jvdesuit1 The following is extracted from Wikipedia's paper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Rost) on the origins of this movie and the book which inspired it:(Quote)"Cornelius Rost(born 27 March 1919 in Kufstein, Austria; died 18 October 1983 in Munich, Germany) was a German World War II soldier who claimed to have escaped from a Soviet Gulag camp in Siberia. The experiences he described were the basis for a book, a television series and a film.He was living in Munich when World War II broke out, and during the war he was captured by the Russian Army. By his own admission made in 1942, he held the rank of private, although Clemens Forell, his alias in his novel, was depicted as a Wehrmacht officer. According to the Munich registration office, Rost returned from war imprisonment in Russia on 28 October 1947. In 1953 he started working in the in-house printing division of the Franz Ehrenwirth publishing house in Munich. He ruined numerous book covers because he had been made color blind in Russia's lead mines, where he was forced to work during his imprisonment. Ehrenwirth sought an explanation for this and thus learned about Rost's war experiences. Sensing a good story, Ehrenwirth asked Rost to write down his recollections. Rost's script was of very poor quality, but Ehrenwirth was keen on the story and hired professional writer Josef Martin Bauer to get the material into shape.Comprehensive researches, condensed in 2010 into a three-hour radio feature by radio journalist Arthur Dittlmann for the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Company), left serious doubts about the authenticity of the events told in Rost's original story. For example, no prisoner of war camp existed at Cape Dezhnev in the Far East of Siberia at the time claimed in the book; Rost was not a Wehrmacht officer as depicted in the story; the German Red Cross, with headquarters in Munich, never received any inquiry about his whereabouts, which is unusual for a ten-year imprisonment; and Rost had been released from a Russian prisoner of war camp on 28 October 1947, about two years before his alleged escape in 1949-1952, which he therefore could not have accomplished.It is suspected that his story consists only partly of real experiences, and partly of hearsay and knowledge possibly acquired by reading. Among other errors, the main street in Moscow, along which he and his captured comrades were driven at the beginning of the novel, was named by Rost as Nevsky Prospekt, which is actually located in Saint Petersburg. Bauer, as the author of the book, is now blamed for not having critically cross-checked the most unreliable details in Rost's story."(unquote)I quote this paper because it is a shame that for so many years someone could have deceived the public with what is obviously a way to try to amend oneself of having been part of a country which at the time of the Nazi regime was monstrous. Of course we all know that all the Germans did not sustain it, many fled their country, others chose by fear to shut their eyes to what was happening. But as the main character of the movie "Downfall", Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge, says at the beginning "to be young is not an excuse". Rost was not obliged to invent such an escape to justify the fact that he was obliged to go to war unless to be considered a deserter.The great error in this movie is not to state very precisely at its beginning that there are events there that are not all credible even in 2001 when the movie was realized and before the debate which took place in 2010.We know of course that there has been unbelievable acts of courage and or feats during the war, incredible and successful attempts of evasion (many movies have been based on these), but here the accumulation of feats reaches such a level that it is totally impossible for a man to achieve them. Moreover as stated in the paper above, the author of the book lied deliberately on the dates of his liberation which was not an escape so. This being said , the movie is superb on all counts. Great acting, Bernhard Bettermann makes a great impersonation of Forell, the three little girls who play the role of his daughter are great especially the first one very moving in the scene in the railway station. Anatoliy Kotenyov in the role of Kamenev is also great in this sadistic role. The sets and the photography as well as the music is also very good. There are some goofs mentioned here and as Wikipedia again states it a major one: "In a scene of Forell's meeting with the Iranian police chief in the latter's office, there are a number of mismatches between what is shown and the situation prevailing in Iran prior to 1979 revolution. The police chief is shown bearded and is wearing an olive green uniform, while the face of the Iranian military personnel used to be clean-shaven and the police uniform was dark blue at the time. In addition, a picture of Dome of the Rock was hanging on the wall, while at that time the Iranian regime was not a supporter of the Palestinian cause. On the contrary, at the time hanging a picture of the Iranian king (the Shah) was obligatory in all government offices, which is not the case in the film."Of course a majority of the viewers will not notice them unless they are professional historians or politicians.All in all this is a very good movie, worth seeing but with in the back of the viewer's mind that it is for a majority of it pure fiction.

