Cross of Iron
Cross of Iron (German: Steiner – Das Eiserne Kreuz, lit. "Steiner – The Iron Cross") is a 1977 war film directed by Sam Peckinpah, featuring James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason and David Warner. Set on the Eastern Front in World War II during the Soviets' Caucasus operations against the German Kuban bridgehead on the Taman Peninsula in late 1943, the film focuses on the class conflict between a newly arrived, aristocratic Prussian officer who covets winning the Iron Cross and a cynical, battle-hardened infantry NCO.
Plot
Corporal Rolf Steiner is a veteran soldier of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front of World War II. During a successful raid on an enemy mortar position, his reconnaissance platoon captures a Russian boy soldier. As the platoon returns to friendly lines, Captain Stransky arrives to take command of Steiner's battalion. The regiment's commander, Colonel Brandt, wonders why Stransky would ask to be transferred to the Kuban bridgehead from more comfortable duties in occupied France. Stransky proudly tells Brandt and the regimental adjutant, Captain Kiesel, that he applied for transfer to front-line duty in Russia so that he can win the Iron Cross.
Cast
- Adolf Hitler
- Arthur Brauss
- Bata Kameni
- Burkhard Driest
- David Warner
- Demeter Bitenc
- Dieter Schidor
- Fred Stillkrauth
- Hermina Pipinić
- Igor Galo
- James Coburn
- James Mason
- Klaus Löwitsch
- Maximilian Schell
- Michael Nowka
- Robert Rietti
- Roger Fritz
- Senta Berger
- Slavko Štimac
- Sonja Jeannine
- Vadim Glowna
- Véronique Vendell
- Vladan Živković
More details
| author | James Hamilton Julius J. Epstein |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | Soviet Union |
| director | Sam Peckinpah |
| editor | Michael Ellis Tony Lawson |
| events | Eastern Front World War II |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | adjutant boy soldier death penalty feldwebel flee force friendly fire german army german occupation of france during world war ii hänschen klein hide how to hunt iron cross kill kuban bridgehead meet military hospital mortar mp40 nazi party occupied france platoon leader russian soldier senior sergeant their way wehrmacht wound |
| musicBy | Ernest Gold |
| producer | Alex Winitsky Arlene Sellers Wolf C. Hartwig |
| productionCompany | Anglo-EMI Productions ITC Entertainment Rapid Film Terra-Filmkunst |
| publisher | Constantin Film EMI Films |
| recordedAt | Croatia |
| theme | war |