"Enemy at the Gates" -- Stalingrad Sniper Duel

R

Roadrunner

New member
I don't know if this has been recently discussed. However, a new moive depicting the sniper duel between Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) and Major Konig (Ed Harris) is scheduled for release in March 2001. The trailer looks promising.

Enemy at the Gates Trailer
 
R

RHC

New member
I read a book about the battle of
Stalingrad recently (conveniently titled Stalingrad)
that said that this famous duel was not
mentioned or documented at the time, but began
appearing in stories only much later. That doesn't
mean it didn't happen, but it does suggest there's
a myth-making element in it.
 
D

Dr.Rob

Staff Alumnus
Looks like a direct telling of "war of the rats" i don't recall the girl being in the official dispatches..

Jude Law is an interesting choice.. I would have picked an actor who doesn't look so GQ.. maybe even an unknown or a really seedy looking guy like steve buschemi or kevin spacey.
 
C

Charmedlyfe

Moderator
He did go out with a spotter, but sex was never given......
Straight out of the book----and it's out of print.D*mn!
And the last engagement with the German, he went out with the commisar. We'll see.....
 
T

Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
I'll be there...

...with bells on. I remember reading Enemy at the Gates as a child; never before or since have I been so tempted to abscond with a school library book... I don't mind them taking a few liberties with history, as long as the movie is good. (ie. Braveheart) Hopefully, this rash of WW2 movies will teach a new generation the valuable lesson of that war: The Nazis taught us that sometimes it's necessary to stop talking about peace and just start dropping bombs.

Thank goodness for one good flick to tide me over til next Christmas. The wait for Lord of the Rings is going to be the death of me...
 
B

Bruegger

New member
I'll be there, too (without bells tho)

I'm all for more WW II flicks, and Stalingrad is a great topic for another movie (the German flick called "Stalingrad" was good, but without the cool modern special effects of this one). I'm with the camp that thinks the sniper duel was pure commie propoganda, but it makes for a good story.
 
4

4V50 Gary

Staff
Saw a video where Zaistev was interviewed. He states that the battle took place near a stream where both sides drew water. While I believe that some Soviets, like Germans, Americans, Brits or anyone else who is a hunter can be good snipers, Soviet history (as opposed to Russian) must be approached with caution. Anything released during the Stalinist era is heavily tainted and subject to revision, deletion of key personnel, and inflated claims. This is unfortunate for historians.
 
F

fed168

New member
I can second what Gary stated. A review on the Maxim machine gun book stated that the Russians claimed "they" fixed all of the problems in initial testing, and so they claimed the glory. I seem to remember an issue of Tactical Shooter that mentioned the famous duel, and that it was a myth.
 
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Marcus Wendel

New member
Fiction!

That duel never happend.

Here is what Anthony Beevor (author of Stalingrad) had to say:
"Indeed, the whole story of the sniper duel is fiction. There is absolutely no trace in the German military archives or SS records of SS officer Heinz Thorwald. Also there is absolutely no report of the duel in the Red Army files which concentrated on sniper activities (the daily reports of the Political Department of Stalingrad Front to Moscow) This great story can be classified as Sovjet propaganda."

The quote below is from a BBC News article:
"Mr Beevor, whose acclaimed tome Stalingrad is rapidly becoming the definitive text on the battle, said while Zaitsev was a real figure there was no evidence to support the existence of Koenig.
He said: 'I've been through the Soviet Ministry of Defence's archive in Podolsk and there is no record of such a duel.'
'If it had taken place the Soviet propaganda machine would have leapt on it.'"

For info on the German troops visit http://www.skalman.nu/third-reich/ and for info on the Soviet troops visit http://www.skalman.nu/soviet/

/Marcus
 
M

MAD DOG

New member
Anybody know who wrote the screenplay? Who Directed it?
Who produced it?
That would have a major impact on how well the film is done...
 
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