YESS, THIS MOVIE AND ITS MAKER SHOULD AND MUST BE HELD IN HIGHEST REGARD, TO DO ALL THESE SCENES IN OL SCHOOL 'FASHION' DESERVES MOST RESPECT.....THEY DONT MAKE QUALITY LIKE THIS ANYLONGER, THIS MOVIE HAD LOTS OF SOUL...UNDOUBTEDLY A FORGOTTEN GEM IN THE MOVIES INDUSTRY...IN CONTRARY TO TODAYS FCK LOW-PIECE-OV-CRAPPP!!
KYxer. Two of the toughest, bravest armies ever assembled slaughtering each other to a man. They were both serving political masters, who were absolute monsters. Yet, on they fought.
@@kevinharrison5651 And that's why they were far from capable as units - mostly young men forced into the slaughterhouse. And at this time - 1943 - it was nothing but desperate war of attrition. Compared to British and Finns who practically never lost a major battle.
@@user-mj2vq1zi1x the British have fought in major battles, no idea what you're talking about. For starters: their work at Africa, Dunkirk, then helping with D-Day. Though you gotta love the Finns defensive stance through out the war, lived the good life while fighting their war while the Soviets died in the thousands in the winter and continuation war.
For my money, Cross Of Iron is the finest and most realistic war film ever made. Peckinpah was a genius director, the editing and sound is fantastic. He certainly captured the brutality and intensity of close quarter combat. Superlative film.
@@panzerwaffel5281 I watched it. A good war movie but I remain of my opinion. Have you watched "Come and see" by Elem Klimov ? If you didn't I advise you to watch it. It's another impressive movie about WWII on eastern front.
Such a seemingly realistic account of the helpless German situation on the Eastern Front in World War Two! Can't imagine being in the helpless situation of the German soldier on that front! How surrendering to Stalin and the Red Army would probably be worse than certain death!
Guys, relax, cold war is a cold war... Westerners saying that russians weak, Easterners saying that westerners weak (germans too). Its just a propoganda.
Major Stranksy pretends he's heroic by going outside the bunker for all of ten seconds then ducking back inside while all around thousands of soldiers are being slaughtered. Only Sam Peckinpah could have dreamed up such a scene.
Sam Peckinpah's editing of this entire movie was outstanding. I remember seeing this scene in the theater and being awed by the cuts and the way the sound was layered. This was before MTV editing was a thing.
@@battaglino77 Not very familiar with Peckinpah but I plan to rectify this is in the near future. I just want to ask, is this style of fast editing and layering, intercut with short slo-mo shots a trademark of his?
Definetly. The Japaneses know very well that if earthquake begins then the first thing to do being inside is to get under some desk or table. So that German officer did very smart. I see the movie creators did not save money for military advisors.
Stransky: Sir, I'm wounded sir Sir; how did you get wounded major? Stransky ; the table sir. Sir; The table? Stransky; yes sir the table, it collapsed on me while I was hiding under it.
Whoever they got for their military advisers for the movie were spot on, for once. Your crew served weapons are always your most important and most deadly so it's important that they would be quickly remand if the crews are taken out. The Corporal jumps on the MG 42 and tells the other guy to start feeding him. Great job of how things really work in combat.
Schnurrbart deserved a medal and/or a promotion - it looks to me like he cut down most of a second wave forming up, and definitely defeated the attack, even if it was probably only a probe.
Thank the Yugoslavians. They provided filming location for many & for this film they provided Russian-speaking actors from the Yugoslavian Army (JNA) plus lot of Soviet-pattern equipment.
That wide shot with the MG42 at the end is one of the best shots I've seen in a war movie. The sound of how fast it's shooting (slower than the real thing, BTW) combines with seeing what it does to whole Russian units is far better than the usual close-ups in war films.Directors, more wide shots, please! Spread the action out and it'll be no less intense.
