A dose of honesty for the good captain, very well played by James Mason. By the stage of WW2 portrayed, it must have been brutally obvious at all levels to the largely well-educated German officer corps that Germany was in deep trouble with much worse to come. Nothing they could do about it except fight on.
I really love this movie...... it seems to be "there", among these defeated soldiers, in a terrible war already lost. Coburn, Warner and Mason are three incredible actors.
Great movie... but the book is better. Indeed, the version titled THE WILLING FLESH is even better, because it's about 70 pages longer than the abbreviated version, THE CROSS OF IRON. You learn much more about all the major characters. Of course, the author, Willi Heinrich, fought in the war and describes scenes and personalities as he witnessed them.
I would think the title of this movie should be: "Hitler's Fried Egg" because it is a higher award than the EK1, but lower than the RK. The RK being almost unattainable statistically.
This scene...in my mind...was a little bit inaccurate. Very rarely did German Sergeants answer with such audacity to an Officer. Much less with outright disrespect. But this late in the war...and on the Eastern front...occasionally Officers looked the other way when brave and over-worked sergeants had moments of carelessness and/or stupidity regarding the rules of Officer/Sergeant ettiquette. To sum up- this happened...but very very rarely in the HIGHLY disciplined German Wehrmacht of WW2. More often than not if and when it did happen the offending sergeant would have been busted down in rank immediately. But a war hero might have been spared that indignity...to give a nod to Sam Peckinpaw's logic here.
There are good and bad officers in all armies, so Steiner is going a bit too far in saying he hates ALL officers.For example in 'The Forgotten Soldier' Guy Sajer tells how a German officer was a passenger in a motorbike sidecar passing a column of walking wounded German troops, so he gave his place in the sidecar to one of them and proceeded on foot.
Most officers do not rise through the ranks, it is a class distinction. Ordinary soldiers do the dying. The more gold you have on your uniform the more likely you will live.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Even Hitler seemed to hate officers, he had no grasp of tactics and strategy and always arguing with his generals and he lost the war..:) Putin is another politician without any grasp, he should have used armoured spearheads to pincer out the pro-Russian Donbas where they lurv him, but instead he weakened his forces by spreading them out along too much of the border.
What a piece of S character Steiner is, and what a piece of S cluck is Peckinpah for making this idiotic movie with blasphemous lies and simpleton emasculated views
If the actor playing the dissident tried doing what he just did on the irl eastern front he would either be sent to a camp or put in a ‘tank tread road bump’ position intentionally.
So? What does that have to do with the quality of acting in this film? And Lee Marvin isn't the only example of bravery in real life among actors. James Stewart volunteered for the USAAF, flying multiple bombing missions over Germany as lead pilot of his bomb group. Clark Gable joined the USAAF as a gunner. David Niven was a member of a reconnaisance platoon, carrying out missions behind enemy lines. There are many other examples. So your point is what, exactly?
In what way was Coburn a hero in real life? He joined the US Army in 1950, driving army trucks in Texas. Later he provided the voice over for army training films while in Germany. He never saw any action, so in what way was he a hero?
I love the absurdity of this scene, while the army is fighting for survival Stransky and Brandt are playing politics about a piece of metal. It captures the feeling of the landser in WWII perfectly.
Your comment shows me that you have never been in the military because 98% of personnel strive for advancement in rank. An Iron Cross helps in that regard. Besides the honor it bestows. Getting awarded a medal for exemplary actions during wartime duty is highly coveted and appreciated by all soldiers of any country...much less German. Steiner is an extreme exception to the rule...almost all soldiers from the German Army of that era COVETED an Iron Cross medal to be pinned on their uniform. And they were not given out like candy either! It was sparingly awarded.
On the contrary: the fact that they are arguing over an Iron Cross and the validity of it shows how IMPORTANT this "piece of metal" ( as you call it) was! All soldiers from the Wehrmacht ( excepting Steiner..a rare anamoly) were ecstatic to be considered for...and awarded an Iron Cross. The Iron Cross stands for bravery/exploits in battle while under enemy fire.
