Breakthrough (1979 film)

Breakthrough

Directed by	Andrew V. McLaglen
Written by	Peter Berneis / Tony Williamson
Starring	Richard Burton Robert Mitchum Rod Steiger Michael Parks Curd Jurgens Helmut Griem Klaus Löwitsch Horst Janson Sieghardt Rupp Joachim Hansen Véronique Vendell Werner Pochath Dieter Schidor Günter Meisner
Music by	Peter Thomas
Distributed by	Maverick Pictures International
Release dates	1979
Running time	111 min. (German version) 115. min. (English version)
Country	West Germany
Language	German / English

Breakthrough is a 1979 war film set on the Western Front. The picture is a sequel to Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron, and includes several characters from that film.

The film starred several big names including Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger. Burton (Sergeant Steiner) and Helmut Griem (Major Stransky) assume the roles played by James Coburn and Maximilian Schell respectively in the original film. The supporting cast features Michael Parks and Curd Jürgens.

Plot

Starting in late May 1944, during the German retreat on the Eastern Front, Captain Stransky (Helmut Griem) 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.

Cast

Richard Burton - Sergeant Rolf Steiner
Robert Mitchum - Colonel Rogers
Rod Steiger - General Webster
Michael Parks - Sergeant Anderson
Curd Jurgens - General Hoffmann
Helmut Griem - Major von Stransky
Klaus Löwitsch - Kruger

External links

Breakthrough at the Internet Movie Database

Films directed by Andrew V. McLaglen

Man in the Vault (1956)
Gun the Man Down (1956)
The Abductors (1957)
Freckles (1960)
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
McLintock! (1963)
Shenandoah (1965)
The Rare Breed (1966)
The Ballad of Josie (1967)
Monkeys, Go Home! (1967)
The Way West (1967)
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Bandolero! (1968)
Hellfighters (1968)
The Undefeated (1969)
Chisum (1970)
One More Train to Rob (1971)
Fools' Parade (1971)
Something Big (1971)
Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973)
Stowaway to the Moon (1975)
Mitchell (1975)
The Last Hard Men (1976)
Murder at the World Series (1977)
The Wild Geese (1978)
North Sea Hijack (1979)
Breakthrough (1979)
The Sea Wolves (1980)
The Shadow Riders (1982)
Sahara (1983)
The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (1985)
Return from the River Kwai (1989)
Eye of the Widow (1991)

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