Michael McCabe You know your MGs. I've been fortunate to have fired both an MG34 and MG42. The 34 has a high cyclic rate, but you can still discern the individual rounds being fired. The MG42 makes a roaring sound. Terrifying.
An MG 34 firing is terrifyingly beautiful. An MG 42 was an ammunition hog that makes my penis tickle. Everyone talks the MG 42 as the best World War II machine gun. I would place it #2 behind the MG 34,. The MG 42 was more robust but burnt up too much ammunition. The MG 34 still had an amazing rate of fire but it wasn't overkill like its successor. The MG 34 wasn't quite as durable, but with proper care was still a very durable piece of equipment. Probably the best two machine guns ever manufactured and way ahead of their time.
So true, the Mg42 sounded like a loud 'Zip". At 1:22 Right gun, wrong sound, not to detract from the overall battle, love how James Mason steals every scene. Who could have done it better?
One of Peckinpah's finest films. Doesn't follow the book very well, but an excellent job of showing the German side of the Russo-German War. The story takes place in roughly April - October 1943 in the Crimea.
Вопщето не русско германская а великая отечественная война и военных действий в Крыму тогда не велось. И как бы красная армия победила , если немцы в этом фильме советских солдат тысячами убивали.
A Bridge Too Far of the same era also featured practical effects & grand battle scene. A Bridge Too Far was indeed different in storytelling, featured more gore.. limbs blown off etc.
My father-in-law was of half German and half Czech heritage and have been drafted into the German army in 1944. He talked to me many times about his experience in combat and would never wish anybody to meet Russian infantryman' in combat.
@@user-fd9fb7wj5r No, it's not any less cruel, look at Katyn forest massacre when Stalin ordered the execution of 20.000 polish prisioners, (some civilians). But soviet soldiers raped and murdered civilians just as any SS did in the eastern front.
@@Eire_Aontaithe before that polish army killed soviet military prisoners. So it is preventive against possible rebel of skilled officers. While nazis killed children and civilians
Sam Peckinpah was a great director. This and the Wild Bunch were one of the first to have slow mo in the battle scenes. He had to film it in Europe because nobody in the US would back a film that didn't have the Germans as the "bad guys". I wish that it would have had the ending like in the book and if I remember correctly, Steiner and his buddies were real young in the book. I believe the Yugoslav army loaned him the T34's, this was one of my favorite war movies.
If you would educate yourself, this quite legendary film was made with very small budget and you can see that in sound editing department. Still among my top 5 ww2 films. Cause hollywood wouldnt ever finance movie where germans are also shown to be human even winning some fights.
Best Eastern Front battle scenes shoot by gemans in such movies as "Stalingrad" ," Our mothers,our fathers" and "The Bunker". "Cross of iron'' probably was good for late 70 th,but after "Saving privat Rayan" realistic of batle scenes approached new level.
Peckinpah had it right, massed attacks, and the nice T-34 action. Saving Private Ryan doesn't count as I am comparing Eastern Front movies . Stalingrad was a damn good flick, but I still think the actual battle sequences in Cof I were better.
@@stolzzmann I don't know that Saving Private Ryan is really better than this. Cross of Iron gives a better sense of the chaos of warfare , whereas the opening scene in SPR is much easier to follow, but loses much of the chaotic element.
I really like this movie and for being a good war film for its time. The other thing I like about it is that it shows German soldiers not as cold heartless monsters, but as human beings same as any person.
Sam Peckenpagh's editing and directing are superb. He is the undisputed master of the gunfight scene. Other films with outstanding gun ballets by Him are The Wild Bunch, and The Getaway
@@SortenRavn a lot of modern-day WW2 Movies tend to force a romantic subplot, which is very annoying. For example, Ben Affleck Pearl Harbor, Enemy at the gates, and the new Midway movie.
The MG42 scene was awesom; I had read the stories about how fast it could fire, but this was the first time I had seen it 'graphically'; the funny thing is: the gun is firing much slower than a real MG42
Hitler's Buzzsaw! I was flicking through a book* about the psychology of soldiers, it stated that the British Army used to overdub the sound the MG42 in training films as they did want to demoralise their recruits... *can't remember the exact name of the book offhand but it was by an English publisher called Biteback.
