The Super Network

Dir: Joseph Vilsmaier
Starring: Dominique Horwitz, Thomas Kretschmann, Jochen Nickel, Sebastian Rudolph, Sylvester Groth, Martin Benrath, Dana Vavrova

The Film:
I almost feel ashamed to say I had not heard of Stalingrad the film until recently, which is quite odd because of what type of film this is. War World II films are nothing new, and there are plenty of them out there. However I can’t really recall any that I have seen that place the audience with what we would refer to as ‘the enemy’.

The film is a story about the battle of Stalingrad, a big benchmark for the Third Reich. The film is seen through the eyes of the German officers who were there, and what they went through under the rule of sadistic men. The events are depicted in graphic ways, and are a reminder that in war nothing is as clear-cut as you may think.

This honestly wasn’t easy to watch but usually serious war films aren’t. What happens during the course of the film will be eye opening for many people, as I am sure it has been since its release some 20 years ago. No the German army is not portrayed in a good light, and what these soldiers go through really makes you think about their situation and how many men went through similar situations. There isn’t a real sense of loyalty throughout the army, and it is amazing how fierce personalities can get control of people.

The film actually looks somewhat dated now, but it kind of adds to its charm and raw atmosphere. It is quite detailed with scenery and battles, costumes and locations look fantastic and it shows there was a lot of care taken with the production. The direction and script were really solid and I was quite impressed with how it all turned out.

Performance wise, most do a pretty good job. There were a few slips here and there, with some scenes playing out a bit campy for no real reason. But in the key scenes they all worked extremely well and the cast should be commended for their efforts, I can’t imagine this was an easy shoot. One of the scenes later in the film are really brutal and emotionally draining.

I am not sure that everyone will have the same feelings I had about this, I cannot really comment on the accuracy of any of this. While it is based on fact, it isn’t 100% true, and I am sure there are things that were exaggerated in order to get the anti-violence message across. But as a work of cinema and in telling a story it really is successful and a stunning achievement. While it does drag a little in parts, it is a solid effort and I am sure people will get something out of it.

This is a great opportunity with its DVD release in Australia for it to find a new audience and reconnect with whom might have since forgotten it. My recommendation, seek this one out.

The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.

Rating:

DVD details here.

Thanks to Bill (Gryphon Entertainment) care of The Analogue Titles for the copy.