Welcome to the World Cinema War Films group blog!
This blog consists of reviews and information about five foreign war films from the non-American perspective. Our group choose this topic after a discussion about how every war movie we have ever seen has been told from the victorious American, "GI Joe" angle. We hope that the variety of films and our insight will help you to understand a little bit more about this genre of film.
To navigate through the blog, click on the cover of the film on the left-hand side of the page and it will take you to all of the posts that relate to that particular film. Thanks for visiting!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Introduction
Every war consists of more than one perspective. The purpose of this blog is to reflect, critique, and explore foreign war films from the unfamiliar side. This too, will give viewers the opportunity to dissect films from a non-American standpoint. The information in this blog, will be generated from six college students currently enrolled in a World Cinema class. This particular class gives questions, strategies, and techniques on the proper way to view a film and and actively involves students in analyzing a wide variety of international films. We hope that this small insight to the international war film industry will help stimulate a more desirable interest.
Contributer Bios
My name is Steve Brohl, I'm from Almont, Michigan; however, I attend Malone University in Canton Ohio. I enjoy watching movies, playing football, hunting, golfing, riding dirtbikes, and hanging out with friends. I am the middle child in my family, I have an older brother and a younger sister. I am the son of James and Karen. My favorite film genre is war.
My name is Thomas Lawver and I am currently a sophomore at Malone University. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education and participate on the Malone mens basketball team. I enjoy hanging with friends, watching movies, and being out doors. I am the son of Ted and Michelle lawver who reside in Uniontown, Ohio.
My name is Sam Craciun, I am currently a freshman at Malone University. I am majoring in Business Administration and play on the baseball team. I love the outdoors, when I am not playing baseball I spend my time hunting, fishing, and four wheeling. I am son of Joe and Kay Craciun. I live in Strongsville, Ohio.
My name is Mark Zimmerman, I am a junior at Malone University majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Marketing. I am a member of the Men's Golf Team. When not in the classroom or on the golf course, I enjoy hunting, fishing, and working on my truck. I am from Canton, Ohio and live with my parents, Lee and Cathy.
My name is Ben Smith, I am a junior at Malone University majoring in Middle Childhood Education. I am from Carrollton, Ohio, but live on campus in Heritage Hall. I am a member of the Malone University Golf Team. I love to play basketball and hang out with friends. I am the son of Rick and Joy Smith.
My name is John Campbell and I am a senior at Malone University. I am majoring in computer science and am originally from Dublin, Ohio, where my parents Greg and Dawn live. When I'm not in class I spend a lot of time avoiding work, hanging out with friends, and watching too many movies.
My name is Thomas Lawver and I am currently a sophomore at Malone University. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education and participate on the Malone mens basketball team. I enjoy hanging with friends, watching movies, and being out doors. I am the son of Ted and Michelle lawver who reside in Uniontown, Ohio.
My name is Sam Craciun, I am currently a freshman at Malone University. I am majoring in Business Administration and play on the baseball team. I love the outdoors, when I am not playing baseball I spend my time hunting, fishing, and four wheeling. I am son of Joe and Kay Craciun. I live in Strongsville, Ohio.
My name is Mark Zimmerman, I am a junior at Malone University majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Marketing. I am a member of the Men's Golf Team. When not in the classroom or on the golf course, I enjoy hunting, fishing, and working on my truck. I am from Canton, Ohio and live with my parents, Lee and Cathy.
My name is Ben Smith, I am a junior at Malone University majoring in Middle Childhood Education. I am from Carrollton, Ohio, but live on campus in Heritage Hall. I am a member of the Malone University Golf Team. I love to play basketball and hang out with friends. I am the son of Rick and Joy Smith.
My name is John Campbell and I am a senior at Malone University. I am majoring in computer science and am originally from Dublin, Ohio, where my parents Greg and Dawn live. When I'm not in class I spend a lot of time avoiding work, hanging out with friends, and watching too many movies.
