Permission was granted and a spokesman for the film indicated the schedule and budget had not been affected. The film was released by American studio United Artists and stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters. [3] A second theatrical trailer and a new poster were unveiled in October 2008 by United Artists to renew Valkyrie's viability with audiences and accolades. The film does both: it has put a top Scientologist at the center of a national debate about German history. Do that, and it becomes possible to enjoy the movie. His name poi… [32], Germany's Finance Ministry had originally denied the producers the right to film at Bendlerblock, explaining that the site should be treated as a "place of remembrance and mourning" which would "lose dignity if we were to exploit it as a film set". Hoffmann spoke of the film's accuracy, "[Valkyrie] gives a fundamentally accurate portrait of Stauffenberg and the conspirators. "[135], While von Stauffenberg listens to Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" in the film, in reality the colonel hated Wagner. Major Otto Ernst Remer of the Reserve Army prepares to arrest Goebbels, but is stopped when Goebbels connects him by phone to Hitler. [9], McQuarrie and Alexander researched first-hand accounts, photos, newsreels and texts. On July 15, 1944, Stauffenberg attends a strategy meeting at the Wolf's Lair with a bomb, but does not receive permission to proceed as Himmler is absent. Anything at all. [95] With 3,600 screenings in 26 markets, the film grossed $18.6 million to maintain its top placement at the international box office for a second weekend in a row. Some of the family have spoken out because they don't think it will do the story justice and others don't think the casting is ideal, but I totally disagree, especially after I met Tom and saw how he is approaching the role with such professionalism. [80], In July 2008, United Artists president of worldwide marketing Dennis Rice was replaced by Michael Vollman, who was tasked to develop a marketing strategy for the "troubled" Valkyrie,[81] which had been "battered by constant media sniping". Movies. "[109][110], In Germany, authorities and politicians expressed concern that if the film was successful, it would boost Scientology in the country. [99], The film opened in 13 additional territories on the weekend of January 30, including Russia and Spain. Stauffenberg actually disliked Wagner's music. In an interview with The Playlist, Thompson confirmed that she will be appearing in 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” as Valkyrie, the hard-drinking warrior from Thor’s home planet. Add something Log in / sign up. Danya Bateman, Tara Macken and Brittany Morris were stunt doubles for Tessa Thompson in the role of Valkyrie. Singer looked back on his decision, saying, "The true story had all the makings of a classic assassination thriller. The newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported that any fear that the "myth of the German resistance would be put through a Hollywood filter has turned out to be wrong and prejudicial". Researching the 20 July plot, he was moved and fascinated by the fact that the conspirators were fully aware of what would happen if they failed their assassination attempt, and he wanted to make their story more well-known. [38] The filmmakers received permission to film at Tempelhof International Airport's Columbia Haus, a former Nazi jail for political prisoners. [68] In September 2007, when the Defence Ministry initially denied permission for filming at the Bendlerblock memorial, support for the film came in from German newspaper columnists and filmmakers, including director Wolfgang Petersen[34] and Frank Schirrmacher, journalist and co-publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The film's English-language title was ultimately titled Valkyrie because Singer felt that the film was about more than the operation and liked its connection to Wagner's music. Valkyrie (2008) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. But in its way it is a thoughtful and entertaining one, especially in comparison with the pomp and pretentiousness of most of the competition this holiday season. The latest news comes from Valkyrie herself, or at least the actor who portrays her in the MCU. The filmmakers wanted to avoid the appearance that von Stauffenberg wanted to kill Hitler because of the injuries he suffered in the battle. At the center of the plot was Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, played here by Tom Cruise as the moving force behind the attempted coup, which led to 700 arrests and 200 executions, including von Stauffenberg's. The operation was code-named 'Valkyrie', for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. $312.51. Stauffenberg actually disliked Wagner's music. Valkyrie was memorably involved in the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame, but her Pegasus seems to show up without any sort of explanation.Tessa Thompson reprised her Asgardian in Endgame after the character's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.Though she didn't appear in Avengers: Infinity War, she had a prominent role in Endgame, revealing the figure's fate … "Valkyrie" is a meticulous thriller based on a large-scale conspiracy within the German army to assassinate Hitler, leading to a failed bombing attempt on July 20, 1944. This story deserves to be told, but for reasons best known to himself, the star has latched onto a strictly Nietzschean interpretation that he rides into the ground. Hanns-Georg Rodek of Die Welt reported of Cruise's performance, "He comes over best as an American hero, someone who battles for respect with aggression and energy. By Kirk Honeycutt. [14] The film's budget was then raised to $60 million. The film is set in Nazi Germany during World War II and depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country. $172.06. [91] Pamela McClintock of Variety