Enemy at the Gates : Movie Review


Definetly a "historical fiction". For once I thought we would see a film without the input of Hollywood and it's American Hero ideal.

True it was not revolving around the English speaking Allies (even though both parties spoke English in the film) but it was full of typified Germans, the most common Hollywood technique. All the Germans wore their helmets tipped over, blocking their eyes from light, but we were fortunate enough to see their mean looking under-shot jaws.

Harris was of course a ruthless man of no emotion, who hung the boy without remorse. The sex scene was totally out of place, as was the story of her parents being aboard a train on it\'s way to death. How amazing it is that she is fluent in German, but also that she interpreted a radio message made by the Germans where they stated every victims name clearly (highly unlikely). Not just that, but why, first of all, would they radio Stalingrad HQ'S and give them this information as it was of no importance to them, and secondly, if the Germans had really been transporting Jewish people back into Western Europe knowing all the while that that they were going to execute them, they wouldn't have bothered with it, they would have been killed where they were found.

This is certainly a crazy part of the film's story. The Germans had a hard enough time transporting food and other needed supplies to their own divisions that lay in the ruins of Stalingrad.

Artistic licence was certainly well played with in this movie. Little bits and pieces also stuck out that were unresearched, such as the equiptment used by the Germans and the Russians, eg. .The Tank Turrets, planes and such.

Not to be picky, but when you spend so much money on film, you might aswell go the extra mile for authenticity. Authenticity and factual content are key factors to making a good Historical movie. True I have no experience in film making but being a member of the public, I can say that we are very gullible and what ever! "graces" the big-screen we take as truth. It is unfair t! o the people who fought and suffered during WWII that we play with their livesfor the sake of entertainment.

This could have been the best War Movie to come to out ever but unfortunatley "The Victors Spoils" have prevailed.

Author : Erich Schatz.