Cross of Iron

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Cross of Iron
Original movie poster
Directed by	Sam Peckinpah
Produced by	Wolf C. Hartwig Arlene Sellers Alex Winitsky
Written by	Willi Heinrich (book), Julius J. Epstein, James Hamilton, Walter Kelley
Starring	James Coburn Maximilian Schell James Mason David Warner Slavko Štimac Senta Berger
Cinematography	John Coquillon
Release date(s)	1977
Running time	119 - 133 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Cross of Iron is a 1977 English language film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn, James Mason, Maximilian Schell, and David Warner. As with most of Peckinpah's films, the on-screen action includes a substantial amount of very realistic combat utilizing his characteristic slow motion gunshot scenes.

Set in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II, the story revolves around the conflict between a newly-arrived, aristocratic officer who covets the Iron Cross and a cynical, battle-hardened platoon leader in a Wehrmacht regiment during the German retreat from the Taman Peninsula in the Crimea.

The movie was based on the book The Willing Flesh, written by Willi Heinrich and published in 1956. The book may be loosely based on the true story of Johann Schwerdfeger. [1] More recent printings of the book have been titled Cross of Iron to tie in with the film. There are several major differences between the book and film versions. [2][3][4]

[edit] Plot

The opening credits show newsreel footage of Hitler Youth climbing a mountain with "Hänschen Klein" playing on the sound track. The footage becomes interspersed with scenes of Hitler and his companions at Berchtesgaden, themselves interspersed with scenes of German soldiers, some fighting, some after having been taken prisoner at Stalingrad. The black and white footage melds slowly into colour footage of a German platoon attack a Russian weapons position.

The movie cuts to a scene showing Hauptmann (Captain) Stransky arriving to a German firebase and reporting for duty to Colonel Brandt (James Mason), his regimental commander, and the regimental adjutant, a dis-illusioned Captain Kiesel. Stransky reveals in conversation a desire to win the Iron Cross at the same time as betraying his ignorance of conditions on the Eastern Front. The expression of his intent makes the veteran officers think poorly of him, even after Steiner dismisses it as a joke. When "Steiner's" imminent return is reported to Brandt by Leutnant Meyer (Igor Galo), Stransky is told that Corporal Steiner (James Coburn) "is a first rate soldier" and that "Steiner is a myth (...) men like him are our last hope".

Steiner is revealed to be the commander of the German platoon shown just after the opening credits, and his first meeting with Stransky is filled with tension. Steiner is a war-weary, working class veteran with a cynical view of the world and a contemptuous attitude towards superior officers, while Stransky is a Prussian aristocrat from a wealthy family.

Stransky orders a Russian boy prisoner executed and Steiner refuses; Schurrbart, one of Steiner's men, steps in and the boy is concealed from Stranksy until freed by Steiner later in the film.

Despite confronting his superior officer, Steiner is promoted to Feldwebel shortly before a renewed Russian offensive. During the ensuing attack on Stransky's company, the Germans are rallied by Lieutenant Meyer, who is killed in action. Wounded, Steiner recuperates in a hospital and has a romantic liaison with a nurse (Senta Berger), then returns some weeks later to the front, to learn that Stransky is claiming credit for repulsing the attack, and has been recommended for the Iron Cross but needs two witnesses to his actions to confirm the award. He names his adjutant, Lieutenant (Leutnant) Triebig (Roger Fritz), whose homosexuality (illegal in the German military at that time) leaves him open to blackmail, and Steiner as eyewitnesses.

James Coburn in Cross of Iron as Sergeant Steiner. It is possible to see a Close Combat Clasp in Gold, a quite rare medal, such as the Knight's Cross itself - therefore the link between Steiner and Schwerdfeger, the real-world winner of the latter

Stransky admits to Steiner that being awarded the Iron Cross is a rite of passage expected of him by his family. Stransky insinuates that he would use his wealth to help Steiner after the war, if he co-operates.

Colonel Brandt, however, doubts his alleged bravery, and when he later questions Steiner, he is told that Lieutenant Meyer had led the counterattack. When Triebig is questioned, Steiner refuses to indict Stransky. Brandt demands to know why Steiner refuses to co-operate, and Steiner replies that he hates all officers, including Brandt and Kiesel. Brandt hoped that Steiner would help him to expose Stransky, but Steiner seems not interested in informing on Stransky.

When his company is ordered to retreat, Stransky does not pass the withdrawal order to Steiner's platoon, for he is not sure on which side (his or Brandt's) Steiner's loyalty will eventually lay. Knowing from contacts at higher headquarters that a general retreat is under way and that "the Kuban Bridgehead is being written off", he secures a transfer back to France.

Steiner and his platoon, trapped behind Russian lines, evade the enemy in a series of vignettes including a tank attack inside a factory and an encounter with a female Russian platoon. Though several men are lost, they arrive opposite the new German positions through the use of captured uniforms, and radio for instructions on how to cross no man's land.

Stransky takes the opportunity to ask Triebig to "look into the situation...and take care of it", hinting that transfer back to France would be a reward for seeing that Steiner is killed. As Steiner and the remnants of his unit approach their company's position, they are machine-gunned when Triebig orders his men to open fire despite hearing the correct password - Triebig insists that the approaching men are Russians, for some of Steiner's men are indeed using Soviet uniforms. Steiner and two men survive. Steiner confronts and kills Triebig, then deserts his two surving men to confront Stransky as the Russians launch their final attack on the German positions.

Instead of shooting Stransky, Steiner tells the officer that he is "the rest of his platoon" and invites him to join him in battle, so he can show Stransky "where the iron crosses grow". Stransky takes up the challenge, and the pair advance off into the fight. Brandt sends Kiesel back to the divisional railhead, issuing a final order to spare himself and assist in the rebuilding of Germany after the war. He is last seen personally rallying his men and leading a counter-attack. At this moment the song Hänschen Klein begins to play intermittently in the background, mixed with the battle sounds. When Stransky's machine pistol runs out of ammunition he cries out to Steiner that he does not know how to reload it. The last frame of live action shows Steiner laughing at Stransky amidst explosions. The movie ends with a slide show of civilian war victims, in World War II and Vietnam, and a final quote by Berthold Brecht from his play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

[edit] Production notes

• The film was shot in what was then SFR Yugoslavia.
• The Yugoslav army provided genuine T-34 tanks similar to those the Soviet army had in 1943. The majority of the uniforms and equipment shown are correct to the period.

T-34-85 in Cross of Iron

• Willi Heinrich was a German WWII veteran, having served in the 101st Jäger (Light Infantry) Division. The unnamed division to which the characters in the movie (as well as in the book) belong is most likely this one. Interestingly, the soldier in the original movie poster would belong to the SS (due to a typical SS Imperial Eagle - short wings - being worn on the left sleeve), and no SS troops are depicted in the movie.
• Cross of Iron was a joint Anglo-German production between Anglo-EMI Productions Ltd., London and Rapid Films GmbH, Munich.
• The movie spawned a sequel, Breakthrough, starring Richard Burton as Steiner.

[edit] Other meanings

• Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech
• Cross of Iron was also the name of the first expansion to the highly acclaimed Squad Leader game series by Avalon Hill.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Cross of Iron

• Cross of Iron at the Internet Movie Database
• Lyrics to "Hänschen klein" (in german)