Valkyrie (Single-Disc Edition) |
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Staring:
Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $6.68
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Product Description
Based on the true event, Colonel von Stauffenberg and his fellow officers attempt to assassinate the FÈuhrer.
Amazon.com
Unpretentious and dramatically straightforward, Valkyrie is a suspenseful yet ennobling story about the last attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler prior to the end of World War II. Tom Cruise is effective if a little opaque as hero Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who channels his anger at Hitler's atrocities and mismanagement of the war by joining a secret organization bent on killing the Führer. When the outspoken Stauffenberg hits on the idea of linking Hitler's death with an official policy to safeguard Berlin during a government crisis--a contingency plan called "Valkyrie"--the group realizes a post-assassination coup could be covered by rapidly implementing the plan. History tells us the plot failed, of course, and Hitler killed himself months later. But that doesn't stop Cruise or director Bryan Singer from approaching the film as a thinking person's thriller, told from inside the conspirators' camp, where the outcome of their deeds were uncertain for several tense hours.In the tradition of The Great Escape, Valkyrie is a war movie full of famous faces, including Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard. (The lesser-known David Bamber is very good as Hitler, hunched and cracking under pressure.) The film's gravity is offset a bit by the fun of seeing all these actors in a factually-based slice of history, and by a few, interesting stylistic flourishes on Singer's part, including the peculiarly unsettling image of a mosquito sizzled to death in close-up. --Tom Keogh
Stills from Valkyrie (Click for larger image)
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Captures the Drama of the Attempt on Hitler. How Closely Historically Accurate?, 2010-08-29
The war was not turning out the way that the German military officials had thought it would. Some of them were thinking of ways of persuading Hitler to end it or, failing that, to assassinate him, take control, and try for a negotiated settlement with the Allies.
Stauffenberg sent out feelers to other German officials, and found some potential supporters. The plot was hatched. The attempt was to be made at a meeting located in Wolf's Lair, in East Prussia. Unfortunately, owing to the hot weather, the meeting had been moved from the concrete bunker to a wooden hut, greatly reducing the effects of the explosion. Also, for some reason, only one of the blocks of plastic explosive was used instead of the two that were available.
In the meeting, Stauffenberg got next to Hitler, planted the bomb, and left. Stauffenberg saw the explosion with his own eyes. Surely Hitler was dead. Stauffenberg got past the checkpoints, and flew to Berlin to start the revolt. Confusion reigned. German officials did not know whose side to take. Contradictory arrest orders were given. Who to believe and obey?
Then all the phone lines to Stauffenberg's office were cut. Stauffenberg was arrested after a shootout. Hitler came on the radio and announced that he was very much alive. The plotters' fate was sealed.
Although this movie has much drama and entertainment value, some parts have questionable accuracy. Did Stauffenberg, while participating in the North African campaign, actually take the risk of putting his misgivings about Hitler in writing? The movie doesn't point out that most of the conspirators remained Nazis. Considering all the atrocities committed by the Wehrmacht, were the Wehrmacht officers actually disgusted by the atrocities of the SS? Was Goebbels actually prepared to commit suicide had the plotters succeeded? And so on...
Still, this is a very good film. It even has a poignant scene: Two of Stauffenberg's young sons playing with swords while Wagner's VALKYRIE is playing on the then-primitive record player. Also, Stauffenberg's daughter dons his officers' hat.
Be sure Fuhrer is dead first!, 2010-08-30
Says it is a movie based on a true event. Okay well we all know that Hitler did not die before the bunker death with Eva. Not going to do an extensive review about Tom Cruise and all that stuff all the positive reveiwers wrote about. I paid $1.70 for this DVD (used).
"Be sure the Fuhrer is dead before you overthrow the Nazis!" Just did not happen,
think somebody needed to see the dead Hitler before all this garbage to take over Germany started to unfold.
Not the best Hitler movie I have watched. Felt like I wasted time watching this DVD. Was a great idea to stop the maddness but make sure you take care of business. I would prefer a work of fiction where it actually seemed to have happened over this Tom Cruise joke.
amazing movie... its hits your heart, 2010-08-24
This video is amazing. It is very well made, and the acting makes it very believable. However, it is sad that it is a true story... we let someone take over Germany who wasn't even German.
I just hope we as Americans do not make a similar mistake now.
Great Condition, 2010-08-10
It came looking like brand new. It's hard to get something for my dad that he'll like, but I think this will be something he will enjoy & we can watch it together. He's a WWII buff.
plenty of unsuspenseful moments, 2010-08-06
Yes, Valkyrie may be a pretty solid movie regardless of certain obvious factors such as poor audio (I was struggling *hard* to hear the majority of the speech taking place in the film despite having the volume on my TV set extremely high- it felt like everyone was mumbling) and there's definitely a lot of boring talking segments where nothing even remotely interesting happens (the first half, mostly) and of course, the film has a typical overdramatic feel to it thanks to the inclusion of Tom Cruise AND Hollywood (a devastating combination) but eventually (key word there) the storyline does improve, the suspense eventually enters the picture, and the quality of the film overall goes way up.
I'm still pretty disappointed though. The ads were making it seem like this would be the best war movie in several years and sadly that's not the case.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0883904138167
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Label: United Artists
Manufacturer: United Artists
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: United Artists
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2009-05-19
Running Time: 121
Studio: United Artists
Theatrical Release Date: 2008 |
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