Battle of Stalingrad: The Restored Two Part Soviet WW2 Epic DVD

(Stalingradskaya bitva Pt 1 1949, Pt 2 1950) Directed by Vladimir Petrov

Stalingrad has inspired many movies, but none so sweeping and monumental as this 1949 Soviet production. More than a movie, this is a spectacular military re-enactment of the Battle of Stalingrad – supervised by the Red Army, deploying thousands of veteran troops, as well as the actual tanks, planes and ships (including captured German materiel) from the Eastern Front. In its meticulous recreation of Stalingrad's key campaigns, the film ranges freely across fronts and capitals, bringing to life the military and political players who shaped this epochal battle. Over everything, of course, stands Stalin, portrayed here as incomparable military genius, the author of every strategic masterstroke, who humbly guides his commanders to ultimate success.

Working alone within the great halls of the Kremlin, he maintains a mystical contact with his soldiers, who are heartened to know that "Stalin is always with you!" And yet the movie, once we depart Stalin's company and are hurled into one or another superlatively realized battle sequence, throws off a vitality and gritty verisimilitude that eclipse the stilted conventions of Stalin's personality cult. Especially vivid are the bravura scenes devoted to Stalingrad's legendary street fighting, where desperate combat unfolds within a twilight realm of ruined buildings, corpse-strewn rubble and twisted steel. The film builds to a furious climax as, on frozen steppes outside the city, the Red Army encircles Germany's doomed Sixth Army, all of it recreated in brilliantly kinetic battle sequences. Remarkably for a Soviet film, the misery of the bedraggled German survivors is shown some empathy. Includes an especially vibrant film score by famed Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian. Directed by Vladimir Petrov.

Featuring Aleksei Dikij (Stalin) Vladimir Gajdarov (Gen. Paulus, Mikhail Astangov (Hitler) Russian Dialogue with switchable English or German Subtitles.

Digitally restored from an original 35 mm lavender print; possibly the highest quality film element known to exist.

BONUS FEATURES:

• 4 Historical Slide Shows:
  
  • Film Background
  • Observations on the Film
  • German Field Marshal Paulus
  • Stalin's Marshals & Generals
• Original Promotional Materials
• Period Headlines & Illustrations
• Original Allied Newsreel of Stalingrad Surrender
• Interactive Scene Selection
• Switchable English or German Subtitles
• DVD-9 Region 0 Worldwide Playback Compatibility

USSR, 1949/50, B&W, Pt.1 (95 minutes), Pt.2 (88 minutes), Total Running Time 183 minutes, Russian Dialogue with Switchable English or German Subtitles.

NTSC Region 0 encoding (Entire World)

» DVD Review of this product by Blaine Taylor