Film List
· Army of Shadows – Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, French, 1969
· Stalingrad – Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, German, 1993
· Triumph of the Will – Directed by Leni Riefenstahl, German, 1935
· The Battleship Potemkin – Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925
· Der Untergang – Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004
We chose these particular films because we were interested in how war was portrayed from the non-American perspective. The majority of war films depict the story of a victorious American combat effort; therefore, our group wanted to explore others viewpoints about war. All these films are war movies about World War II from the non-American side.
· Stalingrad – Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, German, 1993
· Triumph of the Will – Directed by Leni Riefenstahl, German, 1935
· The Battleship Potemkin – Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925
· Der Untergang – Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004
We chose these particular films because we were interested in how war was portrayed from the non-American perspective. The majority of war films depict the story of a victorious American combat effort; therefore, our group wanted to explore others viewpoints about war. All these films are war movies about World War II from the non-American side.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Miscellaneous items for Der Untergang
Bruno Ganz spent a lot of time preparing for this film. He went to hospitals to study patients with Parkinson's disease and he spent time with another actor to get the unusual accent of Hitler down.
A scene from this film was used to poke fun at the Nashville gas crisis of 2008.
Magda Goebbels' character had problems holding her composure during the scene where her children were given sleeping medicine before being poisoned. The scene had to be re-shot several times due to the hysterical actor.
Steve
A scene from this film was used to poke fun at the Nashville gas crisis of 2008.
Magda Goebbels' character had problems holding her composure during the scene where her children were given sleeping medicine before being poisoned. The scene had to be re-shot several times due to the hysterical actor.
Steve
Der Untergang
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel was born on December 29, 1957 in Hamburg Germany. At a young age Hirschbiegel learned that school was not for him. He dropped out of high school and became a cook on a boat. He later decided to get back into school and went to the Academy of arts in Hamburg where he began cecoming familiar with photography and video. His first movie ever was “Das Experiment” in 2001. In 2004 hid most successful movie was “Down Fall”, his third film.
Actor: Bruno Ganz played the role of Adolf Hitler, he was born March 22, 1941 in Switzerland. Ganz has one son name Daniel who is thirty seven years old. Ganz currently resides in Venice and Berlin. Ganz was named the actor of the year in 1973.
Actress: Alexandra Maria Lara was born on November 12, 1978 in Romania. She did not live in Romania for long because in 1982 her and her parents moved to Germany. Germany is where she began to study acting at the French High School. She has a special friend named Sam Riley who helps with the sets and acts as well..
Posted by Tom Lawver
Actor: Bruno Ganz played the role of Adolf Hitler, he was born March 22, 1941 in Switzerland. Ganz has one son name Daniel who is thirty seven years old. Ganz currently resides in Venice and Berlin. Ganz was named the actor of the year in 1973.
Actress: Alexandra Maria Lara was born on November 12, 1978 in Romania. She did not live in Romania for long because in 1982 her and her parents moved to Germany. Germany is where she began to study acting at the French High School. She has a special friend named Sam Riley who helps with the sets and acts as well..
Posted by Tom Lawver
Der Untergang - Impressions
This film was a great look at how Hitler spent his last few days in a Berlin bunker. It was interesting to see what happened during this time from Hitler's point of view because usually it is only told from the allies' side. It was obvious that Hitler grew more and more disturbed as time went on. A good filmic device that demonstrated this was the effect of Hitler's Parkinson's disease on his hand. As the movie progressed his hand began to shake until it was uncontrollable at the end of the film. I enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone.
Posted by Tom Lawver
Posted by Tom Lawver
Der Untergang Summary/Review
Der Untergang (Downfall) tells the story of Hitler's last 10 days of life in 1945 before he committed suicide in a Berlin bunker. It shows Hitler's struggle to hold on to what forces and sanity that he has left as he tries to understand where his command went wrong. Eva Braun, Hitler's girlfriend, tries to keep the mood cheerful as others around Hitler begin to doubt his ability to lead. The story is told based on Hitler's real-life secretary who was in the bunker with him during these last days.
John
Der Untergang
This was a very dark and somewhat disturbing film. There were several suicides, a mother poisoned her own children in their sleep, and civilians were hanged in the street for fleeing artillery fire. Hitler was portrayed well as his mental state descended into insanity. It was interesting to see that while some began to doubt his leadership, many were still fanatically devoted to the cause even after it was obvious there was no hope. This was a great film that I would recommend to anyone interested in this time period.
