Cross of Iron
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| Cross of Iron | |
|---|---|
 Original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Sam Peckinpah |
| Produced by | Wolf C. Hartwig Arlene Sellers Alex Winitsky |
| Written by | Willi Heinrich (book), Julius J. Epstein, James Hamilton, Walter Kelley |
| Starring | James Coburn Maximilian Schell James Mason David Warner Slavko Štimac Senta Berger |
| Cinematography | John Coquillon |
| Release date(s) | 1977 |
| Running time | 119 - 133 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Cross of Iron is a 1977 film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn, James Mason, Maximilian Schell, and David Warner. As with most of Peckinpah's films, the on-screen action includes a substantial amount of very realistic combat utilizing his characteristic slow motion gunshot scenes.
Set in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II, the story revolves around the conflict between a newly-arrived, aristocratic officer who covets the Iron Cross and a cynical, battle-hardened platoon leader in a Wehrmacht regiment during the German retreat from the Taman Peninsula in the Crimea.
The movie was based on the book The Willing Flesh, written by Willi Heinrich and published in 1956. The book may be loosely based on the true story of Johann Schwerdfeger. [1] More recent printings of the book have been titled Cross of Iron to tie in with the film. There are several major differences between the book and film versions. [2][3][4]
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[edit] Plot
The opening credits show newsreel footage of Hitler Youth climbing a mountain with "Hänschen Klein" playing on the sound track. The footage becomes interspersed with scenes of Hitler and his companions at Berchtesgaden, themselves interspersed with scenes of German soldiers, some fighting, some after having been taken prisoner at Stalingrad. The black and white footage melds slowly into colour footage of Steiner's platoon in action.
Obergefreiter (Corporal) Steiner is the leader of a German reconnaissance platoon. As he returns from a mission, he meets his new battalion commander, Hauptmann (Captain) Stransky. Both men dislike each other at first sight; Steiner is a war-weary, working class veteran with a cynical view of the world and a contemptuous attitude towards superior officers, while Stransky is a Prussian aristocrat from a rich, traditional family, with no combat experience, having transferred to the Russian Front from occupation duty in France.
Soon after his promotion to Feldwebel (referred to in the film as "Senior Sergeant"), Steiner's company is attacked. The Germans are rallied by Leutnant Meyer (Igor Galo), who is killed in action. Wounded, Steiner recuperates in a hospital and has a romantic liason with a nurse (Senta Berger), then returns some weeks later to the front, to learn that Stransky is claiming credit for repulsing the attack, and has been recommended for the Iron Cross but needs two witnesses to his actions to confirm the award. He names his adjutant, Leutnant Triebig (Roger Fritz), whose homosexuality (illegal in the German military at that time) leaves him open to blackmail, and Steiner as eyewitnesses.
Stransky admits to Steiner his desire for the Iron Cross, which is a traditional rite of passage for the men in his family. He insinuates that he would use his wealth to help Steiner after the war, if he plays along and helps him get the medal.
Stransky's superior officer, Oberst (Colonel) Brandt (James Mason) doubts his alleged bravery. He questions Steiner, who advises that Lieutenant Meyer had led the counterattack. When pressed by Brandt, Steiner simply says "I was with Lieutenant Meyer when he died." When Triebig is questioned, however, Steiner refuses to indict Stransky. Brandt demands to know why Steiner refuses to co-operate and Steiner indicates he believes his struggle with Stransky to be a personal matter. Brandt is forced to let the matter rest.
When his company is ordered to retreat, Stransky does not pass the withdrawal order to Steiner's platoon. Knowing that a general retreat is under way and that Brandt's regiment is likely to be destroyed or captured, he secures a transfer back to France.
Steiner and his platoon are trapped behind Russian lines. Under Steiner's direction, they evade the enemy and though several men are lost, arrive at the new German positions through the use of captured uniforms. As he and the remnants of his unit approach their company's position, they are machine-gunned by men led by Triebig, who has suggested to Triebig that transfer to France would be his reward for executing Steiner. Steiner kills him and confronts Stransky.
Instead of shooting him, he invites Stransky to prove his alleged valour by helping to repel a Soviet assault, so he can show him "where the iron crosses grow". He even contemptuously turns his back on the armed officer. Stransky's Prussian pride comes to the fore and the men fight alongside each other. When Stransky's machine pistol runs out of ammunition he cries out to Steiner that he does not know how to reload it. The last frame of live action shows Steiner laughing. Overlapping his hysterical laughter is Hänschen Klein, and the movie ends with a slide show of civilian war victims, in World War II and Vietnam.
[edit] Production notes
- The film was shot in what was then SFR Yugoslavia.
- The Yugoslav army provided genuine T-34 tanks similar to those the Soviet army had in 1943. The rest of the equipment is either genuine or very good reproductions - MP-40 and PPSh-41 submachineguns, rifles, AT guns, uniforms and the medals worn on the uniforms.
- Willi Heinrich was a German WWII veteran, having served in the 101 Jäger (Hunters) Division. The unnamed division to which the characters in the movie (as well as in the book) belong is most likely this one. This is a division made up of recon and/or light mountain soldiers, whose service color is light green. This color can be seen in color tunics pipings and shoulder tabs on the soldiers' uniforms in the movie.
- The casting drew some criticism - the roles of the lead German characters were filled by two English actors (Mason and Warner), an American (Coburn), and an Austrian (Schell).
- It was a joint Anglo-German production between Anglo-EMI Productions Ltd., London and Rapid Films GmbH, Munich.
- The movie spawned a sequel, Breakthrough, starring Richard Burton as Steiner.
[edit] Trivia
- Lorenz Ritter von Stransky was a real-life nobleman and Nazi party member which died in the Putsch. Hitler dedicated his book Mein Kampf to him. However, the name of the Prussian officer in the book is different.
[edit] Other meanings
- Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech
- Cross of Iron was also the name of the first expansion to the highly acclaimed Squad Leader game series by Avalon Hill.
[edit] External links
- Cross of Iron at the Internet Movie Database
- Lyrics to "Hänschen klein" (in german)
| Films directed by Sam Peckinpah |
|---|
| The Deadly Companions • Ride the High Country • Major Dundee • The Wild Bunch • The Ballad of Cable Hogue • Straw Dogs • Junior Bonner • The Getaway • Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid • Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia • The Killer Elite • Cross of Iron • Convoy • The Osterman Weekend |
