Synopsis
Colonel Stauffenberg, a proud German militar, is a loyal officer who loves his country, but is forced to look with horror, for Hitler's rise to power and for all subsequent events of the World War 2.
He remains in the army, while seeking to find the way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Noting that time is increasingly scarce, Stauffenberg decides to take action, and in 1942 attempts to persuade the high command of the East front to turn against Hitler and defeat him. But it's in 1943, while recovering from injuries sustained in combat, that Stauffenberg gathers forces along the German Resistance, and organizes an anti-Hitler conspiracy, being supported by some men from the upper echelons of power.
Armed with a cunning strategy - the named Operation Valkyrie - he plans to assassinate the dictator, remove from power the Nazi regime and establish a substitute government that would pursue peace negotiations with the Allies.
It is therefore a film based on the true story of the assassination attempt by Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, conducted by Stauffenberg and with the representation of Tom Cruise in the role of Stauffenberg.
Cast
Main Actors/Actresses:
- Tom Cruise (Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg)
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Kenneth Branagh (Major-General Henning von Tresckow)
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Bill Nighy (General Friedrich Olbricht)
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Tom Wilkinson (General Friedrich Fromm)
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Carice van Houten (Nina von Stauffenberg)
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Thomas Kretschmann (Major Otto Ernst Remer)
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Terence Stamp (Ludwig Beck)
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Eddie Izzard (General Erich Fellgiebel)
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Christian Berkel (Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim)
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Jamie Parker (Lieutenant Werner von Haeften)
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David Bamber (Adolf Hitler)
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Tom Hollander (Colonel Heinz Brandt)
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David Schofield (Erwin von Witzleben)
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Kenneth Cranham (Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel)
Trivia
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Initially, Germany's Ministry of Defense would not allow filming on Bendler Block. They relented after appeals from Tom Cruise and screenwriter/producer Christopher McQuarrie. The entire crew started every night of filming with a moment of silence in memory of Stauffenberg.
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Some scenes had to be re-shot when the original film was destroyed after being treated with the wrong chemical during development.
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Tom Cruise was attracted to the role after seeing a picture of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, and noticing how similar he looked.
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David Bamber (Adolf Hitler) is the only non-German cast member who speaks with a German accent. The filmmakers felt that audiences would be distracted by Hitler speaking in Bamber's natural British accent.
Trailer
Credits
| Original Title: | Valkyrie |
| Genre: | Drama, Thriller |
| Director: | Bryan Singer |
| Producer: | Gilbert Adler |
| Running time: | 121 min |
| Studio: | United Artists, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Cruise/Wagner Productions |
| Distribution: | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| Release Date: | 25 December 2008 (USA) |
| Script: | Christopher McQuarrie, Nathan Alexander |
| Music: | John Ottman |
| Cinematography: | Newton Thomas Sigel |
| Edition: | John Ottman |
