DVD: Contains all three of the famous 08/15 films from the German Film Archives. Presented on one DVD. Part I takes us into German barracks life on the eve of World War II. Asch, pushed into open rebellion when a cruel officer drives a fellow soldier to the brink of suicide, wages a battle of wits with his superiors. Asch survives this round, prompting an investigation into barracks conditions; his hard-won victory is overshadowed by impending war. Germany, 1954, B&W, 96 minutes, German dialogue, English subtitles. Part II gives us a grunts-eye view of the Russian front. Again, Asch and his comrades contend with commanders whose incompetence can have lethal consequences. The film ends with a German retreat across the front, and the battlefield death of a close comrade. Germany, 1955, B&W, 110 minutes, German dialogue, English subtitles. Part III shows Germany in free-fall. Top commanders desert their disintegrating armies, while SS renegades stop at nothing to hold onto their stolen wealth. Amidst murderous plots, dizzying intrigue, and wholesale collapse, Asch observes many former super-patriots who now leap at the chance to collaborate with the victorious Allies. Germany, 1955, 93 minutes, German dialogue, English subtitles.
I.M.A carries much of the equipment seen in this film: not the film’s props, but the actual equipment used by the soldiers depicted in the film!