I must have a strong component of whatever it is that makes human beings irresistibly drawn to horrific events. Or I must be plain sick in the head. Either way, I cannot resist World War II and Holocaust movies. My favorites, if you can call them that: The Pianist, Exodus, Escape from Sobibor, Anne Frank, Schindler’s List, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Great Escape… and more that I can’t remember offhand. Come to think of it, The Sound of Music is also from this era. That Beautiful Life movie doesn’t make it to this list. And nor does Valkyrie.
Tom Cruise, whom I’m a strict anti-fan of, makes a great Stauffenberg. The film is straightfoward and probably historically accurate. It also couldn’t have been easy because we know that none of the 42 or so attempts on Hilter’s life succeeded. More’s the pity. There’s enough intensity as a group of top German officials plan to kill Hitler using a bomb. What’s wrong with the movie, for me though, is that there isn’t enough suspense. It doesn’t have that quality that makes my mouth go dry and makes me hold my breath as I get transfixed to the screen to see what’s going to happen next. I think it needed to get us more closely involved with the people in the plot and make us care.
HELLO MALA AND EVERYONE ELSE!!
Wow I’m glad this movie pops up on an international site like your blog.
I must say this movie is so historically inaccurate that it is extremely offensive to everyone whose ancestors have fought against or suffered under the nazis (so a significant proportion of German and Austrian citizens, let aside the populations invaded and/or persecuted for ethnic reasons: socialists, leftists, non-Nazi patriots, especially Austrian ones, (true) Christians etc).
Stauffenberg is not the person to idolize as a hero:
This man joined the Nazis early in the 1930s. He came from a military Prussian family tradition – no crime, but the major social class Nazi ideology was built on. While he might not have known the Jews were to be extinguished by the Nazis (the “Endlösung”, “final solution” was indeed developed as late as 1941), he did know the “Rassengesetze” (racial laws) stripping Jews of all human and citizen rights. So he joined a pervert, criminal ideology and movement eyes wide open.
Another problem with the highest rank military plotters:
They were not anti-Nazi. They all were Nazis themselves. They had not the slightest humanist intention (in contrast to dozens of other attempted assassinators who did so for humanist/ideological reasons), but saw Hitler was a maniac committing one grave strategic mistake after the other, leading the Reich into defeat. They wanted to win the war, therefore get rid of the megalomaniac Führer (he referred to himself with the title “greatest imperator of all times”).
Had they succeeded with the assassination, they would have made peace with the Allied powers. They would have saved the Reich from destruction, would have reformed it in part, but would have upheld the criminal Nazi ideology, propaganda, secret Police and oppression of its own peoples. This would have disappointed millions of anti-Nazi citizens who under danger for their lives were listening to British “enemy broadcast” in their homes (everyone who was caught or denunciated by neighbours was either sent to a concentration camp or sentenced to death immediately – depending on what else they had done, like whether they had spoken against Hitler in public or similar “crimes”), hoping for quick advance of the (Western) Allied troupes.
In short: Success of these military general plotters would have continued Nazi rule. THIS is not heroism. The millions who died in the resistance are the true heroes.
A shame Hollywood idolizes a Nazi criminal, who, for the wrong reasons, did something right. He is to be respected for his courage and dignity in death, though. But not to be put on a pedestal. He WAS a Nazi.
I feel pretty strongly about this because from the Austrian side of my family, Viennese with Polish and Czech roots (like most Viennese inhabitants), my grandfather and great-grandfather were in the (Socialdemocrat) resistance and imprisoned. Fortunately they were not killed, but both died too soon after the war probably as consequences of their escape, hiding and imprisonment.
You will understand I am disgusted by a Nazi criminal being honoured, and not the true heroes of these dark days for the country I grew up in.
Thank you for sharing this, Dina. Your perspective makes me see this is something other than just-another-Nazi-movie.
While the film may have been accurate in its historical details (I don’t know), you’re right in that it did portray Stauffenberg as a hero. Absolutely. And while the film didn’t hint at the plotters being sympathetic to the cause of the millions who were suffering because of Hitler, they did make them look like a small bunch of “good guys” trying to save everyone from Hitler’s madness. And yes, when you think of it from the perspective of those who were horribly affected, it is offensive.
I saw it with friends…and I was left thinking…hmm was not that great, not one of those films I would choose to see again if had the chance.
Ya… I’m glad you do not get mad at me for throwing so much historical politics in here.. after all it s more about movies/entertainment than about history here.