Posted by - Mark Zimmerman
Posted by - Mark Zimmerman
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Army of Shadows: Pictures and Box Offices
The Army of Shadows was filmed in 1969. It lasts approximately two hours and twenty five minutes. It is classified as a drama movie. Box office stats paid off around two hundred thrity thousand dollars. This was great World War II film.
Sam Craciun
Army of Shadows : Director, Actor, Actresses
Director/ Writer: Jean-Pierre Melville was born October 20, 1917 in Paris, France and passed away August 2, 1973. Melville was a war veteran, having served in World War II. After he fought in the Dragon Operation he returned home and attempted to become an assistant of a film director. Having been denied he took his dreams into his own hands and started directing his own films. Melville also directed Le Cercle Rouge, Le Samourai, When You Read This Letter, The Red Circle etc.
Cast Member: Jean-Pierre Cassel was Born on October 27, 1932 in Paris France. He was married to Sabine Litique and to Anne Celerier, between those two wives he has four children.
Cast Member: Lino Ventura was born July 14, 1919 in Parma Italy. Throughout the 50’s to the 80’s he was known as one of the best actors around. He was only brought to acting after a tragic wrestling accident that left him unable to compete. His first film ever was Touchez pas au grisbi where he played a gangster. Ventura died after a successful career on October 22, 1987
Posted by Tom Lawver
Cast Member: Jean-Pierre Cassel was Born on October 27, 1932 in Paris France. He was married to Sabine Litique and to Anne Celerier, between those two wives he has four children.
Cast Member: Lino Ventura was born July 14, 1919 in Parma Italy. Throughout the 50’s to the 80’s he was known as one of the best actors around. He was only brought to acting after a tragic wrestling accident that left him unable to compete. His first film ever was Touchez pas au grisbi where he played a gangster. Ventura died after a successful career on October 22, 1987
Posted by Tom Lawver
Army of Shadows Trivia
- For the shot depicting German soldiers marching down the Champs Elysees, Jean-Pierre Melville thought that it would be impossible to get regular Frenchmen to provide the proper marching movements. He ended up casting dancers to correctly provide the march steps he wanted from the soldiers. This shot was originally the last in the film and prints were sent to theaters with it in that place. After the first showings, Melville decided the scene was better placed at the start of the film and it was physically spliced into the new position. This apparently resulted in several missing frames in the negative. These frames were restored from another source when the 2005 digital restoration was accomplished.
- Cinematographer Pierre Lhomme claimed that the last surviving, watchable print of the movie had turned completely pink with age. He later supervised the 2k resolution, digital restoration of the film at the Eclair Laboratories in Paris.
Info Compliments of imdb.com
Posted By John
- Cinematographer Pierre Lhomme claimed that the last surviving, watchable print of the movie had turned completely pink with age. He later supervised the 2k resolution, digital restoration of the film at the Eclair Laboratories in Paris.
Info Compliments of imdb.com
Posted By John
Army of Shadows Summary
Army of Shadows is a tale of one man, Gerbier, who goes through hell and back to keep his friends from falling into the hands of Nazi soldiers, just to find out that they may not be his friend after all. The movie has many plot twists that keep the viewers head turning. Movie starts with Gerbier being betrayed by a fellow officer and taken to a Nazi prison where he manages to escape. After he reached safety he was on a mission to find the person who betrayed him. Paul was the one who betrayed Gerbier, and he is strangled to death for it. Gerbier soon meets old friends and he continues his ultimate goal, the French Resistance. Soon enough he finds one of his friends in Nazi containment and must get himself captured to infiltrate the prison and break him out. The movie ends with even more twists and turns, and not such a happy ending, but you will have to find out for yourself.
Steve
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Triumph of the Will: Directors, Writers, and Actors
Writer: Leni Riefenstahl - She was born in 1902 in Berlin, Germany. Her main work involved propaganda films for Hitler and Nazi Germany. Because of this she was despised internationally and did not make any movies for around fifty years after producing this film.
