Top 5 European movies about the Eastern Front of World War II
Most Western movies about the participation of the USSR in the war against Nazi Germany contain many cliches and distortions of history. But, there are exceptions.
1. ‘Stalingrad’ (1993)
A group of German soldiers are resting in warm sunny Italy after fighting in North Africa. Soon, they receive an order to head to the location of the 6th Army of General Friedrich Paulus in Stalingrad…
This German movie by director Josef Filsmeier is considered by experts and fans of military history to be one of the most authentic retelling of the war on the Eastern Front.
It is interesting to note that lead actor Thomas Kretschmann also played in another movie about the famous battle – also titled ‘Stalingrad’ (2013) by Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuk.
2. ‘The Unknown Soldier’ (2017)
This 2017 movie is the third adaptation of the novel by Finnish writer Väinö Linna about the everyday life of the Finnish army during the so-called ‘Continuation War’. Finland then joined Hitler's campaign against the USSR to regain the territories lost in the Winter War and, at the same time, to annex Soviet Karelia.
‘Unknown Soldier’ is free of the usual Western clichés about Russians as wild barbarians from the East. Yes, they are capable of actions that are not worth being proud of, such as, for example, destroying a lone car with Finnish wounded on the road. At the same time, the Finnish soldiers are also not angels – the movie includes a scene of a captured Soviet soldier being shot without trial or investigation.
It was seen by over half a million people in Finland (which has a population of just 5.5 million) and ended up becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2017 in Finnish cinema with €13.5 million.
3. ‘Downfall’ (2004)
‘Downfall’ is set in the last days of Nazi Berlin. The Third Reich is in agony: old people and children are being brought out to fight against the Red Army, officers are drinking themselves to death and the command is racking its brains over how to save this hopeless situation.
The central figure of the story is Adolf Hitler. However, while Russian viewers are used to seeing him in movies as a hysterical screaming neurotic, German filmmakers portrayed the Fuhrer as a broken, dejected, old man.
It is interesting that most of the Berlin landscape was filmed in St. Petersburg. In one of the scenes, when the Soviet infantry fights its way through the street to the Reich Chancellery, one of the city’s central cathedrals, the Trinity Cathedral, can be seen in the background.
4. 'Attack and Retreat’ (1964)
This Soviet-Italian production tells the story of the 8th Italian army, which fought against the Soviet troops in the USSR. The hostility of the local population, the contempt of the German allies, the bloody battles and the icy hell of the endless southern Russian steppes… are just a small part of what the Italians faced in the east.
One of the roles was supposed to be played by Adriano Celentano, but he could not, due to family circumstances. But, the movie stars five-time Oscar nominee Arthur Kennedy and the famous ‘Lieutenant Columbo’ Peter Falk.
5. ‘Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?’ (1959)
Young Lieutenant Wisse is sent as a liaison officer to the Romanian army of General Codreanu. However, he does not stay with the Allies for long. His next destination is Friedrich Paulus' 6th Army in Stalingrad.
This West German movie based on a novel by Fritz Wess conveys well the difficult atmosphere of the Battle of Stalingrad and the mood that reigned in the German troop positions. At the same time, the movie does not avoid embellishing the images of the Nazis, who willingly share food with the locals and even help them find work.
In 1959, ‘Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?’ won several awards at the ‘Deutscher Filmpreis’ national film awards for best direction and best art direction, as well as best movie.
