I watched this movie today, October 17, 2022, nearly 30 years after its release on YouTube because I wished to understand the German perspective, as told by the producers' lens, of how this particular historic battle affected German soldiers at a personal level.
1) "Stalingrad" Is Too Sentimental Without Necessary Battle Scenes to Back It Up.
War is a brutal experience. No war is peaceful. Hence, when "Stalingrad" tries to portray the humans' sentimental side for the good, there should be sufficient factual backup for such emotional portrayal. Given the fact that the WWII generation has almost died off, there is little comparison at a personal level, at least in my existing knowledge, between what the movie is trying to portray and what I know as a fact of the true German experience at the battle scene when it comes to how German soldiers interreacted with their Soviet counterparts at Stalingrad and, off the battle scenes, with the local civilians during the battle. For instance, the movie gives a scene of a short truce in order for the Soviet side to pick up its wounded soldiers from the battle ground. My question is: Did that ever truly happen? In addition, there are some vivid scenes of German soldiers trying to protect a young Russian boy from being shot by a firing squad, of course without success. In the intense battle scenes of Stalingrad, could that ever have occurred? I kept asking myself those questions again and again during the movie. What truly impresses me is the plot where three German soldiers were trying to escape back to their fatherland by pretending to be wounded soldiers. That plot is believable because, as happened throughout human history, soldiers, too, wanted to live on, instead of dying without a productive purpose.
2) German War Movies Need Not Be Apologetic for Germany's Role in WWII
War movies are a reproduction of past battles from the producer's perspective, which may be told in less than perfect tones about what truly happened. However, a lesser version of true human experience, even when told from the loser's perspective, need not spell justice for one side or the other. Viewers know the historic truth already. The producer's role is to go beyond an artistic representation, and to provide a balanced understanding of the war, particularly when it comes to human sufferings shared by both sides. In and by doing that, German war movies about WWII need not be apologetic if their objective is to give a lifelike version of German soldiers' true experience, both positive and negative. "Stalingrad" steps beyond that line by saying too much, through body language or actual actor lines as to how Germany is still sorry about its role in WWII. The past is past. P. S. As I recall, Berlin, which I visited for the first time in May of 2018, still features a Soviet victory moment with an actual T-34 tank as part of it. Why would Germany still keep such a Soviet monument at the site? Watching "Stalingrad", you would understand why.
3) "Stalingrad" Is Worth Watching at Least Once to Understand Where Germany Stands Today.
The ongoing Russian-Ukraine war, or President Putin's "special military operation", provides a better understanding of the mentality of today's Germany in terms of its view of itself in WWII versus what role it should be playing today on the international scene. Germany under its current chancellor Scholtz almost makes me pity the German people for never having grown up from their collective past inherited from Hitler's Germany. In spite of its vital interests being hurt so badly - so much so that German citizens today are asked to wash "only four parts of their body" during their daily shower - the Scholtz government follows the United States' lead like little puppy without its own thinking mind. That reality is almost an extension of the make-believe German mentality portrayed by the move "Stalingrad" 30 years down the line. It is time to grow up, Germany. You deserve better.
1) "Stalingrad" Is Too Sentimental Without Necessary Battle Scenes to Back It Up.
War is a brutal experience. No war is peaceful. Hence, when "Stalingrad" tries to portray the humans' sentimental side for the good, there should be sufficient factual backup for such emotional portrayal. Given the fact that the WWII generation has almost died off, there is little comparison at a personal level, at least in my existing knowledge, between what the movie is trying to portray and what I know as a fact of the true German experience at the battle scene when it comes to how German soldiers interreacted with their Soviet counterparts at Stalingrad and, off the battle scenes, with the local civilians during the battle. For instance, the movie gives a scene of a short truce in order for the Soviet side to pick up its wounded soldiers from the battle ground. My question is: Did that ever truly happen? In addition, there are some vivid scenes of German soldiers trying to protect a young Russian boy from being shot by a firing squad, of course without success. In the intense battle scenes of Stalingrad, could that ever have occurred? I kept asking myself those questions again and again during the movie. What truly impresses me is the plot where three German soldiers were trying to escape back to their fatherland by pretending to be wounded soldiers. That plot is believable because, as happened throughout human history, soldiers, too, wanted to live on, instead of dying without a productive purpose.
2) German War Movies Need Not Be Apologetic for Germany's Role in WWII
War movies are a reproduction of past battles from the producer's perspective, which may be told in less than perfect tones about what truly happened. However, a lesser version of true human experience, even when told from the loser's perspective, need not spell justice for one side or the other. Viewers know the historic truth already. The producer's role is to go beyond an artistic representation, and to provide a balanced understanding of the war, particularly when it comes to human sufferings shared by both sides. In and by doing that, German war movies about WWII need not be apologetic if their objective is to give a lifelike version of German soldiers' true experience, both positive and negative. "Stalingrad" steps beyond that line by saying too much, through body language or actual actor lines as to how Germany is still sorry about its role in WWII. The past is past. P. S. As I recall, Berlin, which I visited for the first time in May of 2018, still features a Soviet victory moment with an actual T-34 tank as part of it. Why would Germany still keep such a Soviet monument at the site? Watching "Stalingrad", you would understand why.
3) "Stalingrad" Is Worth Watching at Least Once to Understand Where Germany Stands Today.
The ongoing Russian-Ukraine war, or President Putin's "special military operation", provides a better understanding of the mentality of today's Germany in terms of its view of itself in WWII versus what role it should be playing today on the international scene. Germany under its current chancellor Scholtz almost makes me pity the German people for never having grown up from their collective past inherited from Hitler's Germany. In spite of its vital interests being hurt so badly - so much so that German citizens today are asked to wash "only four parts of their body" during their daily shower - the Scholtz government follows the United States' lead like little puppy without its own thinking mind. That reality is almost an extension of the make-believe German mentality portrayed by the move "Stalingrad" 30 years down the line. It is time to grow up, Germany. You deserve better.