seanasnow8 I stumbled on this movie on the Vangard channel. I watched it from about midnight on, so I was tired. I have to admit I was drawn into this film because of the nature of the main character. I enjoyed his changing situations and the make-up artist who made him look more of a despot than a human. This movie has a few areas that confused me. Like when he is being attacked by the wolves and he is transported to an native tribe/village? I also was sickened by the sudden violent attacks made by the fat river man. The movie lets you believe that our main man will survive anything, but then you get socked in the stomach by the films evil characters. I enjoyed this film. I would recommend it.

Vlad Patryshev We will probably never know what actually happened with the prototype of the story. They way it is told here is just, er, ridiculous.Seems like the camp comendant drops everything and follows the hero to the very end of his journey. The hero changes his clothes so many times... how does he shave? At least occasionally, he is shaved.The idea that he could escape the trap by just jumping on a train... that's Indiana Jones. We were supposed to listen to a true story.Anybody checked whether there's a railroad to Chukotka? But most of all, I don't know how about the general public, but a hero that was executing guerillas... he is just a war criminal. The fact that the German public kind of sympathises with him, it is pretty sad.In short - it is full of lies.

ozzy_in_uk "As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me" takes the audience on the epic journey of a Nazi POW who escapes from a brutal GULAG on the far eastern shores of Siberia. It is essentially a remake of a popular television series that was made back in the 1950's, and deals with a subject that has been for the most part ignored, perhaps for a good reason. It is a good, thought provoking watch, but falls disappointingly short of the cinematic masterpiece it could have been.Beginning in the summer of 1944, Clemens Forell bids farewell to his pregnant wife and young daughter, as he ventures off to the Russian front during the last 12 months of the war in Europe. The film then jumps forward a year, with the war over and German POW's in Russia being transported to the GULAG's in Siberia. The scenes on board the train showing the appalling conditions mirror those that you would expect to see in most Holocaust films.Upon arrival at the end of the line, the prisoners then embark on a march through the snow until they reach their final destination and the very eastern tip of the USSR. Once at the GULAG at Cape Dezhnev, the prisoners are sent down lead mines where, historically, most perished over the next 10 years.The film effectively shows the harsh conditions imposed on the prisoners, although at this early stage of the film, the viewer is still deciding whether or not they feel sorry for the central character and his countrymen, who's exact crimes are not made clear in the film. During WW2, the USSR witnessed the very worst atrocities carried out by the Nazis, so feeling sympathy for these guys is hard to do if you know the history.When Forell makes his successful escape, following an unsuccessful one, the journey that follows is truly remarkable. From the desolate barren landscapes of Arctic Siberia, Forell encounters a variety of characters, including a tribe of Siberian Eskimos that thankfully only took up a small portion of the film. The romance with the Siberian girl was silly and unnecessary.The remainder of the journey leads Forell to eventually cross the border into Iran, but not before another silly scene with the GULAG camp commander, who has supposedly chased the escapee for 3 years only to meet up with him on the bridge between the border posts. This was daft and took away a lot of credibility that the film does earn at different stages. A large chunk of the story them seems to disappear as Forell finds himself in a prison in Tehran waiting to be executed for being a Soviet spy. This part of the story could have been the subject of a film on its own.I'm not going to spoil the end, but it was quite effective, if not brief. I will say that the viewer will be left still thinking whether or not the hero of the film really is a hero. Watch a film like "Come and See," then see how you feel about the Nazi POW's portrayed in this film.Overall, the film was a good watch, not a great one as it could have been had a few more details been provided for the audience. Hardy Martins' direction has its moments. The acting was generally good, although Anatoly Kotenyov was wishy-washy in the role as Kamenev, the Soviet officer who chases Forell throughout the film. Michael Mendl in his brief role as Stauffer was memorable. Bernhard Bettermenn in the lead role was solid, although the true nature of his character is never fully realised. As a Nazi officer fighting on the Russian front, the good-guy persona needed to be more toughened up. Realistically, only the hardened of men could have survived what Clemens Forell did.