Writer/Director: Walter Ruttmann - Born in 1887 in Germany and died in 1941. He was a graphic designer and worked in the early experimental uses of film. During the Nazi period of Germany he worked on this film to promote Nazi propaganda.
Actor: Hitler - Born 1889, died 1945. Growing up he attempted to become an artist but was refused by the Vienna Art Academy. He entered a military career at the beginning of World War I. Hitler eventually rose to command all of Germany and initiated World War II by giving the command to invade Poland. He died at the end of the war by a self inflicted gunshot wound.
Writer/Director: Walter Ruttmann - Born in 1887 in Germany and died in 1941. He was a graphic designer and worked in the early experimental uses of film. During the Nazi period of Germany he worked on this film to promote Nazi propaganda.
Actor: Hitler - Born 1889, died 1945. Growing up he attempted to become an artist but was refused by the Vienna Art Academy. He entered a military career at the beginning of World War I. Hitler eventually rose to command all of Germany and initiated World War II by giving the command to invade Poland. He died at the end of the war by a self inflicted gunshot wound.
Triumph of the Will
This film was remotely tough for me to watch because there were very little words spoken except when Hitler spoke to the German people and his army. The rest of the film just showed multiple shots of the people and the young Nazi army. The camera shots consistently caught facial expression and body language that clearly showed the amount of respect and confidence the German people had in Hitler and his officers. The music allowed me for a remote period of time to experience the life of a Nazi supporter. These German people in the film would line the streets shoulder to shoulder trying to see their leader, Hitler. Overall this film was good for me to watch having really only heard and seen America’s perspective on Hitler. This allowed me to see the flip side of Nazi supporters. This film is more a documentary and I recommend others to watch this film.
John
John
Triumph of the Will Review
Triumph of the Will was a film that worked for me. This film allowed me as the viewer to take a complete different perspective on my outlook and respect toward Adolf Hitler. Through this film Hitler was viewed by the German people as a great and victorious leader. Knowing Hitler’s true motives and desires, allowed me to catch and understand how Hitler basically lied to his people. All of his higher ranked officers and his speeches were of great victory and triumph. They spoke to the people with confidence and a fearless mentality. The music of this film influenced Hitler and his cause as well. The entire film was accompanied by boisterous and victorious instrumental music influencing the viewer and shaping his or her perspective that Hitler was a true leader.
Steve
Steve
Triumph of the Will Summary
Triumph of the Will portrays Hitler as being a great communist leader. As Hitler arrives in the first scene of the movie the streets are lined with supporters of his mission to persecute the Jewish people. The German peeople push their way through the crowd to get a glimpse or try to give Hitler a gift. Hitler makes multiple appearances at numerous training camps to encourage the young generation of his Nazi army. Hitler gives insight to his German people that he and his army are prosperous and will one day rule the world. The young men that participate in his army look up to and desire to please him. In this entire film the one consistant filmic device that is consistant is when Hitler speaks, the camera angle is shooting upward at him. These camera shots alone portray Hitlers reputation with the people. His reputation is honorable and desirable.
Posted by Thomas Lawver
Miscellaneous items for Triumph of the Will
Did you know...
- Only one scene, the review of the German cavalry, actually involved the German military. The other formations were party organizations that were not considered part of the military.
- Hitler himself praised the film as being an "incomparable glorification of the power and beauty of our Movement".
-Riefensthal deployed 30 cameras and 120 technicians to film the Nuremberg rallies.
- The film spent 6 months in the editing suite. The two hours running time represents approximately 3% of the footage Riefenstahl shot.
Memorable quotes...
- "We want this people to be hard, not soft, and you must steel yourselves for it in your youth" -Adolf Hitler
- "All upright Germans will be National Socialists, but only the best National Socialists will be party members!" Adolf Hitler
Info complements of imdb.com
Steve
- Only one scene, the review of the German cavalry, actually involved the German military. The other formations were party organizations that were not considered part of the military.
- Hitler himself praised the film as being an "incomparable glorification of the power and beauty of our Movement".
-Riefensthal deployed 30 cameras and 120 technicians to film the Nuremberg rallies.
