Breakthrough (film)
Encyclopedia
Breakthrough is a 1979 war film
set on the Western Front. It is a sequel to Sam Peckinpah
's Cross of Iron
, and borrows several characters from that film.
The film starred several big names including Richard Burton
and Rod Steiger
. Richard Burton played Sergeant Steiner and Helmut Griem as Major Stransky reprise roles played by James Coburn
and Maximillian Schell respectively in the original film.
Compared to Cross of Iron, Breakthrough was panned by critics, who criticised it for confusing plot, poor dialogue and undistinguished acting.
) orders Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton
) to blow up a railway tunnel to prevent Russian forces from using it. Steiner's platoon fails in its mission by coming up against a Russian tank. Steiner then takes a furlough to Paris just as the Allies launch their invasion of Normandy.
Steiner's unit is transferred to France, occupying the village of St. Bologne. General Hoffman (Curd Jürgens
) orders Steiner to cross into enemy territory and confer with American Colonel Rogers (Robert Mitchum
) and General Webster (Rod Steiger
) that the High Command of the German Army (Wehrmacht
) is plotting to assassinate Hitler and would like to surrender. The plan fails and American forces launch an attack on German forces in St. Bologne where Stransky has planned an explosion to destroy both the Americans and civilian inhabitants.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
set on the Western Front. It is a sequel to Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
's Cross of Iron
Cross of Iron
Cross of Iron is a 1977 war film directed by Sam Peckinpah, featuring James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason and David Warner. The film is set on the Eastern Front in World War II during the Soviet's Caucasus operations that forced the Wehrmacht to retreat from the Taman Peninsula on the...
, and borrows several characters from that film.
The film starred several big names including Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
. Richard Burton played Sergeant Steiner and Helmut Griem as Major Stransky reprise roles played by James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
and Maximillian Schell respectively in the original film.
Compared to Cross of Iron, Breakthrough was panned by critics, who criticised it for confusing plot, poor dialogue and undistinguished acting.
Plot
Starting in late May 1944, during the German retreat on the Eastern Front, Captain Stransky (Helmut GriemHelmut Griem
Helmut Griem was a German actor.Griem was primarily a German-speaking stage actor, appearing at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, the Burgtheater in Vienna, the Staatliches Schauspielbühnen in Berlin, in the Munich Kammerspiele, and finally in the...
) orders Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
) to blow up a railway tunnel to prevent Russian forces from using it. Steiner's platoon fails in its mission by coming up against a Russian tank. Steiner then takes a furlough to Paris just as the Allies launch their invasion of Normandy.
Steiner's unit is transferred to France, occupying the village of St. Bologne. General Hoffman (Curd Jürgens
Curd Jürgens
Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens.-Early life:...
) orders Steiner to cross into enemy territory and confer with American Colonel Rogers (Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
) and General Webster (Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
) that the High Command of the German Army (Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
) is plotting to assassinate Hitler and would like to surrender. The plan fails and American forces launch an attack on German forces in St. Bologne where Stransky has planned an explosion to destroy both the Americans and civilian inhabitants.