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Cross of Iron

Cross of Iron

On the Eastern front in 1943, the German soldiers no longer had any ideals. They were not fighting for the Party—but for their lives!

19777.12h 12m

Overview

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Written by Willi Heinrich, Julius J. Epstein, James Hamilton
Produced by Wolf C. Hartwig, Arlene Sellers, Alex Winitsky
Box OfficeBudget: $6.0MRevenue: $1.5M

Top Cast

James Coburn

James Coburn

Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner

Maximilian Schell

Maximilian Schell

Hauptmann Stransky

James Mason

James Mason

Oberst Brandt

David Warner

David Warner

Hauptmann Kiesel

Klaus Löwitsch

Klaus Löwitsch

Unteroffizier Krüger

Vadim Glowna

Vadim Glowna

Gefreiter Kern

Roger Fritz

Roger Fritz

Leutnant Treibig

Dieter Schidor

Dieter Schidor

Anselm

Burkhard Driest

Burkhard Driest

Schütze Maag

Fred Stillkrauth

Fred Stillkrauth

Unteroffizier Schnurrbart

Themes & Keywords

hostilityworld war iibattle for powertroopscommanderlieutenantsergeantthoughtfulempathetic

About Cross of Iron

Cross of Iron is a drama, action, history, war film released in 1977 exploring themes of hostility, world war ii, battle for power, troops, commander, lieutenant. Directed by Sam Peckinpah, it stars James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason. It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

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