Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Cross of Iron Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 2, 2023

Sam Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by film historian and filmmaker Mike Siegel; multiple archival cast and crew interviews; rare archival promotional materials for the film; and a lot more. In English, with optional English, German, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Cross of Iron is Sam Peckinpah's only war film. Set during the final days of WW2, it follows a platoon of demoralized and exhausted soldiers, led by Corporal Steiner (James Coburn, Harry in Your Pocket!), as the German army is forced to retreat from the Russian front.

After a dangerous mission, Steiner meets his newly appointed commanding officer Captain Hauptmann Stransky (Maximilian Schell, A Bridge Too Far), an arrogant Prussian aristocrat, who dreams of winning the prestigious Cross of Iron. Convinced that the Third Reich is invincible, Stransky immediately questions Steiner’s recent decision to relocate his men to safer ground. Shortly after, the Russians launch a surprise attack. Stransky acts like a coward, while Steiner is seriously wounded and many of his men killed.

Steiner wakes up in an unnamed hospital where he befriends a beautiful nurse, Eva (Senta Berger, Diabolically Yours). A few days later, with some of his wounds still bleeding, he heads back to the front. After he is greeted by his men, Steiner is shocked to discover that Stransky has fabricated a report indicating that he led a counterattack against the Russians, hoping that his 'act of bravery' would win him the Iron Cross. Outraged and disgusted, he decides to testify against Stransky.

Peckinpah's Cross of Iron is an unusual film. There are massive, frequently breathtaking battle scenes in it, but the focus of attention is on the ordinary man who must fight an enemy he does not know or understand but feels it is his duty to confront. It is raw and intense, quite moody at times, but also incredibly poetic.

The conflict between Steiner and Stransky occupies a major part of the story and represents a fascinating clash of ideas. Steiner is an honest and brave soldier who has come to realize what men like him sooner or later do, which is that in war there are no winners. The realization has made him a cynic, so now he simply fights to live, not because he believes in the Nazi cause. Stransky is a coward who wants to return home as a hero. Ironically, like Steiner, he does not believe in the Nazi cause, even though he is convinced that the Third Reich is invincible.

The men around Steiner are not believers either. They fight because they are proud patriots -- or at least they were before the war started. However, while being exterminated by their enemy, like Steiner, most have traded their patriotism for cynicism.

This rather unusual distinction Peckinpah makes in Cross of Iron -- that not all Germans who fought the war were Nazis -- is rarely witnessed in similar period films. Naturally, as the story progresses it becomes increasingly clear that the Germans and the Russians are fighting the same enemy.

Shot on location in Yugoslavia -- with a legendary budget that nearly bankrupted producer Wolf C. Hartwig, who previously had funded mostly exploitation and pornographic films -- Cross of Iron dazzles with its massive, notably realistic battle scenes. The editing, however, is occasionally problematic.

The haunting soundtrack was created by Oscar-winning composer Ernest Gold (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World).

*In 1977, Cross of Iron was awarded a Golden Screen Award.

Cross of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cross of Iron arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release introduces a brand new 4K 16-bit restoration of Cross of Iron that was completed at Silver Salt Restoration in the United Kingdom. (This is the same party that prepared the 4K restorations of Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.).

The new 4K restoration is also available on this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. I viewed it in native 4K and later tested large sections of the 1080p presentation on this release.

If you have seen our review of the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack, you already know that I like how Cross of Iron looks now a lot. I think that the 1080p presentation is equally satisfying. Yes, in native 4K the dynamic range of the visuals is superior and as a result in several areas the perception of depth is better, but you will probably need a pretty big screen to identify meaningful improvements. Why? Because the stylization makes it difficult to spot meaningful improvements in real time. It is easier to recognize and appreciate the improvements in quality if you compare the previous Blu-ray release with the 1080p presentation on this release because after the makeover the film looks very healthy. Also, I think that darker areas tend to look more convincing in native 4K because darker nuances are expanded. The rest looks very similar or identical in 1080p. Finally, the 4K presentation boasts a superior encode. On the 1080p presentation, there is room for some minor yet meaningful optimizations. All in all, on my system Cross of Iron looked very solid in 1080p and native 4K, so I think that fans of the film will be equally pleased with the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Cross of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0., German LPCM 2.0, and French LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film in native 4K with the English LPCM 2.0 track. I only tested the 1080p presentation. The comments below are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack.