The movie has caused major outrage and worry already while it was being filmed in Germany. Partly because Germany is very critical towards scientology as a not-so-harmless movement (they have tried on and off prohibiting it from action after they started major propaganda offensives in Germany years ago.. not sure if scientology is now banned there or not), but mostly because there were (rightful) worries history would be completely distorted and a major Nazi general from now on be known to the general world public outside of Germany as the “trickster” hero.
Given the cast and production company it was unlikely the movie would bother historical facts, German historians even offered their help but were pretty brazenly shown the door.. so ya, not pretty how Stauffenberg will from now on be remembered in the general public’s perception especially in the US.. sadly there’s not much to do.
Hollywood proves again and again what it wants to portray it will portray. I mean fitting the bellydance subject here: Hollywood’s been not-so-sensitive with the portrayal of Arabs (terrorists, pervert sheikhs, stupid angry masses) and bellydance, too..
Ah Dina, you can talk about what you like: I’m not about to get mad at you at all. The blog is only about belly dance because it occupies my mind a lot – but anything else that catches my attention is also okay.
Distorting history… that’s always a tricky subject with films and books. The movie we were talking about just before Valkyrie, The Other Boleyn Girl, probably also did some rearranging of facts, though the result is not offensive to anyone. With Valkyrie, luckily I think it won’t be enough of a success to alter history into making Stauffenberg a permanent hero. I must say the lot of them also did look a bit foolish for not having got their detailing right and bungling the job. One National Geographic documentary I just saw on the Hitler-assassination attempts said he lost his trousers in the bomb blast.
Well, the long and short of it is I certainly won’t be recommending the movie to anyone. In addition to its other problems, I really don’t like Tom Cruise and his self-righteous ideas.
I am sorry, Dina, but some of the things you are writing here are just not true: Claus von Stauffenberg did sympathise in 1933 with the ( strangely enough democratic) election of Hitler, but was never a Nazi. He wasn´t even a member of the Nazi party ( as more than 90 % of the Germans and Austrians were by 1940 ). He slowly but radically turned against the nazis. It is not true, that there were no german historians involved during the production of Valkyrie. Peter Hofmann, one of the most knowlegable specialists on the german resistance hystory supervised this film. Claus of course knew about holocaust and this was one ( of several ) reasons why he had decided to kill Hitler. For your control: look up Axel von dem Bussche in Internet ( Wikipedia). He was chosen by Claus to kill Hitler in late 1943. He was driven to kill Hitler by his experience to have witnessed a systematic killing of jews in Russia. Stauffenberg was not at all prussian as you write and Claus like all Stauffenbergs was southern german and catholic. The Stauffenbergs were no family with military tradition. Claus was the only professional soldier of his generation. He saw the crimes against russian POW, jews and many others, and he knew the war was lost since 1942 and to go on would cost millions of lives ( which it did ). He wanted to stop the war, save Germany as a country, but it is historically beyond any doubt, that he wanted to get rid of the nazis and their ideology. In the planned transition cabinat there would have been also two social democrats.
Coming from a austrian socialist back ground it is understandable you have no sympathy for a noble, german military and I fully understand that you don´t admire Stauffenberg, as a hero, dear Dina. Maybe you prefer Elser, why not? But to present Claus Count Stauffenberg as prussian Nazi who wanted to continue with Naziism is just the contrary to historic truth.
Please forgive me to have corrected you. Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg
Sebastian, I will check the information you have given and thank you for it.
To my knowledge it is the predominant historian view not only in Austria, but also in other European countries, especially Germany, the story Count Stauffenberg might have been turned against Hitler after witnessing massacres of Slavic civilians is by no means historically proven and very likely a myth.
As you say – these Generals and high militaries saw the war in this way was not to be won, and they wanted to save lives and *save Germany* (I say save the Reich, and on this equally many historians agree – there are no serious documents proving the high militaries, most being member of the Nazi party (and to my knowledge the Graf having joined the NSDAP in the late 30ies, but I will have to check this information), planned to discontinue the Reich – much in contrast to Socialist, Socialdemocrat or simply humanist resistants). By the way, in Austria there were high militaries who actually joined the resistance and provenly opposed Nazi ideology itself while sabotaging the war. This evidence is by no means given for Count Stauffenberg and his fellow plotters.
Tell me how a “noble German” as you put it could be in a leading position in the “Angriffskrieg”, assault on other peoples? How such a person could hold a high military position in a regime having issued the Rassengesetze, the racial laws declaring not only Jews subhumans, but also “Mischlinge” (an animalistic term for people who had at least one Jewish grandparent, for the Non-German speakers)? And please be honest enough to acknowledge that letters by Graf Stauffenberg to his wife *do* historically prove at least his fascination and sympathy in early war times for the Nazi cause.
