Cross of Iron
“On the Eastern front in 1943, the German soldiers no longer had any ideals. They were not fighting for the Party—but for their lives!”
It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.
Your rating
Your review
Part of Cross of Iron Collection
2 films
Cast
25 people
James Coburn
Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner
Known for
Monsters, Inc.
The Nutty Professor
Maximilian Schell
Hauptmann Stransky
Known for
The Black Hole
Deep Impact
James Mason
Oberst Brandt
Known for
Lolita
North by Northwest
David Warner
Hauptmann Kiesel
Known for
Titanic
Tron
Klaus Löwitsch
Unteroffizier Krüger
Known for
The Marriage of Maria Braun
World on a Wire
Vadim Glowna
Gefreiter Kern
Known for
Les Misérables
Police Python 357
Roger Fritz
Leutnant Treibig
Known for
Querelle
Lili Marleen
Dieter Schidor
Anselm
Known for
Querelle
The Formula
Burkhard Driest
Schütze Maag
Known for
Stroszek
Querelle
Fred Stillkrauth
Unteroffizier Schnurrbart
Also in
Heimat 2: A Chronicle of a Generation
Lena Lorenz
Michael Nowka
Dietz
Known for
Back to Gaya
Véronique Vendell
Marga
Known for
Barbarella
The Witches
Sam Peckinpah Director · Julius J. Epstein Screenplay James Hamilton Screenplay
Director
Sam Peckinpah
Screenplay
Julius J. Epstein
Screenplay
James Hamilton
Screenplay
Walter Kelley
Writer
Herbert Asmodi
Author
Willi Heinrich
Composer
Ernest Gold
Cinematographer
John Coquillon
Editor
Tony Lawson
Editor
Michael Ellis
Editor
Murray Jordan
Production designer
Ted Haworth
Production designer
Brian Ackland-Snow
Worldwide gross $1.5M · Budget $6M · United States release May 20, 1977
Box office
Budget
$6,000,000
Worldwide gross
$1,509,000
Gross vs. budget
0.3×
Production
Rapid Film
Production
EMI Films
Production
Terra-Filmkunst
Production
Alex Winitsky / Arlene Sellers Productions
Production
ITC Entertainment
Production
Germany · United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · French · German · Russian
Release dates
Germany · January 28, 1977
Theatrical · West Germany
United States · May 20, 1977
Theatrical
United States
May 11, 1977 · Premiere · New York City, New York
Australia
February 10, 1977 · Theatrical
August 15, 2017 · Physical · DVD
Belgium
August 26, 1982 · Theatrical
Colombia
September 15, 1977 · Theatrical
Czechia
October 1, 1993 · Physical
June 24, 2002 · Physical
Denmark
April 25, 1977 · Theatrical
Finland
April 8, 1977 · Theatrical
France
January 18, 1978 · Theatrical
September 25, 2015 · Theatrical · Restored version
Germany
January 31, 1987 · TV · ZDF
Greece
January 18, 1978 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
February 5, 1982 · Theatrical
Ireland
February 25, 1977 · Theatrical
Italy
September 16, 1977 · Theatrical
Japan
March 17, 1977 · Theatrical
February 12, 2000 · Theatrical · Re-release
Mexico
January 26, 1978 · Theatrical
Netherlands
April 21, 1977 · Theatrical
December 11, 2002 · TV · V8
September 9, 2011 · Physical · DVD
September 11, 2013 · Physical · Blu ray
Norway
June 24, 1977 · Theatrical
Portugal
September 29, 1978 · Theatrical
Spain
March 1, 1978 · Theatrical
Sweden
June 26, 1977 · Theatrical
Türkiye
November 1, 1977 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
February 10, 1977 · Theatrical · Originally X
More from Sam Peckinpah
Other films they directed, best known first.
Some details come from TheTVDB.