Breakthrough (1979 film)
| Breakthrough | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Written by | Peter Berneis / Tony Williamson |
| Produced by | Wolf C. Hartwig Herbert Lukowski |
| Starring | Richard Burton Robert Mitchum Rod Steiger Michael Parks Curd Jurgens Helmut Griem Klaus Löwitsch |
| Music by | Peter Thomas |
Production companies | Palladium Film Rapid Film |
| Distributed by | Constantin Film Maverick Pictures International (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes (German version) 115 minutes (English version) |
| Country | West Germany |
| Language | German / English |
| Budget | $7.2 million |
Breakthrough, also released as Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz, 2 and Sergeant Steiner is a 1979 war film set on the Western Front, specifically the Normandy coastline. The picture is a sequel to Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron, and includes several characters from that film.
The film stars 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. This also marks the film debut of Christoph Waltz, playing an uncredited role. Klaus Löwitsch is the only actor from Cross of Iron to reprise his role.