This is written evidence, much in contrast to the many myths glorifying Graf Stauffenberg you cited.
I can understand you may want to believe in the noble mind of your ancestor, I can in fact fully understand it.
You will notice my name is Hebrew/Arabic – half of my family is of Mediterranean/Semitic background, half Austrian. So you will understand not only the memory of my resistant Austrian/Slavic ancestors pains me, but also Nazi racial ideology itself. Some of the words in speaking or letters by your ancestor, who shall rest in peace for at least having tried to finish the most unbelievable inhumanity mankind has most likely seen so far, therefore hurts me on another note as well. If the Nazis were in power today, I’d be a Slavic/Arabic subhuman “Mischling”. Believe me, this influences one’s way of seeing things, too.
I would like to add:
I believe your family was treated pretty poorly, imprisoned, as well as the other plotters’ families. I am very sorry for this family tragedy of yours.
I was stunned that a movie about a plot to kill Hitler could be so DULL!!! I’m with you, Mala, there was simply a lack of suspense. Pity.
Yes indeed. It could have been doe much much better.
Recently I’ve watched a lot of documentaries on youtube about Hitler’s last days. And also the movie, The Downfall. I must say, the documentaries were more riveting than this film! That Hitler certainly lost it weeks away from the end. Did you know he had a German Shepherd he loved. “Blondie”. And you know what happened to her? He tested a cyanide pill on her.
The Military Channel just showed a documentary about Valkirie and it was 1000 times more interesting than the movie. Tom Cruise seemed woefully out of place in the film.
I knew Hitler had German Shepherds but was never aware that he tested cyanide on poor Blondie.
Hitler was a monster in more ways than words can ever describe. I’m sure there is a special place in Hell for him and his ilk.
Blondie was put to death in the “Führerbunker” Hitler and his close allies (Eva Braun and the entire Goebbels family including several kids) committed suicide when the war came to an end and Hitler would have fallen into enemy’s hands.
I am 100% sure no cyanide was tested on HIS beloved Blondie. She was well up to the moment she was killed (I would have said shot because that was also Hitler’s suicide method, but maybe by injection by a vet, hence the cyanide myth?).
Unfortunately on many English language channels – discovery or history channel – many myths and inaccuracies on NS rule are presented as facts. maybe – or most likely – this is the case with other topics too, but firstly school education gets Austrian and German based students a good dose (some say an overdose) of NS history education, and secondly many are so abhorred/fascinated/obsessed with getting more knowledge on that era that well researched books, discussion panels and documentaries are omnipresent. So maybe given this singular detailed knowledge inaccuracies are better identifiable for us. Sadly, I’d be all easily fooled with Austrian imperial stuff, even thought that reign was stretched over centuries and quite positive in many respects…
Oh Mala now I know what a movie I was thinking to recommend is called in English.
That was a hell of good movie though! Amazing portrayal at least in the original version of the psychopath coming to an end. And scripted following detailed accounts of that young secretary, so most likely as close as someone will ever get to those historically decisive days.
THAT is possible that he wanted to see how quickly cyanide works before considering to take it himself. After all, his dog was clearly below himself. But most likely higher than most human beings, in his world view.. more faithful he is said to have said at many occasions.
It’s in the movies based on the secretary’s accounts that show Blondie being given a cyanide capsule. Not by Hitler directly, but via one of his aids and in front of him.
The Goebbels children were apparently killed by their mother! Too shocking for words, really. Of them, there’s real footage – singing and so on. Very cute kids. It’s amazing that their mother’s loyalty to Hitler was greater than her love for her six children. After all, she could have just sent them away anywhere at all and they’d likely be alive today.
“It’s amazing that their mother’s loyalty to Hitler was greater than her love for her six children.”
Judging the mentality of this mother – in such nationalist/fascist mentality she probably had her kids primarily to serve the German nation and Reich. Living anywhere else probably were not worth living to them. And living in a non Nationalsocialist Germany must have seemed unbearable to this very fanatic couple.
Their degree of fanaticism is fascinating in a morbid way. Not only Hitler, but the Nazi party, leadership and German Reich must have been their life.
I think Ms Goebbels said her children are better off dead than in a non Nazi Germany.. not sure if that is a confirmed quote though.
Oh yes, I remember the documentaries saying that the Goebbels were meant to be a model family, sort of the German Dream, and were meant to inspire the rest of the Nazis and everyone else.
ya true.. the wife and children visually definitely corresponded to that Aryan ideal..
Goebbels not so much with a crippled leg. How ironic the man who helped spread and enforce Nazi ideology of a “clean” superior race with no mental, genetic nor physical defect was physically impaired himself.