cited the weekend performance as "a victory for United Artists and MGM";[92] Gitesh Pandya of Rotten Tomatoes said the haul represented a "big hit" for the studio. LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After keeping “Valkyrie” … It is a well-known cliche that American film makers prefer to provide their audiences with a happy ending. Goerdeler was written in the film to be antagonistic, dramatically representing the friction and conflict that existed within the conspiracy, though filmmakers considered him a "much more moral character" in reality. German newspapers and filmmakers supported the film and its intention to spread global awareness of von Stauffenberg's plot. The site's critical consensus reads, "Given the subject matter, Valkyrie could have been an outstanding historical thriller, but settles for being a mildly entertaining, but disposable yarn. [27] Singer invited Tom Cruise to take the lead role, which Cruise accepted. "Valkyrie" is a meticulous thriller based on a large-scale conspiracy within the German army to assassinate Hitler, leading to a failed bombing attempt on July 20, 1944. ~ Claus von Stauffenberg . Though he witnessed some—such as the starvation of the Russians—they believed it difficult to dramatize von Stauffenberg's being compelled to action by "field reports". Movie Title :Valkyrie . [55][56] The star eventually addressed and denied the suppositions. The borders of Rumania, Hungary and Slovakia show this. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. Sigel noted that, in real life, car headlights were used for the firing squad to aim at and execute the plotters in the Bendlerblock. In June 2007, prior to production, a German Defence Ministry spokesperson said that filming of Valkyrie would not be allowed at the country's military sites if protagonist Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was portrayed by Tom Cruise, due to the actor's adherence to Scientology, which is considered a dangerous cult by the German authorities. The poster was designed to have flashy graphics and to emulate the posters from the war films The Great Escape (1963) and The Dirty Dozen (1967) in having a team as a central visual. Nine months after the conspiracy, the Allies get to Berlin and Hitler kills himself. "[22], McQuarrie suggested they bring the project to United Artists partners Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise, who immediately agreed to finance the film in March 2007. The film received mixed reviews in the United States and in Germany, where it opened commercially on January 22, 2009. It seems unlikely that soldiers would allow detainees that kind of freedom of movement during a firing squad. To me, it would be sufficient if he had killed the Führer of Scientology. Learn more. Obviously, it is a map made after 1945. Neither is it the action thriller we feared, but it is a well-made and serious film." Find out more with MyAnimeList, the world's most active online anime and manga community and database. [65] In addition, Cruise's affiliation with Scientology was also criticized by junior politicians such as Rudolf Köberle, the state secretary for interior issues in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Olbricht refuses to mobilize the Reserve Army without confirmation that Hitler is dead – Colonel Von Quirnheim (one of the plotters) forges his signature and issues the orders. Design and text © 1996 - 2021 Jon Sandys. [130], Despite differences over the quality of the film, critics were in agreement that the film had drawn attention to von Stauffenberg's cause. Here, a viewer with even the most superficial and rudimentary knowledge of the history of the Second World War and of the National Socialist Regime would know from the very outset that a happy ending is out of the question, that all the protagonists' efforts and plans are doomed to end in bitter failure. Ultimately granting access to the Bendlerblock after reviewing the script, the Defence Ministry said it showed that "barbarism didn't triumph but led to the founding of a democratic Germany". At the end of the movie it explains that there were about 15 attempts to assassinate Hitler by the Nazis. "[137] In the film, von Haeften steps out in front of von Stauffenberg when he faces the firing squad, but when filmmakers attempted to reconstruct the scene based on eyewitness testimony and photographs, they discovered that the shots that killed von Haeften would also have killed von Stauffenberg, who was actually shot shortly after. [9] The Cougar Buttes desert in California was ultimately chosen to represent Tunisia. Sad but toughing. They also examined Gestapo and SS records, as the organizations had been meticulous in reconstructing the events of the conspiracy in its aftermath. "[126] Claudia Puig of USA Today thought of Cruise as "unconvincing and stiff as the disenchanted" von Stauffenberg. [136] Bryan Singer purposely left out some of von Stauffenberg's "macho" moments in writing the character, such as the colonel's refusal of morphine to avoid addiction. ... No, not for one minute during the entire film did I think about Scientology." Hela created a vast amount of weapons that she used to kill the Valkyrie as they descended on her. [12][23] Singer and McQuarrie had often made World War II films in their backyards while growing up in New Jersey, and Singer had later dealt with Nazi subject matter in Apt Pupil and X-Men. They began a rough cut in October 2007 and, between then and June 2008, there were several test screenings without the battle sequence. McQuarrie and Alexander found the most difficult task was in conveying the motives of the conspirators; von Stauffenberg especially remained an enigma, though the writers believed he and the other resistance members to be propelled by their moral outrage. Among his ancestors were several famous Prussians, including most notably August von Gneisenau. 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