a few, you will love this one. If you prefer bubblegum fantasy like "pearl harbor" and "U571" and the war films of John Wayne, or if you put some kind of political litmus test on all movies on who they can portray and who they can't, you may not... Marjorie Dalton
ed2k Rls Info:
[misc]
Size: 1398,99 MB
Length: 127 min 15 sec
No of CDs:2
[video]
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Ripped by Alkuneekeri. :)
Torrent Rls Info:
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kbps:1262
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48000Hz 192 kb/s tot,stereo (2/0)
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