@@JGldmn333 Steiner see the absurdity of trying to win a medal for bravery validated by a political system he hates. He states he is no Nazi, fighting a defensive war on southern eastern front one of his unit survived Stalingrad, he know the war is lost & the medals will mean nothing if they they survive a relic of a failed & hated ideology steinski can not reload his Mp40 and has no clue how to fight at close quarters with Steiner beware an older man in a younger man’s profession, he is an elite recon solider who has survived on the Russian front. Of course the cross of iron means nothing to him after what he has witnessed many Germans on the Russian front had no interest in medals unless S.S. they wanted particularly after Stalingrad & Kursk to go home not get useless pieces of metal. The end scene is him showing we’re the iron crosses grow & the absurdity of them trying to defend a rail head when the Germans will never counteract. Most office made an oath to Hitler over Germany as German who hates the Nazi’s he views officers the ones led them to wear they are.
The filmmaking is superb, especially the climactic sequence; however, I’ve always been conflicted about this film as I lack sympathy for Nazis who inflicted so much carnage on the world. I know it focuses on the common soldier but they helped make the nightmare realized. A war that’s left its scar on the world. Somehow, WWI films that are sympathetic to the Germans like The Blue Max.
I have no sympathy for them either, but sometimes it's good to see things from the other side's point of view. There are a few films from the German POV that are superb, this one, Das Boot, Downfall and Generation War.
@@snakeplissken526 I find myself unsympathetic to anything that happens to German soldiers who were all complicit with Nazi horrors and atrocities. WWI films are better as the German soldiers were not involved in atrocities against civilians. Hence, I can relate to All Quiet on the Western Front. I appreciate Peckinpah’s genius but am ambivalent about this movie.
@@MegaFountnot all german are with nazi , there some case german soldier hide or recuse the jew and innocent , you probably denied those few good german like some wa4crime denied huh ?
Without the officers, there couldn't have been a war. The German general staff had several chances to stop Hitler's warmongering before they came to this disastrous conclusion. They could have simply refused to occupy Czechoslovakia. They could have refused to invade Poland. Before all that, they even could have refused to back Hitler when he invented the title of Fuhrer. Even if they didn't do anything else decent, they could have stopped the Holocaust and disbanded the SS. That's why Steiner hated all officers. Now, we're all waiting to see if "the officers" back Trump if he declares himself the rightful winner of a "rigged" election that he actually lost and announces that the 1st Amendment is null and void. But it can't happen here, right? Right??
Yeah, it is. The author was a an officer who fought on the Russian front. The movie comes from about a single chapter in the book. Definitely one of the best war movies ever done.
A dose of honesty for the good captain, very well played by James Mason. By the stage of WW2 portrayed, it must have been brutally obvious at all levels to the largely well-educated German officer corps that Germany was in deep trouble with much worse to come. Nothing they could do about it except fight on.
I really love this movie...... it seems to be "there", among these defeated soldiers, in a terrible war already lost. Coburn, Warner and Mason are three incredible actors.
David Warner's character..."I'm sorry,I've got the shits" runs off...
great movie thought so than think so now
One of the best performances by James coburn
At the end of the movie it written “The World Rejoices Because the Bastard is Beaten, But the Bitch that Bore Him is on Heat Again”. So true.
We have no ammo, rations or fuel for our tanks … but good news we have a ribbon for our typewriters.
Or condoms ( more usual on Der ostfront).
Steiner exclusively realises the absurdity of the situation.
Great movie... but the book is better. Indeed, the version titled THE WILLING FLESH is even better, because it's about 70 pages longer than the abbreviated version, THE CROSS OF IRON. You learn much more about all the major characters. Of course, the author, Willi Heinrich, fought in the war and describes scenes and personalities as he witnessed them.
I shall look for that, didn't realise it was a book. Thanks.
have this on dvd and its simply the best war movie ever.
Masterpiece
Do you stand buy ur statement, lol doesn't matter for much longer 😊
Best war film of all times
They know he's right
Damn. Never saw this flick
I would think the title of this movie should be: "Hitler's Fried Egg" because it is a higher award than the EK1, but lower than the RK. The RK being almost unattainable statistically.
DAS GUT....🇩🇪
Indy Neidell has covered the retreat of 17th Panzer from the Kuban in September 1943, more like a headlong flight.
Masterpiece. R.i.p. David Warner sorry, Cpt. Kiesel. A great actor. Marco
Greatvin STAR TREK as a assorted Carrdassians.
TRES Heavy
RIP David Warner. Your acting was wonderful in this phenomenal movie.
