A movie was recently released that introduced audiences to one of the more interesting pieces of World War II history.

“Valkyrie” is a historical thriller set in Nazi Germany that depicts the failed July 20, 1944, plot by a group of German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler. (It was only one of 17 planned attempts.) Tom Cruise stars as German Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, the movie’s main character and one of the leaders of the assassination attempt.

The film opens with von Stauffenberg in Africa. He is badly injured; his right hand and two fingers on his left have been amputated, and he has completely lost his left eye. Stauffenberg realizes that the only way Germany will ever recover from this war is for Hitler to be assassinated.

The colonel eventually joins the German Resistance and becomes part of the assassination attempt against Hitler, which the group hopes will allow them to take control of the country and make peace with the Allies. He helps conceive Operation Valkyrie, a plan that would implement a shadow government in the event of the Führer’s death.

Hitler approves the plan and promotes von Stauffenberg to a higher rank, which allows him access to Hitler and his meetings. Von Stauffenberg finds himself taking on not only the responsibility of leading the coup, but also the dangerous task of assassinating Hitler himself, a task that, if failed, could have deadly consequences for Stauffenberg, his family and the other members of the coup.

Obviously, in the end, the July 20 attempt does fail, and all but one of the coup members is sentenced to death. The one who is not commits suicide.

By Briana Foreman

Herbert Hoover High School

A movie was recently released that introduced audiences to one of the more interesting pieces of World War II history.

“Valkyrie” is a historical thriller set in Nazi Germany that depicts the failed July 20, 1944, plot by a group of German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler. (It was only one of 17 planned attempts.) Tom Cruise stars as German Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, the movie’s main character and one of the leaders of the assassination attempt.

The film opens with von Stauffenberg in Africa. He is badly injured; his right hand and two fingers on his left have been amputated, and he has completely lost his left eye. Stauffenberg realizes that the only way Germany will ever recover from this war is for Hitler to be assassinated.

The colonel eventually joins the German Resistance and becomes part of the assassination attempt against Hitler, which the group hopes will allow them to take control of the country and make peace with the Allies. He helps conceive Operation Valkyrie, a plan that would implement a shadow government in the event of the Führer’s death.

Hitler approves the plan and promotes von Stauffenberg to a higher rank, which allows him access to Hitler and his meetings. Von Stauffenberg finds himself taking on not only the responsibility of leading the coup, but also the dangerous task of assassinating Hitler himself, a task that, if failed, could have deadly consequences for Stauffenberg, his family and the other members of the coup.

Obviously, in the end, the July 20 attempt does fail, and all but one of the coup members is sentenced to death. The one who is not commits suicide.

Since Cruise is American, many people worried that he could not pull off the role of von Stauffenberg. Von Stauffenberg’s son voiced concerns about this. “I fear that only terrible kitsch will come out of the project. … It’s bound to be rubbish,” he said. “[Cruise] should keep his hands off my father.”

Also, in early pre-production stages, there was apprehension on the part of the German Defense Ministry about Cruise’s involvement. They didn’t want to allow filming at the country’s military sites if he played von Stauffenberg because he is a Scientologist and Germany considers Scientology a dangerous cult.

In the end, though, “Valkyrie” – and Cruise’s role in it – did find support in Germany, including from one of von Stauffenberg’s grandsons. “Some of the family … don’t think the casting is ideal, but I totally disagree, especially after I met Tom and saw how he is approaching the role with such professionalism,” he said.

Personally, I believe Cruise did an outstanding job in the film. He showed more acting skill than I have seen in any other film he’s starred in. He was very reserved and disciplined, the way von Stauffenberg, or any other soldier in Hitler’s army, would have been.

In my opinion, all of the other cast members did a phenomenal job as well. They include Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean” 2 and 3) and Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton”).

The visual and audio effects in the film are also wonderful, though some could have been more properly thought out. For instance, the scene of the assassination attempt – an explosion – could have been more dramatic. Perhaps the filmmakers could have put in an orchestral piece that increases in volume until the actual explosion? It could also have been more realistic looking, as could the scene where members of the coup are executed.

Overall, though, “Valkyrie” is an outstanding film. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good movie. I’ve noticed that not many people who have seen it knew that “Valkyrie” was a true story before they saw it, but even if you did know and also know the outcome of the assassination attempt, you’ll still be kept intrigued by the film.

Since Cruise is American, many people worried that he could not pull off the role of von Stauffenberg. Von Stauffenberg’s son voiced concerns about this. “I fear that only terrible kitsch will come out of the project. … It’s bound to be rubbish,” he said. “[Cruise] should keep his hands off my father.”

Also, in early pre-production stages, there was apprehension on the part of the German Defense Ministry about Cruise’s involvement. They didn’t want to allow filming at the country’s military sites if he played von Stauffenberg because he is a Scientologist and Germany considers Scientology a dangerous cult.

In the end, though, “Valkyrie” – and Cruise’s role in it – did find support in Germany, including from one of von Stauffenberg’s grandsons. “Some of the family … don’t think the casting is ideal, but I totally disagree, especially after I met Tom and saw how he is approaching the role with such professionalism,” he said.

Personally, I believe Cruise did an outstanding job in the film. He showed more acting skill than I have seen in any other film he’s starred in. He was very reserved and disciplined, the way von Stauffenberg, or any other soldier in Hitler’s army, would have been.

In my opinion, all of the other cast members did a phenomenal job as well. They include Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean” 2 and 3) and Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton”).

The visual and audio effects in the film are also wonderful, though some could have been more properly thought out. For instance, the scene of the assassination attempt – an explosion – could have been more dramatic. Perhaps the filmmakers could have put in an orchestral piece that increases in volume until the actual explosion? It could also have been more realistic looking, as could the scene where members of the coup are executed.

Overall, though, “Valkyrie” is an outstanding film. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good movie. I’ve noticed that not many people who have seen it knew that “Valkyrie” was a true story before they saw it, but even if you did know and also know the outcome of the assassination attempt, you’ll still be kept intrigued by the film.

(Source: The Charleston Gazette)