@@Skullsinthecrowd oh that's interesting, no idea that they would go that far to make their soldiers believe that it would be fine to be at the opposite end of an MG42.
If anybody is interested in Eastern Front combat from the German side, I strongly recommend reading The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. He spent years fighting on the Eastern Front. Amazing that he survived!
it's really difficult for me to re-watch this film, for a number of reasons. I know Peckinpah was a raving drunk at the time of the filming and editing, but the graphic depiction of the Russian Front is simply superb. It was Soviet doctrine to get to grips with the enemy as soon as possible to negate the opponents' artillery (think, fire for effect on my POZ). therefore, close combat was the order of the day, and "Cross Of Iron" does not disappoint in this category historically.
Больше того) не знал что немецкие нордический войны двигаются как примы балета ))а каждый немецкий солдат по умолчанию физически сильнее советского) что гранат у советских солдат не существовало тоже новости) и что вместо того чтобы уже наконец уничтожить горстку балерин советские солдаты сидят на пригорке и ждут когда немец доберётся до пулемета и откроет по ним огонь) а то без косящегося пулемета ощущения не те)
то что с советских, а тем более современных говнороссийских, фильмах этим страдают немецкие солдаты тебя, конечно, не беспокоило никогда. Странно, не уж-то предвзятое мнение?
Согласен, полная муйня. Наших бойцов обучали рукопашке, пусть не везде, в отличие от немцев. И вот ещё : немцы пи.. ят по-английски . Смех! Бриты, ♥️♥️♥️
@@maximnietokramskoi5728 Рассуждать о человеке что его беспокоило, не зная его - признак завышенного самомнения и глупости. Максим, не сверкай своей глупостью на весь Ютуб.
The final of this masterpiece movie is just epic with Steiner's laughter and the children choir singing while you can see images of WWII, Vietnam and other wars. It gives chills and tears.
Yet the German soldiers are blown back into their ditches, dead and dropping from their firing positions like sacks of potatoes. 1:15 , 4:22 . And then some places where the Russians are plausibly in a firing stance, but since the movie doesn't use the cheap "muzzle flash" overlays, it hard to tell.
wow...some films manage to portray the brutality of war with stark, immersive realism or with tension that threats to burst each scene at the seams...though,this feat of filmmaking ,ive got to admit - captures the chaos of war in a manner that is gorgeous in its choreography yet absolutely terrifying in the increased desperation displayed by the Germans as they fend off the attack to buy just one more second of time in this world with nothing but the skin on their teeth. And its all portrayed with the fastidiousness of a grand concerto. This is something only a true maestro of filmmaking could achieve...real shame people tend to focus on Peckinpah's vices more than his illustrious creations.
У немцев есть командиры, а советы показаны, как стадо без организации. Западные создатели фильмов пытаются взять реванш , так, глядишь, в фильмах немцы и Москву захватят.((
The part where German soldiers broke and ran until Lt. Myer corralled them back to their positions is the exact same thing that happened in a non fiction memoir of a German soldier on the eastern front. In the book he describes a battle where their thinly held line was attacked by a mass of t-34s. Infantry in parts of the line were so terrified by this wave of tanks coming right at them, they started to make a run for it until a officer grabbed them and forced them to remain. The Germans ended up holding the line that day.
Саперной лопатой в атаку)))Не обижайтесь право,но смешно очень выглядит.Слушал ветеранов,но там они оборонялись и в ход лопаты шли,и каски и что под руку попало.
one of the best war movies I've seen! the end always makes me cry where they are shot even though they shout their password! (Democation) I think it is the blu ray version that is shown and that is why the picture quality is so good!
