``The Cross of Iron'' A mysterious work born between madness and chaos. This epic war story from a master of violence is filled with the harsh and vivid reality of the shooting scene! ?

What was captured on film in a harsh environment

In the documentary film " Sam Peckinpah: The Passion and the Aesthetic " (05), one of the people involved said, "The tense relationship between Sam and the producer may have had a positive effect on this film." Indeed, filmmaking while clashing with producers has become Peckinpah's specialty. He makes progress by fighting. He uses anger as his driving force. In this film, too, the "chaos" on set became the film's bones, blood, and flesh. It might even be said that it was the chaos that awakened the true power of this film in a spectacular way.

Furthermore, in "The Cross of Iron" there is a superior officer who often has conflicts with Sergeant Steiner. His name is Stransky. He is a truly despicable man who treats his subordinates as little more than dog shit, and his rotten character makes the viewer feel angry and sick.

And watching Steiner and Stransky, who clash whenever they meet, makes me think. Perhaps these two men are a reflection of Peckinpah and the producer. I felt that the relationship between Peckinpah and the producer, who are at odds with each other so much that they want to beat each other up, but who are forced to "co-fight" toward the same goal on the battlefield of filmmaking, suddenly emerged in the two men, the sergeant and the officer.

This relationship seems to reveal Peckinpah's innermost thoughts. Although this is a war film that exposes the Inferno of the battlefield, it also naturally reveals the reality of "filmmaking." I may be stating something completely off the mark, but the scenes in this film have such a strong impact that you can't help but read too deeply into them. Therefore, no matter how many times we watch it, we are always surprised and moved as if we were seeing the scene for the first time. This mysteriousness is also the reason why this film has not lost its luster for 40 years.

"Apocalypse Now" depicts the madness of war amid chaos