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Amazon.co.uk Review
It's tempting to call the harrowing Stalingrad a World War II version of All Quiet on the Western Front, since both films take the perspective of ordinary German soldiers at ground level. Stalingrad surveys the misery of the battle of Stalingrad, the winter siege that cost the lives of almost one and a half million people--Russian defenders and German invaders alike. Not unlike Spielberg's approach to Saving Private Ryan, German director Joseph Vilsmaier rarely steps outside the action to comment on the higher purpose of the war, assuming the audience is aware of the evil of the Nazi regime. Instead, we simply follow a group of soldiers as they endure a series of gut-wrenching episodes, events that have the tang of authenticity and horror. Vilsmaier has a taste for symbolism and surreal touches, which only add to the unsettling sense of insanity this movie conjures up so well. --Robert Horton
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: An epic treatment of World War II's most prolonged and bloodiest battle has yet to be made, but this grunt's eye view of that event is a powerful dramatic treatment on its own terms. Even before the storm troopers of the Sixth Army depart for the Russian front from a beachside idyll in Italy, there is a suggestion of trouble in the ranks when one of their number refuses to button his collar for a medals ceremony and his commanding officer in turn refuses to award him his medal. This theme, the conflict between the ground-level soldier and the officers who blindly follow orders, caring little for the morale of their men, is best illustrated in a terse exchange of dialogue. When a captain tries to tell Sergeant Rohleder (Jochen Nickel), 'I'm not a Nazi,' the weary, nearly frozen sergeant replies, 'No. You're worse, you lousy officers. You went along, even though you knew who was in charge.' In this movie's view, Stalingrad became less of a battle against the Russians and a more a battle for survival. 'If you start to think, you go crazy,' advises one soldier to another even before they're in desperate straits, and there are few heroes in this story, just men operating on gut instinct. The script focuses on a small company of soldiers, all of them fairly admirable, though as their number dwindles, they become divided on the limits of their duty to the Fatherland. Like Das Boot, with whom this shares a number of production personnel, this was a TV miniseries in Germany, which doesn't mean the filmmakers stint on their depictions of violence. Even if it comes up short in depicting the details of the German command's folly in fighting on through the winter, Stalingrad, like Das Boot, does transcend national rooting interest...Stalingrad
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
110 of 113 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The UK release of this film is a paradox beyond belief!
"Stalingrad" is a military history masterpiece, with a fantastic mix of action, historical accuracy, very good acting and an overall downright unbiased description of the fight for Stalingrad, and the ensuing fate of Von Paulus 6th Army.
This would make it a "must buy" for anyone with an inkling of interest in the subject, but for the way it is presented in the UK.
Instead of doing the sensible thing, and releasing the film in the original speak (German), giving the choice for subtitles or dubbing, the publisher decided to just "force-feed" us a very dubious quality, English dubbed version.
I mean, in a film of considerable drama, at points I nearly had to hold my laugh at the ridiculous German accents that the dubbers used, as it looked more like something fitting for "Allo, Allo" (in all its brilliance) than a serious war film.
Bottom line, do not buy the UK dubbed version and either buy the NTSC version in the original language (which I never had the chance to review) or, if you have knowledge of German, the German release.
Beyond the issue mentioned, "Stalingrad" is a masterpiece.
"Stalingrad" is a military history masterpiece, with a fantastic mix of action, historical accuracy, very good acting and an overall downright unbiased description of the fight for Stalingrad, and the ensuing fate of Von Paulus 6th Army.
This would make it a "must buy" for anyone with an inkling of interest in the subject, but for the way it is presented in the UK.
Instead of doing the sensible thing, and releasing the film in the original speak (German), giving the choice for subtitles or dubbing, the publisher decided to just "force-feed" us a very dubious quality, English dubbed version.
I mean, in a film of considerable drama, at points I nearly had to hold my laugh at the ridiculous German accents that the dubbers used, as it looked more like something fitting for "Allo, Allo" (in all its brilliance) than a serious war film.
Bottom line, do not buy the UK dubbed version and either buy the NTSC version in the original language (which I never had the chance to review) or, if you have knowledge of German, the German release.
Beyond the issue mentioned, "Stalingrad" is a masterpiece.