People been slaughtering each other since the beginning of time. Before they did it with guns, they used swords, spears, and arrows, before that, they used clubs, and before that, they used rocks. Murder, mayhem, robbery, covetousness, and hate have all been part of history since Cain murdered his brother Abel.
@@shauntaylor6040 And there is a pattern here which shows that we enjoy our slaughter of each other even though we may deny it. It shows our fallen state. In other words, there is evil in this world and we are part of it. Paul wrote in Romans 3:10 that there is none righteous, no not one. We can all do good things but when left to our own natural selves we become selfish and destructive. Its called sin. And the only remedy for it is Jesus Christ and Him crucified through whose sacrifice on the cross for our sins we can have redemption to the source of all things; the everlasting God.
Battle scene captures the chaos of battle. Captain was a thorough incompetent who tied up and a communications line and the time and attention of a superior officer rather than lead in combat. But even if he were a competent and good leader, he could do only so much he could do because he was newly arrived and thus had no clue on how to work with his men, whose confidence he had yet to earn. He never took the trouble to know his men, busying himself instead with exposing homosexuals in his unit.
As usual in American movie. Soviets do not know how to shoot, or throw grenades, or call artillery, but hey, what lungs they have! Shouting "hurray" for 5 minutes straight...
The climax of the movie is a Soviet combined-arms offensive involving all those things and T34/85s. It results in all the "Germans" dying. They really didn't look stupid at all throughout the whole film.
a) you clearl didnt wathc the entire movie because nearly all germans die in it. b) you have no idea what you are talking about. in reality this "attack" would take hours until the soviets reach the trench or the trench HKL is broken through. The fact they reached the german lines nearly unharmed in 1min is beyoned unrealistic. As far as holywood movies go this is actually really good. We got the soldiers panicking and breaking,officers scrambling to keep the paniced soldiers fighting, absolute chaos in general, the staff officer beeing compleatly lost on what is going on, HQ having no real clue what is going on, etc. There are hardly any soldiers fighting to the last or holding their position because they are soooo great and overpowered. And yes shooting was very inaccurate on all sides in WW2. On average only every 10 to 20s bullet would come close to hitting something in a combat situation. And it is not like they are all running around with bolt assault guns. If this was realistic the open soviet soldiers would have been mowed down by the mgs within minutes if they remained that open. And yes casuality wise this is also realistic, just look up the "Rzev Meat Grinder". I do my fair share of shitting on Hollywood movies depicting WW2 but this is by far one of the better/good representations!
If one understands the theme or message of this film it is one of the great war films of the 20th century. "And I will show you where the Iron Crosses grow" Futility of war.
It's a myth bullshit and western film, do you really expect western film showing truth about Red army tactics? My great grandfather fought against Nazi scums and Red army never attacked so talentless and stupid. There were some cases like that only in the first period of war. But for example, if you look at the casualty proportions in the operations led by Red army in Europe, for example Yassy-Kishinev operation, so there are 7-8 killed germans for russian 1 That is the real truth man Stories about "flash attacking of Red army" were taken from some episodes from the beginning of war, and intentionally widespread by anti-soviet propaganda
"zis ist not a probe! it's an attack in force. an avalanche! vere are my reinforcements? my swagger stik! greatcoat! nacht! the one with lil furry stip. and all za metals? ach der himmel!"
"I like the look of the explosions, they are so realistic like what I've seen in the news with all of the recent conflicts" OK, mr. judge of realistic explosions : )
In the movie it was seen that the Captain did not order and lead a counter attack therefore did not deserve the Iron Cross but I believe he absolutely deserved it for remaining strong and putting himself in the middle of the action to turn the tide of the battle. If it weren't for his leadership his men would have continued to retreat and the battle would have been lost. Under his direct leadership the men were forced back to their fighting positions and held the line. All this while being wounded not to mention this being the captains FIRST BATTLE.
It makes more sense in the novel. He doesn't leave his bunker for the duration of the attack and afterward he and Triebig put themselves forward for gongs, when it was Meyer who had actually led the counterattack.
