Enemy at the Gate

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

In an interview with the March 16, 2001 Minneapolis Star Tribune, 
Jean-Jacques Annaud said, "You'll never believe me, but when I started 
this, I thought to myself, 'What a great little film,'" He added, "I 
read this anecdote about two snipers dueling during the battle of 
Stalingrad, and I was struck by this tiny, tiny, tiny story's 
repercussions on the course of history." And so he proceeded to make 
"Enemy at the Gate," a film in which the Battle of Stalingrad is reduced 
to a duel between a Russian and German sniper, played respectively by 
Jude Law and Ed Harris.

Law's character is based on a real hero of the Soviet army, a former 
shepherd named Vassili Zaitsev who was turned into an "exemplary" figure 
in typical Stalinist fashion, like the worker Stakhanov whose prodigious 
feats on the assembly line were rewarded with glory and extra pay. 
Zaitsev becomes the project of Commissar Danilov, played by Ralph 
Fiennes. Challenged by Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) to find a way to 
motivate Soviet soldiers--beyond threatening them with execution if 
caught fleeing--Danilov suggests elevating Zaitsev to super-hero status.

When Zaitsev succeeds beyond expectation, the Germans summon one of 
their top marksman, a Major König who is played by Ed Harris. The 
remainder of the film consists of a cat-and-mouse fight between the two 
men, with the German appearing invincible. Except for these highly 
choreographed scenes, which seem to owe much to recent Hong Kong cinema 
especially John Woo, most of the drama consists of Jude Law agonizing 
over his feelings of inadequacy. In time-honored fashion, Law prevails 
and the Red Army celebrates victory.

In a March 24, 2001 Sunday Telegraph article, Antony Beevor has some 
bitter complaints about Annaud's version of the Battle of Stalingrad on 
two scores. He challenges the film's veracity on a number of matters, 
including whether there were Soviet women snipers (there were none). He 
objects to the tendency to create striking visual images also at the 
expense of veracity. For example, he calls attention to a lingering shot 
that establishes the exterior of General Paulus's headquarters. It shows 
"dozens of German panzers perfectly lined up in a triumphal avenue 
leading to the entrance, an ideal parade-ground target for the Soviet 
air force." In fact there was no panzer reserve near German headquarters 
and even if there were, they would have not been exposed to Soviet 
firepower in this fashion. This might be impressive as cinematography, 
but less so as history.

Beevor's biggest complaint is over the tendency to reduce an enormous 
battle involving contrary social forces into a duel, especially by the 
final scene in which the Nazi sniper reveals himself inadvertently to 
Zaitsev: "After a long moment, there is the sound of a coat flapping in 
the wind. Koenig turns his head, suddenly sensing that Zaitsev has 
tricked him. He sees him, also standing in the open, with rifle 
levelled. It is pure Clint Eastwood." Annaud agreed completely with 
Beevor. It was intended to be pure Clint Eastwood. "Enemy at the Gates" 
was his personal tribute to Sergio Leone. Just before his death, he 
urged Annaud to complete the major feature he was trying to make about 
the siege of Leningrad. One must conclude that by honoring Leone in this 
fashion, the Soviet people got short shrift.

--

Louis Proyect
www.marxmail.org



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