Winter War (2017)

***The Franco-American Allies who fought Germans in the forests of Alsace, France, during the winter of ’45***

Seven months after D-Day, French and American soldiers team-up in the woods outside Jebsheim to liberate northeast France from the German invasion (Jebsheim is located 5-6 miles west of the German border).

"The Frozen Front" (2017), originally titled “Winter War,” is a French Indie that pays tribute to the Franco-American allies who secured the forests bordering Jebsheim in preparation for The Battle of Jebsheim that was fought from January 24 to February 2, 1945. The low-budget filmmaking is akin to “Straight into Darkness” (2004), but more straightforward and less surrealistic, although this one isn’t as good. It’s akin to a more dramatic “When Trumpets Fade” (1998) dubbed in English (from the original French), but made on a much lower budget and less compelling story-wise.

Armchair critics lambaste the movie mainly because of the English dubbing that doesn’t match the lips with some lines not dubbed at all wherein you’ll see lips move, but no sound. If you can ignore this issue, “The Frozen Front” is effective in showing what it was like for the tough soldiers who took the forests outside the village in January, 1945. The acting is surprisingly convincing despite what critics claim and the English speaking fits the characters despite the dubbing not matching the lips.

The challenges and horrors of war in a winter wilderness setting are chronicled: The cold, the sparse sustenance, living in foxholes, sudden violence, horrific wounds, buddies dying, ramshackle medical care, despair, perseverance, chaplains, brother vs. brother and hope for victory.

The writer/director confidently takes his time in telling his commemorative tale, which I can’t help respect. This is a movie solely about men fighting in the wintery woods during WW2, which might be too one-dimensional for many viewers, not to mention overlong by about an hour. Then there’s the problematic dubbing.

The film runs 2 hours, 22 minutes, and was presumably shot in France (it was definitely shot in mainland Europe, but I can’t find specific data).

GRADE: C