As they say, one should study not only on the victories of others, but also on mistakes and failures. Therefore, in the history of the world film industry there are many paintings that tell not only about the battles won, but also about military defeats, in the majority worthy and heroic, but often inglorious. The film Steiner: The Iron Cross belongs to the latter; this picture is very dramatic and spectacular about the military failure of the fascist troops in 1943.
Synopsis
The American director Sam Pekinpa, taking up the picture of the Germans fighting on the Taman Peninsula, wanted to create a frankly anti-war movie. In the Steiner: Iron Cross film, he sought to show not only all the horrors of a bloody war, but also the inhumanity of those who were imbued with propaganda and its spirit. Oddly enough, the picture, in which the director showed the Nazis very tough, was more successful in Germany than in the USA.
The images of the central characters in the project were embodied by James Coburn and Maximilian Shell. The shooting took place in Yugoslavia, where the director could use real Soviet tanks from the Second World War, preserved in the boxes of the Yugoslav army.
Summary
The events of the picture Steiner: The Iron Cross unfold in 1943. The main character, captain Shtranski (M. Shell), arrives on the front line under the command of Colonel Brandt (D. Mason). Among his subordinates, the cavalier of the Iron Cross, Sergeant Rolf Steiner (D. Coburn), who enjoys undeniable authority among his colleagues. Shtranski, dreaming of receiving the same award, is ready for anything, including cunning and meanness. Meanwhile, Soviet troops inexorably advance, inflicting serious damage on the fascists.
False accusations
At the time of the release of the movie Steiner: The Iron Cross, all Soviet print media outraged the appearance of the project on the world screen. Such a reaction was caused by the author’s attempt to contrast the antagonist, the fascist chief, with the reconnaissance spy Steiner in the mixed genre of western and military drama. The film was accused of distorting historical facts, justifying fascism, slandering the Soviet army and blatant propaganda of violence.
Fortunately, today, any compatriot, having looked at the tape, can easily be convinced of the thickening of colors and the absurdity of all the charges. Naturally, Sam Pekinp’s knowledge of the USSR was very conditional, this is confirmed by the naivete in the image of Russian soldiers. There is no doubt that the “Steiner: Iron Cross” is devoid of psychological depth, in comparison with the same “Straw Dogs” it lends itself to an unambiguous interpretation. But the position of the creators of the project is devoid of a trace of revenge. The drama was originally humanistic and anti-war. Just in the 70s, in the era of confrontation of the ideology and politics of the USA and the USSR, it was used as a scapegoat.
Anti war drama
The outstanding master of fighters and western, director Sam Pekinpa, in the 1977 project for the first time turned to military topics. True, his filmography by this time included films about the American Civil War (“Major Dundee”) and the revolution in Mexico (“The Wild Gang”), but they can be considered military only in a certain sense. But only in the Iron Cross did he manage to carry out his ideas on a grand scale. Even now, the demonstration of explosions and human bodies scattering from a shock wave is surprising. Although the special effects were not an end in itself for the director. They were necessary for the embodiment of his main plan. Sam Pekinpa wanted to provoke a genuine aversion to ruthless massacre, insane massacre, large-scale bloodshed, in which, by chance, different people were involved on both sides of the barricades.
Sequel
The director did not exalt the deeds of the Wehrmacht soldiers, among whom were people who behaved differently during hostilities to the extent of their valor or meanness. The brainchild of Pekingpa is more saturated with pacifism, condemning the horrors of war from a humanistic point of view. This tape is many times more honest, and most importantly, more talented than many other frankly speculative film productions, including the sequel Steiner: The Iron Cross, which was shot two years later by Andrew W. McLagen. Neither Sam Pekinpa, nor the artists who played the main roles in the original film, had the slightest relation to this film project. This time, Steiner was embodied on the screen by Richard Burton, and Helmut Grim played Major Stransky.
Plot
The story of the film "Steiner: Iron Cross 2" takes place in 1944 on the Western Front. German soldiers are already fighting not for Hitler’s ideology, but for their lives. Laconic Rolf Steiner has a reputation as a rebel who ignores the highest ranks, but at the same time, sergeant major has unquestioned authority among ordinary warriors. The hero was already opposed to death by the war, therefore, acting at his own risk and peril, he tries to end every battle with the least losses, little blood.
The inconsistencies and the sagging storyline to some extent offset by entertainment. The director saturates the story with shots with machine-gun bursts stitching through the bodies, spectacular explosions, and often uses a ragged, contrast-based editing. The creators are hard to blame for embellishing realities, but the moral degradation of the heroes is very convincing.