Valkyrie

[Túrin Turambar]

All issues with Tom Cruise aside (and I’ve found that I’ve never had trouble divorcing actors from characters) I found this film better than I expected. As a historical thriller, it did everything it needed to do. In point form:

1) yes, I know this has been out for ages. I'm not much of a moviegoer and usually wait for DVDs.

2) I was happy to see these events and characters get some airtime in a major movie. Not everyone went along with Nazism, and I believe that the German people in general and the German Armed Forces in particular deserve to have that publicised (and yes, it isn’t entirely accurate and it is entertainment but I’d wager most people believe the things they see in ‘historical’ films).

3) David Bamber, who played Mr. Collins in the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, plays Adolf Hitler. I still can’t get my head around that and would never have recognised him if I hadn’t known, although you can just make out the similarities with his face and voice.

4) I’m also wondering if there isn’t a lot to be said for Mel Gibson’s approach of using the original language for his films. Any accents other than straight mid-Atlantic RP tend to stand out, and it always seems odd to me when foreign words are thrown around in English dialogue. To use one example, ‘Fuhrer’ is a staple in English-language films about the Third Reich, yet it can quite easily be rendered as ‘Leader’. I read a book once that did that, and it got the meaning and implications of the term over a lot better.

5) And finally, while I’m no lover of music, I have to say that the Ride of the Valkyries is awesome.

[Lalaith]

Mr. Collins, really?

I wasn't sure I'd put this on my list of movies to rent (or borrow from the library), but maybe I will now.

What do you mean exactly by #4? Is it in German with subtitles?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I too have been wondering whether this film was worth checking out. A thumbs up from Lord M certainly boosts its appeal.

[Túrin Turambar]

What do you mean exactly by #4? Is it in German with subtitles?

No, it's in English. I'm wondering whether it might not have been better had it been in German with subtitles.

And to add to my original list:

6) Bernard Hill gets the line “what would you have me do?”.

7) I suspect that our own countries have an Operation Valkyrie on the books somewhere – a plan for the military to seize control of government.

As I said before, I’d call this a solid film rather than a great one. But I still think it makes for a good re-telling of the events.

[River]

It's one of those movies I'm only going to see once. It's worth watching, but it packs a punch that I don't need to take again. They came so close, and it all crumbled on a couple decisions...

It was also surprisingly thrilling for a story based on true events, whose outcome we already know.

[Túrin Turambar]

It's one of those movies I'm only going to see once. It's worth watching, but it packs a punch that I don't need to take again. They came so close, and it all crumbled on a couple decisions...

It was also surprisingly thrilling for a story based on true events, whose outcome we already know.

Yes. I think knowing that the ending couldn't be anything but depressing might make it hard to really get involved in the film.

According to Wikipedia, changing any of a few minor factors would have let the plot succeed. For example, an officer kicked the briefcase and then moved it to the other side of the table leg so it wouldn’t be in his way. When the bomb went off, Hitler was shielded by the table leg. Had it been left where it was, he would have been killed. No wonder he thought that God had saved him.

[Frelga]

I almost rented it on Saturday. I guess I'll check it out next time.

Bernard Hill, really?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Wow, the guy who was the Captain in the Titanic? Cool!

[Primula Baggins]