Stalingrad - Bis zum letzten Mann

I had to buy the Blu-ray disc so I could watch this again. The digital versions (my preferred way of buying) is dubbed in English which would be like watching Das Boot in English (which I have done and it is horrible) or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in anything but Mandarin.We need to keep in mind this is a Russian movie made by Russians. They have a very different view of the war than the rest of us. they lost more people than any other single nation and even call it the Great Patriotic War.Is this a great movie about the whole battle for Stalingrad? No. First of all, no single movie could cover the enormity of that battle. In the same way that no movie can adequately cover D-Day or Market Garden. These events covered far too much time and distance and involved thousands upon thousands of men. All any one movie can do is pick the part it wants to show and go from there. Das Boot, a five star war movie if there ever was one, is about one submarine, not the whole battle for the Atlantic.Now, did I find this movie overall to be particularly realistic? That depends. I found the fighting scenes to be very well done. Lack of supply lines of course lead to equipment shortages and the bombed out city was very well portrayed. And, as many have suggested reading books on the subject, you will find that much of the battle was indeed house to house and building to building sometimes with Germans controlling one floor and the Russians another floor of the same building. Urban warfare is not so simple as some reviews have suggested. So the "war" part of this movie, in my view, is excellent.Other reviewers have noted how Katya is a stand in for Mother Russia and this symbolism is heavy handed. I am not so sure. While I found the love story between Katya and Sissy (Sergey) to be a bit much, I think men in that situation, fighting a battle of their nation's leader's egos writ large, are going to look for anything they can feel good about fighting for. Would any man be inclined to fight for a country whose leaders are more willing to kill him than the enemy he faces? There will be some true believers, of course, but like most wars, it involves regular people thrown into horrible circumstances. I think this movie did an excellent job showing the difference between Russian soldiers and German or American or British soldiers. The Germans, Americans and British all had hope of going home. The Russians had two choices, die in battle or be killed by their own officers. they knew their job was to die and take as many Germans as possible with them. They knew they were not going home. They had no hope. But by adopting Katya, they at least felt they gave their own deaths some meaning.But after a second viewing, I find the German Captain Kahn's story to be the most compelling. He has been turned into a monster and hates himself. By clinging to Masha he is desperately trying to cling to his humanity that so many have lost in the war and this battle in particular. His personal battle is just as lost as Stalingrad, he just can't see it.I find the reviews dismissing this as just propaganda problematic at best. At least some have acknowledged that Hollywood churned out its fair share of propaganda. I can name at least a half-dozen John Wayne movies alone that were little more than flag waving propaganda. And even more modern movies like Flags of Our Fathers, while in my view excellent, certainly play as propaganda. Why should the Russians not be proud of beating back Germany? And, no, it was not just the weather that defeated Germany. That would suggest that if Russia had offered no resistance at all that Germany would have retreated at the first snowfall.So if you are looking for a movie that covers all of Stalingrad, then I must agree with other reviews that this is not what you are looking for. If you want to see a movie about trying to maintain ones humanity in the face of total barbarism, this is pretty well done.

I really liked this movie and wasn't totally disappointed. But I did find it long, somewhat defocused and even a bit "political" -- or politically correct for the contemporary/European fare. The basic characters/actors were sound. So was the venue. The plot was a bit predictable and dilluted. I mean, this is/was about history and the ill-fated German Army experience in rubbled out Stalingrad. A disaster of Hitlerian proportions.....an unimaginable (certainly by today's standards) human tragedy on both sides. My issue with this movie is that I think the messaging/tone was a bit TOO biased against the German Army/or Hitler's ill-advised, crazy over- extended ill-planned (and premature) Russian invasion. The graphic war scenes seems to be the main vehicle the director chose to convey that. But I mean....were the German troops (and elite Storm Troopers at that) really that 'sensitive' and caring? Really? Maybe so. I wasn't there. Maybe most felt that way inside. But I do think that any deserters in the Germany Army (especially insolent/insubordinate junior officers) would probably have been summarily shot on the spot...particularly on the Russian front. There was NO TIME for human consideration, patience or understanding...or POWs or jailees. Just follow orders....and kill before getting killed. I have to believe the Wermacht was a bit more dedicated and 'professional'...and coldly/deadly efficient. Even in Russia.So overall I found the movie a bit 'sappy', unseemly and long. The Russian solider woman and humanized boy soldier were particularly overcooked and seemingly out of place 'sketches' of pathos. Where was their consummate, permanently infused HATE??! On both sides?? I mean the Germans killed/executed/butchered so MANY Russian civilians and wounded Russian soldiers...didn't they? So did the Russians for that matter. But despite this movie was well laid out, directed and acted. Just wish there was a bit more character development and less stylized portrayals too.Again, this was WWII....and the Eastern Front with all it's savageness by both sides. Human qualities or considerations were not on the forefront of people's minds or priorities. Survival and winning was. It was a bloody, violent, desparate mess.....no good or bad guys (or girls) here. But -- if I recall correctly -- the Russians were the ones invaded by these German troops, yes? So by some stretch of definition they were "good" going up against "evil" and Hitler's wet dreams of world domination. Perhaps these German soldiers got what they deserved....even if they weren't totally 'bought into it' as this movie seems to constantly want to make a point about throughout the whole story. What did this movie teach me? Human kind can be incredibly bad/evil and good/altruistic all in a convoluted sort of way at the same time...magnified by their current harsh, deparate circumstances and forced 'agenda'. I think we're all the same underneath it all. All of us just want to live and let live.War is hell. It's that simple...that' undeniably true. It brings the WORST out of it's real actors. Before any of you accuse me of not knowing what I'm talking about, I've been there and been on the tip of the spear....very recently....just not in WWII and Stalingrad. :-) Anyway, overall a good movie worth viewing and/or buying.PACK44

