Enemy at the Gates
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Enemy at the Gates is a 2001 movie directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, adapted from the David L. Robbins book called The War of the Rats. Robbins borrowed elements from William Craig's book "Enemy at the Gates" which describe the events surrounding during the Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943. The movie follows World War II Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev and his German rival, Major König, as they stalk each other during the Battle of Stalingrad.
Despite the film, historian Anthony Beevor suggests in his book, Stalingrad that, while Zaitsev was definitely a real person, the story of his duel (dramatized in the film) with König is fictional.
Contents
Summary
Chapter Listing
DVD Extras
- Theatrical Trailer, a viewing of the theatrical trailer for Enemy at the Gates,
- Through the Crosshairs, a special look into the sniping of the film,
- Inside Enemy at the Gates, interviews with actors, filming shooting, etc. compiled to show the complex creation of the film,
- Additional Scenes:
- *The Pier
- *Sacha Dogtags
- *Trenches
- *Soup Time
- *Sleep Koulikov
- *Black Cats
- *Tania Cries
- *Hang On
- *Danilov's Report
Main cast
- Jude Law - Vasily Zaitsev (spelled "Vassili" in the closing credits)
- Rachel Weisz - Tanya Chernova (spelled "Tania" in the closing credits)
- Joseph Fiennes - Commissar Danilov
- Bob Hoskins - Nikita Khrushchev (spelled "Krushchev" in the closing credits)
- Ed Harris - Major König
- Matthias Habich - General (later Field Marshal) Friedrich Paulus, commander-in-chief of the German Sixth Army
- Eva Mattes - Mother Filipov
- Gabriel Marshall-Thomson - Sacha Filipov
- Ron Perlman - Sniper Koulikov
- Sophie Rois - Ludmilla
Solecism
- When Vasily Zaitsev was embraced by Nikita Khrushchev in a press conference, shown at 49:42 of the movie in the DVD release, a 1977 revised version of the Soviet Union's national hymn was played in the background, instead of the 1943 version, in contradiction to the time of events reflected in the film. At 50:17 in the movie, the song sang, Партия Ленина — сила народная; during the Great Patriotic War, the lyrics should read, Знамя советское, знамя народное. See National Anthem of the Soviet Union.
Goofs, Trivia, etc.
Goofs
- On the poster a left-handed variant of the sniper Mosin-Nagant is shown. This is most likely a mirror flipped image of the rifle, since there are no known examples of the left-handed Mosin-Nagants in existence.
- In the scene where Danilov meets Vasily, Danilov pulls a rifle from a dead soldier. The rifle's bolt handle is in the open position as he shoulders it. A second later as the camera angle changes to a head on view the bolt handle is closed. Danilov had no time to close the bolt correctly as he shouldered the rifle. Also in this scene, when Danilov is aiming at the Germans, Vasily talks to him, but we do not see him during this.
- In the scene where the Army newspaper is first re-printed, Danilov lists places in Russia that were reprinting Vasily Zaitsev's story; he wrongly lists the Crimea, which at that time was in the hands of the Germans.
- The story takes place in 1942, but the T-34/85 tank, shown in one of the scenes, did not appear until second half of 1943
- Soviet soldiers transported to the front in padlocked cars: in reality, train cars doors were open so that the soldiers could jump out in case of an air strike.
- Danilov is a commissar throughout the whole movie, although in the Red Army this rank was removed on October 9, 1942. Moreover, when he meets Vasily, he introduces himself as "politruk". This was a different rank, equal to elder lieutenant, while commissar was equal to the rank of major.
- Everybody calls the main character Vasily, including his grandfather. Among Russians, however, the full names are usually used formally. With family and close friends, Russians use diminutive names. The diminutive form of "Vasily" is "Vasya".
- The film is set in 1942, and at the end of the film the date is shown as 1942. However, at the press conference the national anthem played is the Hymn of the Soviet Union however this did not become the national anthem of the Soviet Union until 1944. Prior to this time, the national anthem was The Internationale.
- Zaitsev actually learned marksmanship by shooting deer, not wolves, as depicted in the movie.
- The map of Hitler's conquests near the beginning of the film is entirely fictional. Mistakes include an apparent invasion of Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria (though the last four were allied to Nazi Germany). Slovakia isnt either on the map, despite it was a puppet state created on the same day Hitler moved into Prague on March 15 (Annexing the rest of Czechoslovakia). Oddly modern day Serbia is shown as a separate country to Yugoslavia and Albania is twice as large as it was. Norway is left out despite that fact that it was taken in 1940.
Trivia
- The first level of the Russian campaign in Call of Duty is based on the opening scenes.
- Annaud made the film also as a sort of tribute to his friend and fellow director Sergio Leone, who had been trying to make a film about the Siege of Leningrad at the time of his death.
Criticism
The film was criticized both in Russia and in the West for taking considerable liberties with the facts; in both its plot and in the depictions of its characters (notably Fiennes' character, Danilov, and the German sniper König), it varies widely from the historical record. The actual Soviet Stalingrad veterans were so offended by inaccuracies in the movie and the insulting way in which the movie portrays the Red Army, that they asked the Russian Parliament to ban the film in Russia.One particular point that was insulting to the Stalingrad veterans was the scene in which the Soviet soldiers were shown as singing and dancing. According to numerous accounts, the two things that were always on the minds of the soldiers was to get something to eat and to catch some sleep.
External links
- [Official site]
- [}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [Film Sculptor] Special Effects Sculptor who made the giant Stalin statue
- [American will not notice, Russian will not forgive]
- [Military history online, containing information on Zaitsev and Chernova]
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