The Battle of Stalingrad is considered the largest and bloodiest combat in history.One ofthe most essential battles of World War II, it pitted Hitler’s troops against Stalin’s resistance soldiers as the Axis powers attempted to expand eastwards. The sheer numbers—millions of soldiers with over a million casualties—and individual and group stories have been a magnet for filmmakers. German DirectorJoseph Wilsmaierchoseto focus his 1993 war filmStalingradon the Axis soldiers' unraveling ofdeclining morale against the backdrop of the horrors of war.Frank WisbarmadeStalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?to explore survival, even if it meant disobeying out-of-touch authority. The title references a historical quote attributed toFrederick the Great: “You cursed rascals, do you want to live forever?” Meanwhile,Enemy at the Gatescompletelymisreads the theater,failing miserablyby attempting to toy with historical reality and embracing melodramatic libertiesthat dilute the significance of the event.
Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1975 version of the grand battleThey Fought for Their Countryremains the best portrayal of the Battle of Stalingrad. It narratesthe historical battle with an authenticity that takes viewers back to the 1940s, immersing them in the soldiers' experiences. The film paints the camaraderie, bloodshed, and undying human spirit with honesty, and itssecret weapon, you might ask?They Fought for Their Countryfeatured actual veterans, led by Bonderchuk himself, as crew and cast.
‘They Fought For Their Country’ Is a Gripping Tale of Survival and Sacrifice
Adapted from a novel byMikhail Sholokhov, who held the line at Stalingrad,They Fought for Their Countrytells the story of a weary, retreating platoon ofSoviet soldiers who are ordered to defend their territorybyfending off the powerful Axis attacksuntil they receive reinforcements. The first frame of the soldiers shows war’s ability to isolate. The soldiers march on a desolate dirt road that sends chills of horrors ahead down the spine. Soon, the film reveals its main protagonists, including soldiers Peter (Vasily Shukshin), Ivan (Sergei Bondarchuk), Nikolai (Vyacheslav Tikhonov), and Alexander (Georgi Burkov), who are also friends.
Through the characters, Bondarchuk transforms a war zone—he makes you laugh with the soldiers as they jest and marvel at their deepest humanity, like when you see Peter and Ivan share the very butt of a cigarette. He shocks with the horrors of war, capturing harrowing scenes,but does not overdramatize them more than is necessary.They Fought For Their Countryis a film that can be best summed up by Tikhonov’s character, who,despite a gruesome injury that impairs his movement, hearing, and speech, rejoins the troops,stating amid great difficulty, “I came back to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with my comrades.”
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The film’s battle scenes are sprawling, portrayingwar as chaotic, personal, and tragic.Without mechanized equipment other than their rifles,the platoon faces the better-armed Axis soldiers with valor and collective pride.They take down planes and raze tankers, even if it is the last action a dying soldier takes. An emotional piece about patriots defending their land from colonization, the film offers anuanced portrayal that avoids the propagandist tag,even with the Axis soldiers remaining faceless in the film. To audiences, the Soviet platoon could be of any nationality,and we’d still root for them.Beyond its battles,They Fought For Their Countryexplores what its soldiers do to survive war’s other challenges,like securing food and navigating intimate personal feelings, such as yearning for their families.
‘They Fought For Their Country’s Realism Hits Hard
What crownsThey Fought For Their Countryis its authenticity. The best illustration of this is a line delivered by one of the weary soldiers about an incoming new division of recruits, who look fresh and manicured.“One day of hell will come, and their shine will be gone,“he says nonchalantly.It’s a lived experience forThey Fought For Their Country’s director, Sergei Bondarchuk, and actor Vasily Shukshin,among other members of the crew and cast, who are war veterans themselves.Bondarchuk, whose earlier epicWar and Peacewon an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, had a decorated military career with honors for his exploits during World War II. His co-star and onscreen friendShukshinis a war veteran as well, and even though he did not take part in World War II, he worked as a navy sailor and radio operatorbefore turning to cinema.
Their experience at the actual forefront was invaluable to the movie, whosebattle sequences are harrowing and capture the chaos and brutality of combat with unflinching detail.Whether it is the methodical digging of mud-caked trenches or close-ups of artillery shelling, trembling hands, and growling faces against a sweeping battlefield with war’s carnage,They Fought For Their Countrycreates an atmosphere that takes you right there into the fray while still capturing the psychological strain war has on its protagonists. Unable to refuse the temptation to walk his father’s path, Bonderchuk’s son,Fyodor Bondarchuk, also revisited his father’s battleground in his2013 IMAX release,Stalingrad.But it is his father’sThey Fought For Their Countrythat wins the contest because it goes for the viewer’s heartwithout sacrificing the context of its subject matter.
They Fought For Their Countryis currently available to rent on Amazon Prime in the U.S.