Like this DVD very much timely delivery

Also hier hat ein gewisser M. Worm kommentiert man würde im Film die Deutschen als die letzten Volldeppen darstellen. Dem kann ich nur zum Teil zustimmen. Als die zu dritt einen Russen im Visier hatten, hat er es irgendwie geschafft eine Granate nach den zu werfen und alle zu töten. Mindestens einer von den, wäre bestimmt schneller als er und hätte ihn erschossen. Dann wurde er angeschossen und als Geisel zur Befragung festgenommen. Irgendwie hat er es geschafft ein Messer zu ziehen und den Kommandanten zu erstechen. Da fragt man sich, warum wurde er von einem hochrangigem Soldaten nicht vorher gefilzt?! Manche soldaten Scherzen rum und stehen offen im Visier des Gegners mitten auf der Straße und bekommen dafür auch die Rechnung. Und da hört für mich auch schon die Dummheit der deutschen auf. Kommen wir zu der Dummheit der Russen im Film. Nachdem der russische Soldat, eine Frau den deutschen Soldat beim Wasser holen aus der Sniper abknallen lies, schrie sein Kamerad ihn an, das sei nicht ok jemanden beim Wasser holen zu erschießen und gab somit der Standort Preis. Dann entschieden die sich eine Badewanne zu besorgen und sind mit der durchs Kriegsfeld rumgelaufen als wäre das die Priorität. Hygiene ist den Russen wohl sehr wichtig hahaha. Hinterher gabs ein kleines Konzert für die Katja, die gerade 18 wurde, wo ein Opern Onkel sich die Lunge aus dem Leib gesungen hat ohne jegliche Angst sein Standort zu verraten. Was ich damit sagen will, ist es ist ein Film und keine Doku. Der Film soll unterhalten und das tut er. Es hat überhaupt nichts damit zu tun, dass jemand dem Deutschen "auf die Füße treten" will. Falls man erwartet hat, dass die Deutschen, als Protagonisten dargestellt werden, in dem sie in Stalingrad einmarschiert sind, frage ich mich, ob man da in Geschichtsunterricht aufgepasst hat. Im Film sterben viele Soldaten auf beiden Seiten und keiner wird als Rambo dargestellt, der es im Einzelgang mit der ganzen Arme des Gegners aufnimmt. Der Herr Worm war aber auch bis aufs letzte Detail pingelig. Ich verstehe aber nicht die Empörung, wenn einer in Filmen und anderen Medien als böse dargestellt wird, dann ist das der Russe. Sehenswerter Film mit schönen Effekten. Viel CGI, aber wir leben auch im 21 Jahrhundert🤷 düsterer Stimmung und ein paar nervigen Stellen. Zum Beispiel wurde der Anfang und das Ende des Films an den Ohren zu dem Film dazugezogen. Die Sprecher Stimme und die Opening/end scenes, hätte man weglassen können und der Film wäre nur spannender. Anscheinend kann aber der Russe seinen Kriegsfilm (der übrigens wenigstens auf wahrer Begebenheit BASIERT) nicht dem verwöhnten Ami Filme Konsumenten zeigen, denn, es darf ja nicht sein, dass der Russe als Protagonist dargestellt wird. Selbst nicht im 2 Weltkrieg bei sich Zuhause. Dieses schicksal steht nur Brad Pitt im Film Herz aus Stahl zu. Und vielen weiteren... Ich weiß nicht mit welcher Erwartung man in diesen Film reinschaut, um so negativ von ihm zu reden. Vielleicht hat man ja erwartet dass der Deutsche der gute ist und gar die Schlacht gewinnt, obwohl der Ausgang der Schlacht und des Krieges im allgemeinen allen bewusst ist. Ja, der Deutsche wird als böse dargestellt, aber die Russen handeln auch durchaus schlecht in diesem Film. Ich als jemand, der den einen oder anderen russischen Film gesehen hat, muss sagen, dies ist nicht der schlechteste Vertreter seiner Spezies. Allgemein ist der Film packend, wenn an manchen Stellen auch ein bisschen langweilig, aber die Action Szenen wechseln das Gelaber ab und es dauert nie zu lange, bis irgendwas passiert. Von mir bekommt der Film eine solide 7/10 und ich kann jedem, den diese Thematik interessiert, empfehlen, den wenigstens einmal anzuschauen. Kein Meisterwerk, aber auch kein Flop.

Have marked it down from a 5 to a 4 star as it has no English subtitles , were the reviews said it did. What I watched picture wise was very good indeed. Other than that I cannot add anything else. But Amazon did sort it out with full refund.If you what English subs then you need to get the blu ray version, I got the 20th anniversary edition.

Dieser Film wurde 1993 gedreht und hat seine tiefe und Relevanz nicht verloren. Es ist meiner Meinung nach der beste Film über die Schlacht von Stalingrad, die es im Moment auf dem Markt gibt. Das einzige Problem: trotz HD auf blu ray hat der Film ein starkes Rauschen. Trotzdem Empfehlenswert.

Umstieg auf Blu-ray lohnt sich, besitze alte DVD die ich jetzt getrost weggeben kann. Wer Stereo über TV-Boxen schaut (hört), leidet unter Umständen am neuen Surround-Mix, da die Stimmen im Verhältnis zum Rest jetzt natürlich leiser sind, alle anderen wollen ja ohnehin das Kino-Feeling über ihre Anlage... Film schon ein Klassiker des deutschen Kinos, realistisch, unheroisch, tolle Darsteller, tolle Regie...