Auteur Sam Peckinpah is most famous for The Wild Bunch, his blistering take on the Western. Few outside the aficionados bother to mention Cross of Iron, Peckinpah’s foray into the Good War, and one that earned him pans upon its initial release. Yet despite its rough start and later relegation to mass cultural obscurity, the work has rightfully garnered a committed if dwindling following. Including some of the most accomplished filmmakers of our time. Van and Lyle welcome author and combat vet Adrian Bonenberger onto the show to make sense of the glorious, no-holds-barred mess. And why it still haunts us with its cackle.
Further Reading
“All Loud on the Eastern Front: Peckinpah’s Cross of Iron Revisited,” by Andrew Stimpson
The Road Ahead, edited by Adrian Bonenberger and Brian Castner
The Disappointed Soldier, by Adrian Bonenberger
Afghan Post, by Adrian Bonenberger
Cross of Iron Trailer
Teaser from the Episode
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