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Article: Breaking a taboo. (controversial new German films 'Stalingrad' and 'Schtonk' portray Nazism)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- March 20, 1993
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE 50th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad is being marked by a rare event: the release of two modern German films dealing with the Nazis and the war. They are Josef Vilsmaier's "Stalingrad" and Helmut Dietl's "Schtonk", which has been nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film. The victors--the Russians, the Americans and the British--have made many films about the war. For the losers it is a ticklish subject, and most German film makers have steered clear of it (Wolfgang Petersen with "Das Boot" is an outstanding exception).
In "Stalingrad" Mr Vilsmaier has borrowed from Hollywood the techniques of an epic war film, in which the special-effects department ...