Z
Oh that's right, he went down on the Titanic after he couldn't catch Jack and Rose.
“Don’t unpack everything, we may not be staying long.”
This scene...in my mind...was a little bit inaccurate. Very rarely did German Sergeants answer with such audacity to an Officer. Much less with outright disrespect. But this late in the war...and on the Eastern front...occasionally Officers looked the other way when brave and over-worked sergeants had moments of carelessness and/or stupidity regarding the rules of Officer/Sergeant ettiquette. To sum up- this happened...but very very rarely in the HIGHLY disciplined German Wehrmacht of WW2. More often than not if and when it did happen the offending sergeant would have been busted down in rank immediately. But a war hero might have been spared that indignity...to give a nod to Sam Peckinpaw's logic here.
Remember he saved the Colonel's life in an earlier battle
Watch at 1.25 speed. They slowed it down.
"No war but Class War!"
In this episode, Steiner told the truth, alas simultaneously he's drunk !!
Yes, but I am wondering about his hostility toward Brandt and Kiesel...🤔
@@blueStarKitt7924 No such thing ! He merely drunk !
There are good and bad officers in all armies, so Steiner is going a bit too far in saying he hates ALL officers.For example in 'The Forgotten Soldier' Guy Sajer tells how a German officer was a passenger in a motorbike sidecar passing a column of walking wounded German troops, so he gave his place in the sidecar to one of them and proceeded on foot.
Most officers do not rise through the ranks, it is a class distinction. Ordinary soldiers do the dying. The more gold you have on your uniform the more likely you will live.
He seemed to like the late Lieutenant Meyer, although I suspect Meyer was an NCO who received a field commission.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Even Hitler seemed to hate officers, he had no grasp of tactics and strategy and always arguing with his generals and he lost the war..:) Putin is another politician without any grasp, he should have used armoured spearheads to pincer out the pro-Russian Donbas where they lurv him, but instead he weakened his forces by spreading them out along too much of the border.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Oops!
@@petetube99 Maybe, but I bet Brandt and Kiesel are in a high risk of dying there, like the common soldier.
What a piece of S character Steiner is, and what a piece of S cluck is Peckinpah for making this idiotic movie with blasphemous lies and simpleton emasculated views
If the actor playing the dissident tried doing what he just did on the irl eastern front he would either be sent to a camp or put in a ‘tank tread road bump’ position intentionally.
The point was that he was a decorated veteran and his men were very loyal to him, Brandt knew that.
@@snakeplissken526 Yes.
my all time most favorite movie.
Lee Marvin was a hero in real life
So? What does that have to do with the quality of acting in this film? And Lee Marvin isn't the only example of bravery in real life among actors. James Stewart volunteered for the USAAF, flying multiple bombing missions over Germany as lead pilot of his bomb group. Clark Gable joined the USAAF as a gunner. David Niven was a member of a reconnaisance platoon, carrying out missions behind enemy lines. There are many other examples. So your point is what, exactly?
@@lorddaver5729 no point as I got Marvin and Colburn mixed up.. just grow up will you.
@@roybennett9284 So to you being wrong doesn't matter? And it's Coburn, not Colburn.
In what way was Coburn a hero in real life? He joined the US Army in 1950, driving army trucks in Texas. Later he provided the voice over for army training films while in Germany. He never saw any action, so in what way was he a hero?
@@lorddaver5729 right I get it...have a t new year.
What an extraordinary film 🎥….. a tour de force …… m’y favorite war film of all time
Great movie - too bad the haircuts were all 70's...
Brandt was an entirely different bra ch of officer. At the end you literally see him leading his troops to their deaths at the front of the pack
Only the sane Germans hated their country at that time.
I love the absurdity of this scene, while the army is fighting for survival Stransky and Brandt are playing politics about a piece of metal. It captures the feeling of the landser in WWII perfectly.
Your comment shows me that you have never been in the military because 98% of personnel strive for advancement in rank. An Iron Cross helps in that regard. Besides the honor it bestows. Getting awarded a medal for exemplary actions during wartime duty is highly coveted and appreciated by all soldiers of any country...much less German. Steiner is an extreme exception to the rule...almost all soldiers from the German Army of that era COVETED an Iron Cross medal to be pinned on their uniform. And they were not given out like candy either! It was sparingly awarded.
