Russia Premieres 'Stalingrad' Epic With Oscar Hopes -- Voice of Russia
Russian film director Fyodor Bondarchuk on Wednesday presented the Moscow premiere of his World War II drama "Stalingrad", an epic about one of the bloodiest battles in history, and which Russia has picked as its Oscar entry. Made with a budget of $30 million (22 million euros) including financing from the government, Bondarchuk's new film is the first Russian film to be shot entirely in 3D.
The release comes as President Vladimir Putin is seeking to play up patriotism to shore up support after returning to the Kremlin for a third term as president last year following huge protests.
The film focuses on the battlefield friendship between five Soviet soldiers who are desperately defending a strategically vital apartment building against far-better armed Nazi occupiers.
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My Comment: The above trailer is riveting .... and I suspect that the movie will be just as good. On a side note .... my father fought for the Soviet Army during the Second World War. In the battle of Stalingrad .... his artillery unit was located to the north of the city ... and it was their first real major engagement. I have always remembered my father's description of that battle .... but I will never forget his description of how bloody the entire war was. At the start of Stalingrad there were about 500 - 600 men in my father's unit .... three years later .... and three days before the end of the war my father found himself to the west of Berlin .... with the remnants of this unit .... but that is also when German General Wenck and his 12th Army group decided to surrender to the West rather than finding themselves surrendering to the Russians. I always remember my father telling me that during those three days .... the last three days of the war .... this unit that had fought at some of the bloodiest battles of the war ended up being totally obliterated with only about two dozen surviving .... including my father.
On a personal note .... I have been to Stalingrad/Volgograd a few times .... the war memorial that is there is breath-taking.
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