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Stalingrad (1992)

Director: Joseph Vilsmaier

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3 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Director/cinematographer Vilsmaier's WWII chronicle is a convincingly hard-edged movie, contextualising subtitles to the fore, detailing the most fateful hours of the European conflict. But, impressive as a monument of reconstruction, the film lacks the extra emotive dimension which would fulfil its humanist aspirations. Instead, surrounded by production values which suggest the Russian city has been demolished anew, the sentiments are very much of the war-is-hell and all-officers-are-bastards school, as a group of German soldiers is whittled away one by one during the ill-fated 1942 Siege of Stalingrad. With efficient performances that leave the big statements to the action set-pieces and a screenplay which merely hints at exorcising Nazi culpability in a single evasive exchange, the film's enveloping veracity is its most striking aspect. You'll certainly feel you've been to the Russian front - a fact which, ironically perhaps, may endear the film more to genre buffs and Sven Hassel readers than the youthful generation for whom the monolithic display of carnage is obviously intended as a bitter warning.

Author: TJ

Time Out Film Guide


User reviews of this film

  • That's the best awnser of said...
    Posted on May 31 2011 23:51 That's the best awnser of all time! JMHO
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  • ChRiiStOpHeR said...
    Posted on May 10 2010 19:49 hell ya you gotta see this movie if you like blood and guts hahahahah
    Report as inappropriate
  • OTAI EDGAR said...
    Posted on Oct 06 2009 15:12 After reading the preview of this movie, i immedately developed an intrest to watch it but i failed to get it in uganda.Hoping you can give me some advise on how to acquire it. thanks in advance
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