- The film spent 6 months in the editing suite. The two hours running time represents approximately 3% of the footage Riefenstahl shot.
Memorable quotes...
- "We want this people to be hard, not soft, and you must steel yourselves for it in your youth" -Adolf Hitler
- "All upright Germans will be National Socialists, but only the best National Socialists will be party members!" Adolf Hitler
Info complements of imdb.com
Steve
Triumph of the Will: pictures and box office
Thriumph of the Will also known as Triumph des Willens in Germany. This film is classified as a documentry that is approximately two hours and twenty minutes. The company that produced it is Leni Riefenstahl Studio Films
National Socialist German Workers Party. It was filmed in Nuremberg, Germany in 1934.
Sam Craciun
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Stalingrad - My Thoughts
Of the two films that we have viewed so far, Stalingrad is by far my favortie. As I was watching the film, it had my attention so completely that I forgot that the characters were speaking German and I was reading the subtitles. The only downfall that I could see was the poor quality of the early 1990's special effects. In spite of the special effects, the sheer number of "wow" moments such as one scene where a soldier commits suicide never let the action slow down and I was never bumped out of the film. I really enjoyed this film and would definetly recommend it to everyone in the class.
Steve
Steve
Stalingrad Summary/Review
Stalingrad is a 1993 film by Joseph Vilsmaier, which depicts the horrors of combat on the Eastern Front of World War II. Throughout the movie, a platoon of German Army soldiers make their way from Italy, where they enjoyed some time off, to Russia, where they find themselves in a brutal and gruesome battle of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most important battles in WWII where the Russian soldiers and winter defeated the German forces. During the movie, the men of the platoon face many challenges that exist in urban warfare, including being arrested for threatening a doctor after one of their men is injured. They are punished by being sent away to kill tanks in Siberia but eventually make their way back to the front. In the end, they become weary of the atrocities of battle and decide to desert and try to return home.
Posted by Ben - Edited by Mark
Stalingrad - Impressions
After viewing Stalingrad, it is apparent that it was produced similarly to most of the American films that we regualry watch. Some of the things that made it appealing to me were the action sequences, camera angles, and overall production quality. Along with these production qualities, the story line itself was intriquing. The story tells of soldiers that are being forced to fight against their will by Nazi Germany and their struggle to get back to their families and normal lives. I really enoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone looking to watch a foreign war film.
Posted by Tom Lawver
Posted by Tom Lawver
Production Notes over Stalingrad
Stalingrad was filmed in Finland, Italy, and the Czech Republic. The majority of the filming was done by Günther Bauer, Michael Beitz, and Ergün Cevik. The film editor was Hannes Nikel. This film uses a spherical cinematographic process. The camera was often times running alongside of the soldiers to give the viewer a feeling as if they were right there.
Steve
Steve
Pictures and Box Office Stats
Stats and information found from Boxofficemojo,com. The movie Stalingrad was distributed by the company Strand on May 24, 1995. On opening weekend it brought in 10,882 dollars. The domestic gross total is approximately 152,972 dollars.
Sam Craciun
History of director/writer/main characters
Director:Joseph Vilsmaier was born the 24 of January 1939 in Munich, Bavaria Germany. was married to Dana Vavrova and had three children. Vilsmaier has directed over 20 films and has produced seventeen.
Writer: Jurgen Buscher: has written eight films and been a part of the filming crew for four films.
Actor: Dominique Horwitz was born on the 23 of April, the year of 1957. Growing up he was a shop-assistant at a department store. He resided with his partner Anne Wittig. Besides being in films Horwitz was a respectable singer, who song in "The Best of Dreigroschenoper". He also as participated in over 87 films or shows.
Actor:Thomas Kretschmann was born on the eighth of September, the year of 1962. He resided in Germany. After performing in a couple American films he has settled in Los Angeles with Lena (girl friend) and his three children, Sascha, Nicolas, Stella.
Posted by: Thomas Lawver
Writer: Jurgen Buscher: has written eight films and been a part of the filming crew for four films.
Actor: Dominique Horwitz was born on the 23 of April, the year of 1957. Growing up he was a shop-assistant at a department store. He resided with his partner Anne Wittig. Besides being in films Horwitz was a respectable singer, who song in "The Best of Dreigroschenoper". He also as participated in over 87 films or shows.
