Cross Of Iron Blu-ray Review

• 6th Jun 2011

Cross of Iron is now available on Blu-Ray and for all fans of the late great Sam Peckinpah this is incredible news. Adapted from a book by Willi Heinrich the narrative follows a platoon of German soldiers on the Eastern front towards the end of the war.

Having turned down the chance to helm both Superman and the King Kong re-make; Peckinpah chose to head off to Yugoslavia to direct Cross of Iron. The production itself was difficult with the small budget being a constant problem. He even had to sink ninety thousand dollars of his own money into the project to ensure that he could hire a more professional crew.

The narrative focuses on the animosity between Corporal Steiner (James Coburn) and the newly arrived Captain Stransky ((Maximilian Schell). Stransky has actually requested a transfer to this hell hole to attempt to win the Iron Cross before he returns home after the War. An actual Prussian prince by birth he embodies a gentleman soldier straight out of the First World War. This character is set adrift in an uncompromising landscape that has no mercy for anyone or anything, children included. His path to the Iron Cross has nothing to do with honor or valor, increasing Steiner’s hatred for him and the upper classes he represents.

Cross of Iron has grown in reputation since its initial release especially in Packinpah’s native America. His decision to focus on a German battalion was groundbreaking especially when coupled with the location being the eastern front. Classic war films of the past focused exclusively on the more glamorous Western front. Films such as Stalingrad and Enemy at the Gates would later follow from major studios but Cross of Iron was a true original.

The action does contain the usual Peckinpah stamp of extreme violence, slow motion carnage and children being passive observers to destruction. The constant noise and sheer volume of attacks are astoundingly relentless. The depiction of military life in a trench is as miserable as you would imagine, allowing the audience to look beyond the platoon being German and accept it was hell for all involved.

The quality of the print is superb given the original source has never been preserved like a studio picture. But the value of the DVD comes in the form of the Extras which includes exclusive documentaries, Featurettes and a comparison of the print before and after. The documentary focuses on the cast of the film talking about their experiences and the genius of Peckinpah. Optimum had previously released a DVD of Cross of Iron which was better than anything else out there. Now they have gone beyond even that and undoubtedly have the definitive release of this still underappreciated classic.

Orson Welles called it the greatest anti-war film ever made and The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Biegelow considers it a stone cold classic. The film is far from perfect which can be put down to painful production history.  Cross of Iron changed the landscape of the War genre forever and was the first film since All Quiet on the Western Front and Paths of Glory to really challenge the accepted conventions. Looking back at it now it’s clear to see that films such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket owe a great deal to Peckinpah’s classic.

Aled Jones