Cross of Iron [Blu-ray]

Director: Sam Peckinpah Sam Peckinpah

Overview

A quote from Bertolt Brecht ends this bitter and angry war film by Sam Peckinpah: "Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again." Peckinpah's intense and belligerently non-commercial work, (based on the book by Willi Heinrich), is a World War II tale told from the German perspective, following a platoon of German soldiers in the Russia of 1943, when the German Wehrmacht forces had been decimated and the Germans were retreating along the Russian front. James Coburn is Steiner, a German corporal and recipient of the Iron Cross who feels that he owes his loyalty to his family and fellow soldiers and not to Hitler and the German war machine. But when a new commander, Captain Stransky (Maximillian Schell), takes over the platoon, Steiner and Stransky come into immediate conflict. Stransky is a career soldier, the complete opposite of Steiner, and a man who pledges himself heart and soul to Hitler and the war. But he envies Steiner for having been awarded an Iron Cross and deeply desires one himself. The problem is Stransky is a complete coward and recognizes that the only way he can be awarded an Iron Cross would be to get the bitter Steiner on his side.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/23/2018
UPC:	0759731711227
Original Release:	1976
Rating:	R
Source:	Henstooth Video
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	2:13:00
Sales rank:	5,657

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Film Scholar Stephen Prince, Author of Savage Cinema Plus 110 minutes of bonus materials including: Passion & Poetry - Sam Peckinpah's War (42 min); On location interviews with Sam Peckinpah, James Coburn, Maxmillian Schell; James Mason & David Warner; Kruger Kisses Kern ; Letters from Vadim & Sam; Vadim & Sam-Father & Son; Cutting Room Floor; Mike's Home Video; Steiner & Kiesel Meet Again; German Trailer ; US TV Spot; US Trailer; Steiner in Japan

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Coburn	Unteroffizier Feldwebel Rolf Steiner
Maximilian Schell	Hauptmann Stransky
James Mason	Oberst Brandt
David Warner	Kiesel
Roger Fritz	Triebig
Senta Berger	Sister Eva
Fred Stillkrauth	Schnurrbart
Burkhard Driest	Maag,Maag
Vadim Glowna	Kem
Dieter Schidor	Anselm
Michael Nowka	Dietz
Veronique Vendell	Marga
Arthur Brauss	Zoll
Slavko Stimac	Mikael
Klaus Löwitsch	Unteroffizier Krüger
Igor Galo	Leutnant Meyer
Sweeney MacArthur	Boy Soldier
Ivica Pajer	Actor
Nedim Prohic	Actor
Thomas Braut	Unteroffizier Feldwebel (S/Sgt.) Rolf Steiner
Heinz Engelmann	Oberst (Col.) Brandt
Katherine Haber	Nurse Sadie Finkelstein
Wolfgang Hess	Schütze Maag
Thomas Piper	Hauptmann (Capt.) Kiesel
Hermina Pipinic	Ruskinja
Demeter Bitenc	Capt. Pucher
Robert Rietty	German Officer
Dragomir Stanojevic	Corporal Joseph Keppler
Ernest Gold	Conductor,Composer
Klaus Lowitsch	Actor

Technical Credits

Walter Kelley

Julius J. Epstein

James Hamilton

Herbert Asmodi

Sam Peckinpah	Director
Walter Kelley	Screenwriter
Julius J. Epstein	Screenwriter
Richard Richtsfeld	Special Effects
Arlene Sellers	Executive Producer,Producer
Wolfgang Hartwig	Producer,Producer,Executive Producer
Alex Winitsky	Executive Producer,Producer
James Hamilton	Screenwriter
Lew Grade	Executive Producer
Robin Cutteridge	Special Effects
Peter Brayham	Stunts
Herbert Taschner	Sound Effects
Herbert Asmodi	Screenwriter
Helmut Klee	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Sam Peckinpah's only war film has intensity and action to spare, but sadly lacks the consistency and scope of classics like The Wild Bunch. The best feature of Cross of Iron is its stellar cast. James Coburn keeps Steiner from becoming a macho cliché by investing him with a tormented soulfulness, Maximillian Schell hits the right blend of snobbery and sociopathic deviousness as the autocratic Stransky and David Warner and James Mason give the film a touch of humanity with their work as a pair of war-weary senior officers. Despite an obvious low budget, John Coquillion's skillful cinematography finds the visual poetry in the film's grimy locations and Ernest Gold enhances the film's grandeur with a grand orchestral score that is both haunting and rousing. Finally, Sam Peckinpah uses his trademark editing techniques to create a series gut-wrenching set pieces; highlights include a scene where Steiner and his men ambush a Russian unit by posing as prisoners of war and a haunting scene where Steiner is tormented by hallucinations in a veteran's hospital. The problem with Cross of Iron is that it shows all the clear signs of being made in a rush. The roughly hewn script periodically loses focus, the varying accents of the international cast seldom match, and the battle scenes suffer from a lack of scope due to the film's much-publicized budget woes. Worst of all, the film abruptly ends in a cryptic and unexpected manner that suggests the filmmakers lacked the funds or time to shoot a proper finale. Despite all these annoying flaws, Cross of Iron is a worthwhile if inconsistent effort that offers enough solid moments for Peckinpah enthusiasts thanks to the commitment of its filmmakers and cast.

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