Let’s all become history experts and point out the historical accuracies and inaccuracies in the World War II movie Enemy at the Gates. Enemy at the Gates is a movie directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The movie takes place in Russia during World War two. The Nazi war machine has invaded Russia. A long brutal campaign is beginning to amount into the biggest turning point of the war in Russia, the Battle of Stalingrad. Without Stalingrad, the Russians be cut off from the southern side of Russian and will lose many strategic resources.
Credit: Georgy Zelma/TASS
Jean-Jacques has some big stories to tell here, but most importantly, tell them accurately. War films are tough to get right, so let’s see how Annaud did in his push to recount on of the biggest historical battles in history.
Quick Plot Synopsis
The movie focuses on the famous Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev. Vasily duels with a German sniper that has been sent to kill him. Instead of fighting in huge battles, Vasily resides within the demolished city as he patiently waits for the enemy to cross his sights.
The Right!
Not One Step Back
One of the biggest accuracies lives in the large battle scene. Shortly before the Battle of Stalingrad erupted, Stalin enacted an order to punish any soldier or officer that retreated. High commanding officers were executed, while retreating soldiers were shot by the Soviet command. In the line of fire, Soviet troops were trapped between fire from the Germans and fire from their own faction. The movie does portray in the first offensive charge we see (I could only find this moment depicted in a dubbed version).
Stalin’s Harshness
This order stems from Stalins harsh punishments towards officers in the Red Army. Throughout the war on the eastern front, Stalin has a decent record of executing officers that were in command during a major defeat during the war. The brutality towards officers is seen in the movie. Another scene depicts this well by having the commanders attitude change when he must speak to Stalin himself.
Women in War Time
In the grand scheme of the war, women typically did not fight. Most women fighters are seen fighting for resistance groups, like France, and for the Red Army. While most soviet women were deployed as nurses, several became snipers. There are not many women in this film. One woman serves as a love interest for two of the main characters. This clip shows her assisting Vasily in a small battle. However, she does not merely just help the sniper throughout the film. She is depicted with a strong sense of patriotism and wishes to fight. It is good to see women depicted with an urge to fight, instead of the typical nurse role they play in war movies.
The Wrong…
Dialect
This movie was clearly made for a non-Russian audience. War films often avoid using the actual language of soldiers to make it easier to follow for English audiences. While using English is acceptable, very few characters attempt to replicate a Russian accent. In fact, most of the characters sound British. The best Russian accent you may find in the movie comes from Bob Hopkins playing Nikita Khrushchev. Even this is not distinctively a Russian accent, but his deep raspy voice has some hint of Russian grit.
Political Views
Enemy at the Gates takes place in a country that follows socialistic ideas. There are very few movies in the US that depict the horrific campaign that the Soviets endured during World War II. I believe that the difference between the US and Russian political views is the sole reason that Hollywood has not ventured into the eastern front of World War II. Enemy at the Gates is the Russian World War II movie most Americans have seen. But even this movie contains several accounts of anti-socialism agendas. Characters frequently oppose socialism in their dialogue. War time calls for unity of every man, so political opinions during this time would be dangerous; thus, likely not to be discussed among soldiers. The two clips below contain hints of political opinion. *SPOILERS*
Quick Summary
Don’t want to read all that? That’s okay. Let me give you a quick version of what I have pointed out. The movie does a tremendous job at nailing the big picture of the war. The illustrations of Stalin’s brutality, the Soviet troops’ dilemma, and the combat roles of women are outstanding. The historical faults of the film are obvious unfortunately. No one even attempts to have a Russian accent. Many characters claim to be against socialism, which is not something one might hear since the soldiers believed to be fighting a just war.
Credit- Annaud, Jean-Jacques, director. Enemy at the Gates. Mandalay Pictures Repérage Films, 2001.
Conclusion
Jean-Jacques Annaud cannibalises Russian history by subtly applying that the soldiers do not support the cause of the war. Removing this would have made the film more honorable. Regardless, the breath of the war is greatly depicted. The film contradicts itself by pushing Russian propaganda, but puts distasteful (I’m not referring to my own views, but my opinion to keep this aspect out of the film) political views into it. I wish we could recognize a soldier’s cause without tying he or she up in politicaldebates.
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