Do n’t get trip up in the crosshairs . Here are a few thing you credibly did n’t eff aboutEnemy at the Gates .
1. THE FILM IS BASED ON JUST THREE PAGES FROM A BOOK
duel sniper appear inEnemy at the Gates : The Battle for Stalingrad .
2. BUT IT’S LARGELY FICTIONAL
The sniper ’s duel between Zaitsev and Konig is pure fabrication , in fact , Konig himself allegedly never really existed .
3. RUSSIAN VETERANS HATE IT
Some veterans of the conflict render in the picture show hated its inaccuracies so much they called on Russia to ban the film instantaneously .
4. JUDE LAW WAS ADDED TO THE MIX BECAUSE OF A PREVIOUS ROLE
Director Jean - Jacques Annaud see a prevue screening ofThe Talented Mr. Ripleyand seek out Law for a part in his movie .
5. IN CASTING, THE EYES HAD IT
Jude Law and Ed Harris were cast in part because of their piercing eyes .
6. BOTH LEAD CHARACTERS HAD SERIOUS FIREPOWER
Law ’s character used a sniper variant of the Mosin - Nagant M91/30 rifle while Harris ’s character used A Mauser Karabiner 98k Sniper Rifle .
7. THE LEADS WERE TRAINED BY EX SNIPERS
They taught the actors how to hold back and take historically exact rifle .
8. FINDING THE RIGHT SET WAS A WORLWIDE PRODUCTION
The filmmaker scouted location for the movie in 18 unlike countries .
9. THE PRODUCTION EVENTUALLY CREATED A NEW STALINGRAD
The producer ended up building a full - scale set in Germany as a standpoint - in for warfare - torn Stalingrad .
10. THE RIVER SEQUENCES WEREN’T SHOT ON RIVERS
The crossing - the - Volga successiveness was sprout in exposed minelaying pond found by the output on the Polish / German border .
11. THE FILMMAKERS PREFERRED THE REAL THING TO CGI
Instead of CGI soldiers , up to 600 extras appear in conflict scenes .
12. THE FILMMAKERS WANTED THE BATTLES TO BE INTENSE
Stuntmen dressed as soldiers among the extras go under off each explosion to help bring to the random topsy-turvydom of the conflict sequence .
13. DESPITE ITS HISTORICAL INNACURACIES, IT WAS A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
It ’s the 13th highest grossing WWII movie of all fourth dimension with over $ 96 million at the worldwide box office .
14. IT WAS HUGE FOR A NON-HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION
At the time of release , the $ 90 million movie was the most expensive foreign - fund film ever made .
15. THE ENDING WAS CHANGED BECAUSE OF STUDIO NOTES
Spoiler : Tania was originally supposed to die , but the studio apartment call for the film ’s finis be changed because it wanted a happy ending .
