I first wrote about the movie based on the actions of Col. Stauffenberg, the man who unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Hitler, way back in 2007 (see original post). The movie – Valkyrie was released in 2008 and stars Tom Cruise (as Col. Stauffenberg), Kenneth Branagh (as Maj. Gen. Tresckow) and Bill Nighy (as Gen. Friedrich Olbricht) among others.
Today I managed to finally watch the movie after much delay. And I must say that it was certainly worth the wait! Although I feel there could have been better actors to play the role of Col. Stauffenberg, Tom Cruise has put in a decent performance. The rest of the cast is just marvellous. What struck me the most was the feeling of being able to look back in time, at the sights and sounds of the then Nazi Germany.
What moved me in particular was the actual story. I don’t know how faithful it is to the original, but it has been put in quite a gripping fashion. The name of the film is drawn from Operation Valkyrie (Unternehmen Walküre in German) – an emergency plan to ensure continuity of government operation developed by the German territorial army. This plan is central to the story behind the film.
The fact that Hitler survived this plot is general knowledge. But I found the story gripping enough to make me forget that until almost the very end. I couldn't help but finish watching this movie with a sense of admiration for the conviction of the leading characters.
Another highlight of this movie was the background scores. My favourite is the title track named “They’ll remember you” by John Ottmann.
For those who enjoy watching historical war-time dramas, this movie comes highly recommended – from me.
See also: Valkyrie – the Norse legend.
Image Credits: Wikipedia.org
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