Strong and Moving!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Through ebay I got hold of this movie , dubbed in German, one of the rare GDR/DEFA video releases. I expected a dated communist propaganda loaded flick. I didn't care, because I was just hungry on any information about the battle of Stalingrad, and I wanted the Russian angle on it. As it turned out, the movie did contain very little propaganda, was rather set on the human condition and endurance. The characters portrait where not one dimensional, even the Germans where not shown as dehumanized warmongers. That does not mean, that the errors of their actions, remained unmentioned. The director Alexander Stolper restrained himself not to overindulge on the German atrocities of the war, like the ill treatment of Russian POW's. Because of this, the movie turned out to be highly authentic and believable. It compares well with the more current Stalingrad movies, and it would be a good supplement to view. Very interesting for historically inclined movie fans. I voted an 8 out of 10 stars.