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Cross of Iron (Widescreen Special Edition)
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Sam Peckinpah weighs in on World War II--and from the German point of view. The result is as bleak, if not quite as bloody, as one expects, in part because the 1977 film was cut to ribbons by nervous studio executives. The assorted excerpts that remain don't constitute an exhilarating or even an especially thrilling battle epic. The war is grinding to a close, and veterans like James Coburn's Steiner are grimly aware that it's a lost cause. The battlefield is a death trap of sucking mud and barbed wire, and the German generals (viz., the martinet played by James Mason) seem to pose a bigger threat to the life and limbs of Steiner's men than the inexorable enemy. Not even Peckinpah's famous sensuous exuberance when shooting violence is much in evidence; the picture is a depressive, claustrophobically overcast experience. The bloody high (or low) point isn't a shooting; it's a wince-inducing de-penis-tration during oral sex. For a fun time with the men in (Nazi) uniform, try Das Boot instead. --David Chute | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Why Do We Watch War Movies? | |
| | Some people want blood and gore...an government sponsered slasher movie.
But for the rest of us....
Take a common rock. A common rock. Put it in the right environment. It glows like a light. It flows like water. It reaches the outer edges of our atmosphere. It even conducts electricity.
Take a normal person. A common teacher. A farmer. The cable guy. Put them in the proper environment....all of a sudden life loses all of its superficiality.... Why do institutions create propaganda that compels us to kill one another? Why do others try to gain status in that structure? Who are we really? A mere reflection of that institution/ government? What is really important to us? How do you preserve your identity in hell? What are our duties in a declining culture, a dying age.
This is a war movie! And these German soldiers are in hell! And survival is all so slim against a truely overwhelming and powerful and crushing enemy. No Panzerfaust here-- a mere mine on the tracks will have to do...
But there is, even here, a second front, a lust for status in an ugly dying world, that is willing to kill absolutely anyone for its goals.....
Who will survive and how long? And given the reality of the truths they have found, what should the survivors do?
| | True..while not criterion quality it still shines | |
| | While the movie quality is not criterion quality, it is the uncut european version in english and while it could have been worthwhile if Peckinpaugh is still alive today to give commentary on his movies, the film historian gives an excellent commentary on the making and the backround to this excellent movie.
| | Henstooth redeems itself, but is not 'Criterion' quality. | |
| | After much anticipation, I received my DVD copy of Henstooth's
second DVD release of Sam Peckinpah-directed "Cross Of Iron."
This is well worth the wait.The 'Widescreen Special Edition' is superior in video quality
and presentation. Had Henstooth 'gone the extra-yard' and released an 'unrated'
version and remixed the sound-track in '5.1 surround-sound',
then "Cross Of Iron (Widescreen Special Edition) would be
worth its weight in gold.
| | | Sam Peckinpah, in his 1977 effort "Cross of Iron", darred to look at the war throught German eyes. Thus becoming one of the handful of directors with the audacity to view the German soldiers as a humans, and not as faceless barbarians. Based upon a novel by Willi Heinrich, Cross of Iron is the tale of Steiner, and his troops fight for survival on the Taman peninsula in 1943. Thought it is not near the final stages of the war as many believe, the film depicts the turning of the tables in favor of the Soviets; after the losses at Stalingrad and Kursk. This gritty, unflinching and realistic portrail of combat on the eastern front, seems more stunning if you keep in mind the budget restraints. Authentic in almost every aspect, all the vehicles, weaponry and uniforms all flawless. The Wehrmacht soldiers are dirty and unreasted as they would be during uncessant battle, unlike many a war film which have the soldiers clean and proper. Also during filming, Soviet T-34 tanks acquired from the Czech Republic, were administered during a skirmish. At the time Peckinpah was addicted to coccain and was an alcoholic, yet through all the self-inflicted harm of his reckless life style, his directing capability remained unscathed. The Sam we know from the "Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs" is still here, with the slow-motion seens of carnage and his trademark "zooms". But aside from his usual hallmarks, he also give use a personal view of combat. Sam doesn't want to be a spectator, he wants to be a participant, and in doing so he lets us experience the noise, confusion and horror of the Russan front. The film though however great, is not without flaws. First off the casting is questionable, James Mason, David Warner and James Coburn seem somewhat out of place. Being either American of British they could have made a more conscious effort to sustain a fluent german accent. There also is some scenes, a lack of light, which can cause some confusion. Still Sam Peckinpah has left us with an enduring and powerful statement about war, honor, survival and friendship in a world gone mad.
| | | I disagree entirely with what that idiot simon gurney said. I read the novel and have seen the film, and not only is it a faithful adaptation, but the few changes which are made only ameliorate the story. I find your comment on the quality of the action scenes offensive. Perhaps you could offer me an example of better ones in a war film. Maybe if you werent so ignorant to history, you could tell just how well done those scenes are, they convey perfecly the madness, and confusion of the desperate days of the Third Reich. I do not think it is proper for you to to critize a film which you yourself have yet to watch in its entirety. I hope others will not be fooled by your groundless comments, thus missing one of the few great war films.
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