Iron cross (film)

Croix of iron ( Cross-country race off Iron ) is a film anglo-germano-Yugoslavian carried out by Sam Peckinpah left in 1977, with in particular James Coburn, James Mason, Maximilian Schell, and David Warner. As in the majority of films of Peckinpah, the action with the screen comprises good number of very realistic scenes of combat, in particular using the scenes of shootings filmed with the idle which are expensive to him.

The film is based on the book the skin of the men (Das geduldige Fleisch) of Willi Heinrich published in 1956. The work would be based partially on the true story of Johann Schwerdfeger. More recent republications have as a title Croix of iron to facilitate the bringing together with film.

Synopsis

In 1943 on the Russian face, during the Second world war, the history tells the conflict between a Prussian officer coldly unloaded coveting the Croix of iron, and a chief of group aguerri, cynical but sympathizing and appreciated its men. The history proceeds more specifically shortly after Stalingrad at the time of the German retirement of the peninsula of Kouban towards the the Crimea.

Background

Contrary to good number of American productions, Croix of iron is not a patriotic homage (and due, the heroes are not American!), but tries to clarify how, from the German point of view, the radically different characters do not fight any more “for Führer, the people and the fatherland” and simply try to survive the war.

This film has moreover the characteristic to use a very realistic armament, which is extremely rare. Let us note in particular the presence of authentic Soviet tanks T-34, usually replaced in films of war by Sherman more recent or tanks. The portable weapons are also well represented, in particular MP 40 German and the Soviet PPSh-41, that the Steiner sergeant uses. One can also note the use of camera to the shoulder lasting of the scenes of combat, which brings a documentary style not seen since Dr. Folamour of Kubrick or Attaque! of Aldrich. Film of Peckinpah obliges, the film exploits on the melancholy, but also the one lost time lassitude (the credits of end with its apocalyptic quotation and its photographs of files on the Shoah and the genocides since are the perfect example), Peckinpah delivers to us here one of its most succeeded films and one of most modern films of war, an astonishing realism and an unexpected violence for the time, but also of an emotion little known in the cinema of war (scene of the Russian women, the birthday and the hospital of war wounded) and this sentence which breaks the heart in love ones with our late god, Eva: " you were to turn over to toi" Steiner: " At home, I do not have any more at moi". The world is not any more for us, how could we live after what we did, and the topic of the responsibility for the survivors incarnated by the assistant of James Mason, the Kiesel captain, artist which Germany will need, " if it survit".

Data sheet

Realization: Sam Peckinpah
Scenario: Julius J. Epstein, James Hamilton, according to the work of Willi Heinrich
Music: Ernest Gold, Peter Thomas
Taken of sight: John Coquillon
Assembly: Michael Elect, Murray Jordan, Tony Lawson
Titer: Cross of iron
original Title: Cross-country race off Iron
original Subtitle: Men one the face line off Hell (Of the men on the face of the Hell)
Coming out date: : January 18th 1978
American Film
Kind: Film of war
Lasted: 133 minutes; : 119 minutes

Distribution

James Coburn Sgt. Rolf Steiner
Maximilian Schell Capt. Stransky
James Mason coll Brandt
David Warner Capt. Kiesel
Klaus Lowitsch Kruger
Vadim Glowna Kern
Roger Fritz Triebig
Dieter Schidor Anselm
Burkhard Driest Maag
Fred Stillkrauth Schnurrbart
Michael Nowka Dietz
Veronique Vendell Marga
Arthur Brauss Zoll
Senta Shepherd Eva

See too

Cross of Iron on MadMovies
Cross of iron
the medal

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