On the contrary: the fact that they are arguing over an Iron Cross and the validity of it shows how IMPORTANT this "piece of metal" ( as you call it) was! All soldiers from the Wehrmacht ( excepting Steiner..a rare anamoly) were ecstatic to be considered for...and awarded an Iron Cross. The Iron Cross stands for bravery/exploits in battle while under enemy fire.
@@JGldmn333 you're joking right or are you serious?
@@JGldmn333 Steiner see the absurdity of trying to win a medal for bravery validated by a political system he hates. He states he is no Nazi, fighting a defensive war on southern eastern front one of his unit survived Stalingrad, he know the war is lost & the medals will mean nothing if they they survive a relic of a failed & hated ideology steinski can not reload his Mp40 and has no clue how to fight at close quarters with Steiner beware an older man in a younger man’s profession, he is an elite recon solider who has survived on the Russian front. Of course the cross of iron means nothing to him after what he has witnessed many Germans on the Russian front had no interest in medals unless S.S. they wanted particularly after Stalingrad & Kursk to go home not get useless pieces of metal. The end scene is him showing we’re the iron crosses grow & the absurdity of them trying to defend a rail head when the Germans will never counteract. Most office made an oath to Hitler over Germany as German who hates the Nazi’s he views officers the ones led them to wear they are.
@@JGldmn333 Heil Goldman!
Ive nvr seen it
We need a Steiner now someone who will not back down and who will oppose the current crooked so called New World order agenda.
Nackte Frauen
Awesome movie 🎥! Best wishes 2 everyone on 2021!!!
They look so realy but speak engish so bad
Great film! Politics and policy be damned. Just trying to stay alive, and keep your crew alive too.
"Demarcation!"
The haircuts and staches are "MASH" style.
It's the 1970s
One of the best war film's forever !
The filmmaking is superb, especially the climactic sequence; however, I’ve always been conflicted about this film as I lack sympathy for Nazis who inflicted so much carnage on the world. I know it focuses on the common soldier but they helped make the nightmare realized. A war that’s left its scar on the world. Somehow, WWI films that are sympathetic to the Germans like The Blue Max.
I have no sympathy for them either, but sometimes it's good to see things from the other side's point of view. There are a few films from the German POV that are superb, this one, Das Boot, Downfall and Generation War.
@@snakeplissken526 I find myself unsympathetic to anything that happens to German soldiers who were all complicit with Nazi horrors and atrocities. WWI films are better as the German soldiers were not involved in atrocities against civilians. Hence, I can relate to All Quiet on the Western Front. I appreciate Peckinpah’s genius but am ambivalent about this movie.
@@MegaFountnot all german are with nazi , there some case german soldier hide or recuse the jew and innocent , you probably denied those few good german like some wa4crime denied huh ?
Blitzkrieg was guided by methamphetamine. If not to say that Blitzkrieg was founded on methamphetamine.
Without the officers, there couldn't have been a war. The German general staff had several chances to stop Hitler's warmongering before they came to this disastrous conclusion. They could have simply refused to occupy Czechoslovakia. They could have refused to invade Poland. Before all that, they even could have refused to back Hitler when he invented the title of Fuhrer. Even if they didn't do anything else decent, they could have stopped the Holocaust and disbanded the SS. That's why Steiner hated all officers. Now, we're all waiting to see if "the officers" back Trump if he declares himself the rightful winner of a "rigged" election that he actually lost and announces that the 1st Amendment is null and void. But it can't happen here, right? Right??
Nah the left is the one who has issues when they lose,you libs are still crying about 2016.
@@bulldogsbob Who's crying now, douchebag?
@@Philbert-s2c I’m not Trump is an asshole and his personality cost him.
They invaded soviets unión for the resources they didnt have ... Oil and gas.
@@arielgoldfarb4118 gas? no lol.
ONE OF THE BEST WAR MOVIES EVER MADE
No it's not
@@Tactical_Wars Yes it is
Yeah, it is. The author was a an officer who fought on the Russian front. The movie comes from about a single chapter in the book. Definitely one of the best war movies ever done.
@@Tactical_WarsThat's just your opinion though isn't it?
The audio seems to be slowed down.
The video, too.
Another Peckinpah classic
Love those '60s haircuts???!!!
70's!!