The audio is very clear and sharp. Stability is excellent, too. Obviously, there is a lot of war footage with plenty of dynamic activity, but as I have mentioned in the past, you should not expect to encounter the type of dynamic strength that a film like Saving Private Ryan produces. I do wonder if a new Dolby Atmos mix could have been beneficial for Cross of Iron, but I am perfectly fine with the current lossless track. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

Cross of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film historian and filmmaker Mike Siegel -- who was involved with the very good recent Blu-ray release of The Osterman Weekend -- shares a lot of information about Sam Peckinpah's cinematic legacy, the conception and execution of Cross of Iron as well as the director's 'unorthodox' take on the clash between the Germans and the Russians, the staging and appearance of the battle scenes, the specific casting choices that were made, etc. In English.

• Promoting Steiner - presented here is an extensive collection of promotional materials -- posters, lobby cards, press book, magazine covers, etc. -- from around the world. With music. (11 min).

• Steiner on the Set - presented here is a collection of one hundred rare stills from the shooting of Cross of Iron. With music. (10 min).

• Filming Steiner - Part One - presented here is a rare collection of two hundred behind the scenes stills. In Black and white. With music. (10 min).

• Filming Steiner - Part Two - presented here are the remaining behind the scenes stills. In black and white. With music. (10 min).

• Steiner in Color - presented here are additional behind the scenes/production/film stills. In color. With music. (10 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Passion & Poetry: Sam Peckinpah's War - in this documentary directed by Mike Siegel, actors James Coburn, Senta Berger, David Warner, Vadim Glowna, Roger Fritz, and Katy Haber recall their work on Iron Cross. Sam Peckinpah is also seen and heard discussing the film. (Please note that fragments from the film are also used in the On location interviews below). In English and German, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (49 min).

• Kruger Kisses Kern - actor/director/producer Vadim Glowna recalls how he had to write a massive letter to director Sam Peckinpah to get the role of Gefreiter Kern, and how the famous kissing scene came to exist. In German, with English subtitles. (9 min).

• Vadim & Sam: Father and Son - Vadim Glowna recalls a trip to London during the cutting and synchronization of Cross of Iron. In German, with English subtitles. (7 min).

• Cutting Room Floor - actor/director/photographer Roger Fritz, and actors David Warner and Senta Berger address various scenes that did not make it in the final version of Cross of Iron. In German and English, with English subtitles where necessary. (5 min).

• Steiner in Japan (1977) - stills and archival footage featuring James Coburn. Courtesy of El Dorado Productions. In Japanese, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Mike's Home Movies: Steiner & Kiesel Meet Again - a short introduction to the film by David Warner and James Coburn before a screening in Italy. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• On location - five featurettes containing raw footage from the shooting of Iron Cross, with 1976 on set audio interviews. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Sam Peckinpah (6 min).
  2. James Coburn (6 min).
  3. James Mason (7 min).
  4. Maximilian Schell (5 min).
  5. David Warner (4 min).

• U.S. TV Spot - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• U.S. and UK Trailers - in English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• German Trailer - this vintage German theatrical trailer features a fragment from a deleted scene with James Coburn and Senta Berger. In German, with English subtitles. (4 min).

Cross of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For years, what Sam Peckinpah did in Cross of Iron was taboo. His film dares to see the German soldiers that were dying during WWII as human beings. Of course, some of them were completely brainwashed animals that had embraced the evil their leaders in Berlin were selling, but there were plenty more that arrived at the frontline because they had to. After that, it was irrelevant how much they knew about their enemy and the politics behind the war they were sent to fight -- they had to kill to stay alive. James Coburn's character leads a small group of German soldiers that are forced to participate in this evil theater, fully aware that winning or losing is utterly meaningless.

StudioCanal's Blu-ray release introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration of Cross of Iron with an outstanding selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features. If you have a 4K system, or plan to have one soon, you should probably consider picking up this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack, which has the two Blu-ray discs that are included with the set we have reviewed here. If you can only play Blu-ray discs, then this is the release for you. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.