One of Germany's biggest film productions in recent years, "Stalingrad," has opened to mixed reviews from critics and highly emotional but positive responses from audiences.
The release date, Jan. 21, coincided with the capitulation of the German Sixth Army in the battle, often described by historians as the turning point of World War II, almost 50 years to the day.The Wehrmacht's attempt to capture the strategic city of Stalingrad met fanatic resistance by the Soviet defenders, causing devastating losses in men and material on both sides. Only 6,000 of the half-million German troops survived the carnage.
Director Joseph Vilsmaier, whose credits include "Autumn Milk" and "Rama Dama," conceived the project as an antiwar film depicting the suffering and horrors caused by the German invasion of the Soviet Union with almost unbearable realism. It was also Vilsmaier's way of refuting right-wing extremist attempts to rewrite history.
Opening at 220 cinemas throughout Germany, "Stalingrad" drew 190,000 admissions during its first three days and took in some $1.25 million at the box office.
"It was very well received - not overwhelming, but the results were good," said Jurgen Buescher, a spokesman for the distributor, Senator Film.
While German critics by and large had mixed reviews and questioned whether the war film genre was pertinent any longer, audience response appeared to be just what Vismaier had hoped for. In polls taken after the screenings, many people said they'd been "deeply moved and had experienced deep feelings against war."
Recent events in Germany damaging its postwar democratic image - skinhead violence against foreigners, neo-Nazi paramilitary groups etc. - have once again put it in the global limelight.
Foreign sales of the $12.5 million production are being handled by Mark Damon's Los Angeles-based Vision International.
"Stalingrad" has already been sold to about 20 countries, including France, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Poland and Japan, with the first foreign premiere scheduled for Tuesday in Brussels. The French opening will follow on Feb. 10 in Paris, where it will be shown in a dubbed version.
There's no word yet whether the film has been sold to the United States, where another German war picture, "Das Boot," the story of a German U-boat, was successful a decade ago. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who is currently active in Hollywood, it received an Academy Award nomination in the best foreign film category.
"Stalingrad" was shot in Germany, Italy and at a former Soviet maneuver grounds in Czechoslovakia, employing a cast of some 20 actors and no less than 12,000 extras, sometimes using as many as 1,000 in a single day's filming. Lack of snow forced the entire company to make a sudden move to Finland, taking with them 13 Soviet T-34 tanks, multiple-rocket launchers, artillery pieces and vehicles, all obtained from the Czechs.
During the battle scenes, including a gigantic, panoramic tank battle, three tons of explosives and 100,000 rounds of ammunition were used.
The focal point of the action was four men from a combat engineers battalion - a lieutenant, a sergeant, a corporal and a private - played admirably by Thomas Kretschmann, Jochen Nickel, Dominique Horwitz and Sebastian Rudolph. All portrayed victims of the senseless order from Hitler to fight to the last man. In Vilsmaier's anti-war concept, however, none was a kind of hero that the audience could identify with.
This year's Bavarian Film Prize for production went to "Stalingrad." The co-producers, Bavaria-Perathn-Royal Productions (Guenter Rohrbach, Hanno Huth and Bobby Arnold) took the top award, a $312,500 prize.