Stalingrad

Jurij Ozerov had a special privileged position in the Soviet film industry. He directed war films with a generous budget, which suffocated Soviet cinema because, for each of these grandiose films full of military technology, ten smaller and possibly better film projects could have been made. He logically had the support of official circles, so in individual scenes, we see dozens and hundreds of moving tanks, a huge number of extras, and the sky filled with airplanes. These parts of the film will be appreciated primarily by fans of military technology and military history, and Ozerov could have been engaged by any of the associations that organize historical shows imitating famous battles of the past today. On the other hand, working with actors, having a sense of detail, and real acting are things Ozerov was never good at. When I compare this film with the American films about Vietnam made in the 80s, the comparison is dismal. Individual soldiers do not mean much to Ozerov, as he focuses on the decision-making of generals and political figures. There are several scenes with pathos typical for Soviet war productions, and the dialogues are limited to proclamations and slogans. Ozerov's view of war corresponds to the official Soviet interpretation, so Stalin is portrayed slightly negatively in the spirit of perestroika, but the Soviet military leadership, which was extremely ineffective and caused immense suffering to the soldiers and the population, is not subject to fundamental criticism. Paulus, as the supreme commander of the encircled German army, is given little space and portrayed in a relatively favorable light due to his role, which he played in Soviet captivity and later in the GDR, where he did a lot of work for the Soviets in propaganda. Overall impression: 25%. (13/07/2008)