January 20, 2009 -- “Valkyrie” tells the story of a plot by German military officers and politicians to assassinate Adolph Hitler and put an earlier end to World War II. If the plot would have succeeded it would have saved millions of lives and millions of dollars in property damage. Instead, it has become a footnote of history and most of its participants were executed, some of them suffering horribly in the process. The plot shows, however, there were some Germans who opposed Hitler and what he stood for. The German Resistance movement shows that there were some Germans who put their lives on the line to put an end to Hitler's rule. According to the Wikipedia article on this particular episode of history, the movie seems to be fairly accurate in its portrayal of the plot itself.

Movie star Tom Cruise (of the “Mission Impossible” movies) plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, a German aristocrat who was the leader of the plot, even though he was far from being the highest-ranking military officer involved in it. His military superiors involved in the plot included Major-General Henning von Tresckow (played by noted Shakespearian actor Kenneth Branagh) and General Friedrich Olbricht (played by Bill Nighy of “The Constant Gardener”). Another conspirator, though a half-hearted and duplicitous one, was General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). The plot had an ingenious twist to it. The plotters used a plan called Operation Valkyrie, which was originally conceived to keep Hitler in power in case of a coup, as a means of neutralizing Hitler's power structure after his death. They reworked the plan so that it could be used to round up the members of Hitler's SS leaders and his top government officials. In that way, the plotters could take power without interference from those still loyal to Hitler.

On July 20, 1944, the plotters put their plans into action. Claus (Cruise) armed the explosive and placed it in a briefcase near Hitler during a meeting in Wolfsschanze (the Wolf's Lair, military headquarters for the Eastern Front). The film details several setbacks that resulted in the failure of the plan. Claus left the room, but witnessed the explosion from outside the building. Convinced no one could have survived, he raced back to Berlin to oversee the coup, unaware that Hitler was still alive, and relatively unharmed. A telephone communications blackout at Wolfsschanze, orchestrated by Claus, ironically worked against the plotters since the news of Hitler's survival did not get out for some time.

Back in Berlin, Operation Valkyrie was put into effect. SS leaders and other ranking German officials were accused of treason and placed under arrest by special army units. Of course, the whole plot unraveled when it was revealed that Hitler was still alive. The plotters were rounded up. Upon his execution by firing squad (others, including members of his own family, were executed slowly and painfully) Claus yelled, “Es lebe unser heiliges Deutschland!” (Long live our holy Germany!). Many years later, the plotters were honored by a special plaque where the firing squad killed Claus von Stauffenberg and other high-level conspirators. A memorial to the German Resistance movement was established in Berlin in 1980. According to film, there were 15 unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Hitler (an earlier attempt is also shown in the film). A cynic might think that God was watching over him.

The film was shot in Germany and it has top-notch production values, with wonderful sets, costumes, props and cinematography. There are some well-staged battle scenes early in the film. The acting is very good by the entire main cast. It highlights a little-known historical event and gives the German Resistance the respect it deserves. Whatever you may think of Tom Cruise and his controversial views and his private life, the guy is one of the best actors of his generation and he is not afraid to tackle big, risky movie projects like this one. With all the difficulties faced by the producers of this film, they at least got it finished and they can be proud of the result. It isn't a great film, but it is certainly a good one. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
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