"Cross of Iron" question

[blueboyukb]

no problem brian, no offence taken!

[hellmanofthehammerforce]

nice to see such appreciation for this tremendous film!

[johnc709]

Cross of Iron is probably my favorite war movie too. There is one part in the film that always annoys me though. When Steiner would prefer to go back to the front insead of spending a few more nights with that hot nurse. I want to smack him in the head every time, lol.

[Ingsoc75]

When Steiner would prefer to go back to the front insead of spending a few more nights with that hot nurse. I want to smack him in the head every time, lol.

That was probably quite common for soldiers who had spent lengths of time on the front line. Steiner was out of his comfort zone while recuperating at the hospital and when he saw Schnurbart it made him all the more want to return to "the bad side of old mother Russia" and be with his comrades.

[Kurz Patrone]

A german officer once said that afetr so many years fighting
on the eastern fron they were no fighting for their country
or political beleifs but for their comarades and brothers in
arms.

[Fallschirmjäger]

Thats what it should be first of all realy too all the time.

[oddessa]

wasn't there a sequal made made of cross of iron called breakthrough

[Fallschirmjäger]

Yes that was it,but richard burton took over as the role of steiner,not shure why exactly james coburn was not in it as was maxamillian schnell? too,some of the other german soldiers though where in it,maybe he was booked to another movie,or just did not want to do it?,it had other names in different countries or in europe too i think.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078320/

[oddessa]

would Steiner. Das geduldige Fleisch. be one of the name for the the cross of iron sequal because came across that name from a novel written by Willi Heinrich and willie heinrich is the author of the iron cross so i wonder if that is novel version of the sequal to the cross of iron?? so i wonder if anyone could confirm that for me thankyou for advanced.

[panzerhan]

When I was 5 years old my parents took me to a theater, maybe they thought that the movie they were going was a mainstream Hollywood war movie that they can watch with their 5 year-old boy. But that movie happenned to be the "Cross Of Iron". Since that day -27 years have passed- I have never forget the scenes I saw, especially the killing of Triebig by Steiner. Maybe it was too hard for a boy but it started my interest in military (especially German military). Couple of years ago I found some drawings made by me about the movie,when I was 5 years old!
Also I found the original picture of the dead man lying on the road from Paul Carrel's book.
It was a movie that changed my life in a way. So hail to all the "Cross Of Iron" fans!

[hellmanofthehammerforce]

Hi Odessa

I think the original book of COI was entitled 'The Willing Flesh'. The sequel was called 'Breakthrough' and the novel was, I'm sad to say, written by 'Leo Kessler'. The paperback had a nice jacket with some mean-looking jagdpanzers on it, but like the film, it was a dud.

[oddessa]

o okay then thanks very much for that information

[Kim Sung]

When I was traveling in Germany last summer, I found an autobiography by Senta Berger, the hot nurse in Cross of Iron. It looked like quite a bestseller then. I wanted to buy this book but couldn't because I already spent so much money.



'Ich hab ja gewusst, dass ich fliegen kann: Erinnerungen' ('Now I know that I can fly: Memoirs') by Senta Berger

[sonofdavros]

Firstly, thanks to those of you who posted the lyrics to all the songs sung in the flim. I'm a big fan of this film - I think it improves with repeated viewing - there is so much detail in it. The battle scenes are the most realistic I have seen and absolutely groundbreaking for its era, when you compare it with all the Hollywood rubbish of the 70s. From a kit nerd's point of view, it is faultless - look at their gear, particularly Steiner's - threadbare, worn and totally realistic. Notice that they give Steiner a new one when he's in hospital! Authentic weapons, authentic tanks, authentic looking landscapes.

In answer to the various questions posted (years ago!) - the "truck" driving over a dead German, is in fact an M3 half track, a vehicle commonly sent to the USSR via the Arctic convoys - so it is a Soviet vehicle advancing, reminding you of the fact that the war is progressing and Germans are being pushed back.

The reappearance of the kid at the end? I was never sure that it was the same one, but from the photos posted, it obviously is! To me, this always seemed like a summing up of the whole war - kids were used for fighting by both sides, and to both maniacal leaders, one kid was like any other - expendable.

Steiner preferring to go back to his platoon rather than be with the nurse? If you've read enough books, you'll know that front line soldiers say the bonds between men in a platoon are indescribably deep, particularly when you have gone through so many life-threatening situations together. The nurse was offering him a home to live in, to be her partner - in my eyes, Steiner knows it will probably end in tears - either him or her (or both) will end up dead before the war's out. His platoon has been his life for the past 4 years, whereas he's only known the nurse for a few weeks...

So, great film, great - understated - acting from Coburn. Schell is brilliant too. My favourite quote, for today at least.... when they are getting shot to pieces, Maag shouting: "We are Cherman soldiers!"

[Kurt_Steiner]

which is the title of the song the boys are singing at the beginning of the film?

It's 'Kinderlied'.

Kinderlied :

Hänschen klein ging allein in die weite Welt hinein
Stock und Hut steht ihm gut,ist gar wohlgemuet.
Aber Mutter weinet sehr, hat ja nun kein Haenschen mehr:
"Wünsch' dir Glück !",sagt ihr Blick "kehr nun bald zurück !"

Sieben jahr'trüb und klar Hänschen in der Fremde war,
da besinnt sich das Kind eilet heim geschwind.
Doch nun ist's kein Hänschen mehr, nein, ein glosser Hans ist er,
braungebrannt Stirn und Hand.
Wirt er wohl erkannt

Eins,zwei,drei,geh'n vorbei wissen nicht wer das wohl sei,
Schwester spricht: "Welch Gesicht",kennt den Bruder nicht !
Doch da kommt sein Mütterlein, schaut ihm kaum in's Aug'hinein,
spricht sie schon:"Hans,mein Sohn, Grüss dich Gott, mein Sohn !"

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=MACPjPJUsic

the opening scene