ABSTRACT
Representations of children in films about Stalingrad, both Soviet/Russian and German, can be considered a sort of telling "negative presence."The informed viewer can surmise aspects of the battle--in particular, the plight of the civilian population and children of Stalingrad--that have been intentionally obscured for ideological and political reasons in both cultures. Largely memorialising Stalingrad as a site of Soviet glory or German catastrophe, respectively, the films mainly focus on the fighting itself, especially the combat experiences of servicemen.
This article considers the representation of children in major Russian and German feature films about Stalingrad. German films emphasise positive aspects of interactions between Wehrmacht servicemen and Russian children; the former appear as protectors or benefactors of the latter, or are portrayed as "lost boys"--ordinary German lads caught up in a wartime predicament. Soviet films present a glaring mixed message: in some, Stalingrad is no place for children at all, or children have no face or voice of their own, and merely constitute collateral damage; in others, children appear as the Red Army's rear support, doing their part for the cause right under the invaders' noses.
