Sam Peckinpah's Steiner: The Iron Cross and its sequel by Andrew W. McLaglen

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

As they say, one should learn not only from other people's victories, but also from mistakes and failures. Therefore, in the history of the world film industry there are many films that tell not only about battles won, but also about military defeats, most of them worthy and heroic, but often inglorious. The film Steiner: The Iron Cross is one of the latter films, this picture very dramatically and effectively tells about the military failure of the Nazi troops in 1943.

Synopsis

American director Sam Peckinpah, undertaking to shoot a film about the Germans fighting on the Taman Peninsula, wanted to create a frankly anti-war movie. In the film Steiner: The Iron Cross, 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 film, in which the director showed the Nazis in a very brutal way, was more successful in Germany than in the USA.

Images of centr althe characters in the project were embodied by James Coburn and Maximilian Schell. Filming 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 painting "Steiner: Iron Cross" unfold in 1943. The protagonist, Captain Shtranski (M. Schell), arrives at the front line under the command of Colonel Brandt (D. Mason). Among his subordinates is the holder of the Iron Cross, Sergeant Rolf Steiner (D. Coburn), who enjoys undeniable authority among his colleagues. Shtranski, dreaming of receiving the same reward, is ready for anything, including cunning and meanness. Meanwhile, Soviet troops are advancing inexorably, causing serious damage to the Nazis.

False accusations

At the time of the release of the movie "Steiner: The Iron Cross", all Soviet print media were indignant at the appearance of the project on the world screen. Such a reaction was caused by the author's attempt in a mixed genre of western and military drama to oppose the antagonist, the fascist chief, with the protagonist, the scout Steiner. The film was accused of distorting historical facts, justifying fascism, slandering the Soviet army, and openly promoting 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 accusations. Naturally, Sam Peckinpah's knowledge of the USSR was very conditional, this is confirmed by the naivete in the depiction of Russian soldiers. Does not causedoubt the fact that "Steiner: The 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 even a trace of revanchism. The drama is initially humanistic and anti-war. Just in the 70s, in the era of confrontation between the ideology and politics of the US and the USSR, she was used as a "scapegoat".

Anti-war drama

An outstanding master of action films and westerns, director Sam Peckinpah, in the 1977 project for the first time turned to the military theme. True, his filmography by this time included tapes about the American Civil War (“Major Dundee”) and the revolution in Mexico (“The Wild Bunch”), but they can be considered military only in a certain sense. But only in the "Iron Cross" he managed to realize his ideas on a grand scale. Even now, the demonstration of explosions and human bodies flying from the shock wave is surprising. Although the special effects were not an end in itself for the director. They were necessary for the realization of his main idea. Sam Peckinpah wanted to evoke genuine disgust at the ruthless carnage, the insane massacre, the massive bloodshed that happened to involve different people on both sides of the barricades.

Sequel

The director did not ex alt the exploits of the Wehrmacht soldiers, among whom were people who behave differently during military operations to the best of their valor or meanness. The brainchild of Peckinpah is more saturated with pacifism, condemnation of horrorswar from a humanistic point of view. This tape is many times more honest, and most importantly, more talented than many other frankly speculative films, including the sequel "Steiner: The Iron Cross", which was filmed two years later by Andrew W. McLaglen. Neither Sam Peckinpah nor the actors who played the main roles in the original film had anything to do with this film project. This time Steiner was embodied on the screen by Richard Burton, and Major Stransky was played by Helmut Grim.

Storyline

The story of Steiner: Iron Cross II is set in 1944 on the Western Front. German soldiers are no longer fighting for Hitler's ideology, but for their lives. The laconic Rolf Steiner has a reputation as a rebel who ignores the highest ranks, but at the same time, the sergeant has unquestioned authority among ordinary soldiers. The hero is already sick of the war to death, so he, acting at his own peril and risk, tries to complete each battle with the least losses, with little bloodshed.

Inconsistencies and sagging storyline to a certain extent offset by entertainment. The director saturates the narrative with frames with machine-gun bursts piercing through the bodies, spectacular explosions, often uses a torn, contrast-based montage. It is difficult to accuse the creators of embellishing the realities, but the moral degradation of the characters is very convincing.