Actor:Thomas Kretschmann was born on the eighth of September, the year of 1962. He resided in Germany. After performing in a couple American films he has settled in Los Angeles with Lena (girl friend) and his three children, Sascha, Nicolas, Stella.
Posted by: Thomas Lawver
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Battleship Potemkin - Time Period
This movie was made in 1925 and was an important, early example of using films as propaganda, especially through the use of montage. The director of this film, Sergei Eisenstein, helped to develop the style of montage, or the splicing together of two or more different shots to create a new one with new meaning, and this film was his testing ground to see how it would effect an audience. He wanted to move the audience's emotions to side with a certain character or group of people, which in this case was the crew of the Potemkin and the revolutionists against the tsars.
For the time this film was made, the amount of violence was shocking and appalling. Many countries simply banned it from being shown or edited out the offending material.
John
For the time this film was made, the amount of violence was shocking and appalling. Many countries simply banned it from being shown or edited out the offending material.
John
Production Notes and Misc.
Battleship Potemkin was filmed with a single unit 35 mm tripod camera. The camera is always in a fixed position throughout the film and does not pan. Battleship Potemkin was filmed in Ukraine. The actual battleship in the movie was Dvenadstat Apostolov, because the real Potemkin was destroyed previously.
Steve
Steve
Personal Informtion
Sergei Eisenstein - Director and co-writer was born January 23, 1898 in Latvia and died February 10, 1948. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Riga, Latvia. He attended multiple institutions including, Civil Engineering School, Officers Engineering School, General Staff Academy, Moscow,State School for Stage Direction. He enjoyed drawing cartoons for fun and working in the theatre while growing up.
Nina Agadzhanova Shutko co-writer, was born October 27, 1889 in Yekaterinodar Russia and Died Febuary 14, 1974
The casting members in this film had very little information about their life and careers. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Tom Lawver
Nina Agadzhanova Shutko co-writer, was born October 27, 1889 in Yekaterinodar Russia and Died Febuary 14, 1974
The casting members in this film had very little information about their life and careers. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Tom Lawver
Battleship Potemkin
This was a very unique film. It was a slient film that was very unique. I personally liked the way the director used the camera angles. When it was a crucial point in the movie he would take close up pictures that showed a lot of emotion. This was a great filmic device.
posted by Ben
posted by Ben
review battleship potemkin
I found this movie rather difficult to watch. This is because of the way the movie was filmed. It is a silent film and and only music is played. It was put together like a powerpoint, whereas after the picture slide another slide with writing would appear. This made it hard to follow for me.
--Mark--
--Mark--
Box Office / Distribution Information
While searching for box office facts and figures, I found some interesting distribution information.
The film was originally released on December 21, 1925 in Moscow, Soviet Union. It was first released in the United States on December 5, 1926 in New York City.
This film is known by different names in different countries -
-Battleship Potemkin (USA)
-Bronomzidi Potiomkini (Soviet Union)
-Potemkin (USA)
-The Armored Cruiser Potemkin (USA)
-The Battleship Potemkin (USA)
-The Battleship Potyomkin (USA : alternative transliteration)
The film varied in length in different countries-
-Regular film is 75 minutes
-In Argentina length is 80 minutes
-Russian DVD version is 71 minutes in length
-In Spain film runs for 70 minutes
-USA films is 66 minutes in length
Posted by - Mark Zimmerman
Battleship Potemkin
The Battleship Potemkin was directed in 1925 by Sergei M. Eisenstein. It is a silent film that stirred up a lot of emotion in the Soviet Union, Russia. It takes place in 1905 in the Soviet Union, it begin on the famous battleship called Potemkin. On the battleship, the crews man are forced to eat rotten meat covered with maggots, because of this the crew rebels against the oppressive officers. In return the head crews man is shot and killed, as they over take the officers and return to the dock yard, where people from all over come to mourn for the brave leader. As the story turns, more emotion is poured into the film. Sergei truly created a master piece because of the powerful filming styles he used.
Sam Craciun
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