Stalingrad – The Latest Three Dimensional Blockbuster?
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The love affair with 3D movies is certainly showing no signs of diminishing in Europe as well as North America. Even British producers are now seeing the addition of a third dimension in their movies as something that needs to be considered, if not employed to maximum potential. Take the great critically acclaimed in Ireland last year of Gravity, a co-production between Heyday Films – based in London – and Mexican company Esperanto Filmoj. Few would have predicted that film makers outside of Hollywood would be using three dimensional technology in feature films even a couple of years ago. Irish cinema goers are still able to view the space-based thriller at the IMAX in Dublin and seeing it in the larger screen format in 3D really is recommended, largely because the imagery is so immersive – especially when you consider that much of it is computer generated.
Although Gravity can expect an extended run at Cineworld’s IMAX, given its success at this year’s Oscars, it is certainly not the only 3D movie on offer. Stalingrad is one of the new films releases that are available to view at the IMAX in 3D. Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk, Stalingrad tells the tale the Nazis’ attempt to wrest control of the city from the Red Army in November 1942. Each army is engaged in a do-or-die fight for control of the Soviet city which was highly prestigious and strategically crucial to the outcome of World War II. The film is a visceral experience that delves into the hell of war and the images are only heightened by the use of the IMAX the format of 3D. Film goers may think that they are familiar with the story of the battle for Stalingrad following Enemy At The Gates, made in 2001, starring Jude Law and Ed Harris. This new film tells a different story without ever shying away from the violence of the times.
Unlike the earlier movie, Stalingrad is in both in Russian and German but with English subtitles. Nevertheless, many of the film’s sequences do not require viewers to worry too much about the language barrier. Indeed, there is a certainly other-worldliness to the destroyed city which is enhanced – if anything – by the foreign languages used. With the Russian army launching a counter-offensive that means they must cross the icy Volga, six soldiers – led by the excellent Pyotr Fyodorov – end up occupying the home of a teenage girl named Katya. Played by Mariya Smolnikova, Katya is the only surviving member of her family and becomes something of a good-luck charm for the soldiers. That is, until the intervention of a sadistic Nazi commander which leads to some intense results.
As you would expect from a 3D movie, Stalingrad is adrenaline fuelled and a visually impressive feast. It is however, unremittingly patriotic and probably has more to say about modern Russian nationalism than it does about the Soviet era. This is of little interest to many who simply want an entertaining film that uses the IMAX format to its full. As bullets fly out of the screen, audiences are treated to a film that plays with their perception in a way that few other 3D movies yet have.
This article is a guest post from a fellow blogger, Emma Clark from Clickonline.com
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