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Finally released on DVD from EIV, this disc is a disappointment. The master used is the existing tape master for the dubbed vhs release (a subtitled German language tape was also available) and as such doesn't look as good as it could (although it's a decent enough non-anamorphic transfer) and you only get the single dubbed audio option (in 2.0 surround) with pretty much no extras. The film, from the same production stable as Das Boot, is a big production so there's probably material available that could have been used to pad out the release, but as is the case with most EIV releases (that aren't just copied over from the US New Line releases) the treatment in the UK is pretty darn shoddy.
Stalingrad is a great, if occasionally hard to watch, movie following a platoon from their arrival in the titular Russian city through the Eastern Front campaign as seen through their eyes. To say that it's "Das Boot on the Russian Front" is a tad unfair but it perfectly sums up the general mood and direction of the film. It's gritty, it's grim and it's bloody and given the eventual outcome of Hitlers Russian campaign it's suitably downbeat in its conclusion. Production values are high with realistic battle sequences and the characters are given a human face as we see them facing all the hardships the Russians and their abysmal weather can throw at them.
Definitely a recommended film, but sadly not at the top of my list of recommended discs.
Stalingrad is a great, if occasionally hard to watch, movie following a platoon from their arrival in the titular Russian city through the Eastern Front campaign as seen through their eyes. To say that it's "Das Boot on the Russian Front" is a tad unfair but it perfectly sums up the general mood and direction of the film. It's gritty, it's grim and it's bloody and given the eventual outcome of Hitlers Russian campaign it's suitably downbeat in its conclusion. Production values are high with realistic battle sequences and the characters are given a human face as we see them facing all the hardships the Russians and their abysmal weather can throw at them.
Definitely a recommended film, but sadly not at the top of my list of recommended discs.
In the US it was at least treated to a dual language release with the choice of either dubbed English or subtitled German. This would be a better disc to get hold of if you can track it down.
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film provides a refreshing look at the war in the east, this time from a German perspective. A non-American influence is a rare commodity in the film industry, especially where war films are concerned. The DVD lacks interesting special features, which is a pity as the film must have a great deal of casting and directional interest. The region 2 version is quite recently released, and I think it suffers from a hasty completion. The dialogue is obviously delivered in German, and unlike Das Boot, this DVD has no way of switching it from it's poor English over-dub back into German with subtitles.
Visually the film captures the horror of the Eastern Front, and the descent into chaos of the Third Reich. All in all a good film that suffers from a hasty release.
Visually the film captures the horror of the Eastern Front, and the descent into chaos of the Third Reich. All in all a good film that suffers from a hasty release.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Disappointment
Having hugely enjoyed 'Das Boote ' this was a disappointment . Yes , it was poorly dubbed into English - I would have preferred German with English subtitles . Read more
Published 1 month ago by Terry J
Dubbing Again
Yep the dubbing totally spoils it. Otherwise a great film with some wonderful shots and a good story. If can stop laughing at the german accents its worth picking up on the cheap.
Published 3 months ago by Barry Wom
Soup in the Basket
Another poor offering for the 'Come and See' pretentious gang; totally boring, badly acted, badly produced, fails on just about every count of what a good film should be, pure... Read more
Published 8 months ago by S. J. Hannaway
Probably the best war film of all time, almost ruined by terrible...
After seeing this film in an un-dubbed, subtitled version, I can safely say it's the best war film I've ever seen, and I've seen most of them! Read more
Published 8 months ago by C. M. Cutts
a visual experience
I enjoyed this film, probably because it was cheap at the price. I totally agree with the reviewers who slated the appalling dubbing. Read more
Published 9 months ago by lycidas
Very Bad Dubbing
I was looking forward to watching the film, but when I watched it I was so disappointed, the dubbing is so bad, making the russian soldiers look like idiots, which they were not. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Pat
Why dub a great film
Oh sooo disapointed with this. Its not the film. This is a great film. Its the cheap dubbing makes it unwatchable. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Andrew M. Davies
Not as bad a dubbing job as previously reviewers have stated
Yes, the video quality was not that crisp, I do agree. Yes, it is somewhat uncomfortable to view a dubbed film that should be best watched subbed. Read more
Published 13 months ago by CO
...it was the worst of times.
Just putting in my two cents worth.
When I originally saw 'Stalingrad' during it's very brief theater run (brief in the US, anyways), I knew I would want to add this... Read more
When I originally saw 'Stalingrad' during it's very brief theater run (brief in the US, anyways), I knew I would want to add this... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Paul Lopez
Ruined good film
Completely agree with other reviews; the original German version with English subtitles would have made a massive difference. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Smith
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