Review of The Battle of Stalingrad (1949)

The Battle of Stalingrad portrays the Eastern Front of World War 2 in a charming operatic style, centering the drama of the battle upon the key personalities of Stalin, Chuikov, Hitler, and Paulus, along with an array of supporting characters. The main focus is, of course, put on Stalin, endearingly called Josef Vissarionovich by his officers throughout the film. 

The pacing of the film is fantastic. I particularly enjoyed how they portrayed the outset of Operation Uranus, with fast cuts between intense artillery barrages, the valiantly advancing Soviet army, the shattered German and Romanian forces, and the tense scenes of the German and Russian headquarters. The German headquarters are frantic and the officers worried, while the Russian officers are cool headed, foreseeing the German response in advance. The Russian officers are shown to be quick thinking and cunning, working to make sure that the German troops meet their doom in Stalingrad, cutting off every attempt they make to withdraw.