Page "Sam Peckinpah" Paragraph 30

Interestingly, he turned down both offers and chose instead the bleak and vivid World War II drama Cross of Iron ( 1977 ).

The screenplay was based on a novel about a platoon of German soldiers in 1943 on the verge of utter collapse on the Crimean Peninsula.

The German production was filmed on location in Yugoslavia.

Working with James Hamilton and Walter Kelley, Peckinpah rewrote the screenplay and screened numerous Nazi documentaries in preparation.

Almost immediately, Peckinpah realized he was working on a low-budget production, as he had to sink $ 90, 000 of his own money to hire experienced crew members.

While not suffering from the cocaine abuse which marked The Killer Elite, Peckinpah continued to drink heavily causing his direction to become confused and erratic.

The production abruptly ran out of funds, and Peckinpah was forced to completely improvise the concluding sequence, filming the scene in one day.

Despite these obstacles, the film's war footage was stunning and James Coburn, in the lead role of Rolf Steiner, gave one of the finest performances of his career.

Co-starring James Mason, Maximilian Schell, David Warner and Senta Berger, Cross of Iron was noted for its opening montage utilizing documentary footage as well as the visceral impact of the unusually intense battle sequences.

The film was a huge box office success in Europe, inspiring the sequel Breakthrough starring Richard Burton.

Cross of Iron was reportedly a favorite of Orson Welles who said that after All Quiet on the Western Front it was the finest anti-war film he had ever seen.

The film performed poorly in the U. S., eclipsed ultimately by the space adventure Star Wars, though today it is highly regarded and considered the last gasp of Peckinpah's once-great talent.