Schnurrbart's first name?
Hello!
Is it ever mentioned?`:O
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MovieChat Forums > Cross of Iron (1977) Discussion > Schnurrbart's first name?
Don't think so, no. Unless he's actually called "Corporal". :-)
shareNow that I think about it, though, I've an idea it's mentioned in the novel. I seem to remember his name is Karl Reisenauer. (Though I may be mistaken. I don't have my copy handy, and it's a good many years since I last read it.) Schnurrbart, as you're probably aware, is his nickname, meaning "moustache" in German.
shareYes, "schnurrbart" does mean "moustache," so the character was only known as "Corporal Moustache."
But something I found striking in the novel which Peckinpah must have decided to omit from the film, is the revelation late in the story (after his death, if I recall this correctly) that Schnurrbart was actually Steiner's brother. That's a real dramatic strategy behind the author avoiding the character's real name any earlier!
But I think Peckinpah may have preferred Steiner wanting revenge against Stransky based on story motivations other than a family loss.
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.
But something I found striking in the novel which Peckinpah must have decided to omit from the film, is the revelation late in the story (after his death, if I recall this correctly) that Schnurrbart was actually Steiner's brother.
He was?! Wow, I gotta re-read the book, I totally missed that fact.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
share
In the novel, his name is Karl 'Schnurrbart' Reisenauer, which would also make him Steiner's half-brother at best.
The following lines I quote from page 410 of my Bantam Books paperback edition of the source novel (USA, June 1977). This follows Steiner's very specific orders about how Schnurrbart is to be buried, including that one of the platoon members should try to be present.
Gollhofer had quietly come up and was watching the scene, a curious expression around his mouth. "A friend of yours?" he asked.
Steiner turned, crossed the highway and started up the track between the vineyards.
There was a startled silence until Krueger spoke. "He was his brother," he said.
Anyone else is free to scour the book for disputing evidence.
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get. share
But was it brother in blood or in spirit? With different surnames, the question is still olpen.
shareNo, the question is not open. In both novel and film, these soldiers have been through far too much hell on Earth to be speaking poetically or metaphorically -- especially at that point in the story. (Only 27 pages from the end.) I researched MY evidence from the book; but bjorn5, even if you come back to this thread and actually quote the author providing a different surname for Schnurrbart, the text still makes clear that Steiner reacts more intensely to Schnurrbart's death compared to the others among the platoon.
IF author Heinrich identifies Schnurrbart earlier in the novel without the surname "Steiner," it was a literary decision to withhold the relationship until it would convey that powerful dramatic impact toward the end.
To Steiner, that bond was just as Krueger spoke it.
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.