Stauffenberg

This made-for-TV film has a decent cast and is well executed (mind the pun) with excellent costumes and backdrops. But the movie feels terribly rushed and missing back stories and character development. But the greatest crime is the awful voice actors used for the overdub. They either sound like cartoon Germans or far eastern and certainly anything but convincing WWII German accents. I suspect the DVD has the option for original German soundtrack and subtitles in the language of your choice. I would like to watch this again one day but only with the original actors voices and English subtitles.

It is important to bear in mind, that this German version of the Stauffenberg attempt to save Germany was made four years before the great American film with Tom Cruise. They complement each other. The German version is more concise and precise, more approaching a documentary telling the facts with efficient exactness, while the Hollywood version is more dramatic, has a more elaborate dramaturgy, is more efficiently made and is humanly more interesting, so both versions are vital. Sebastian Koch is a little too good-looking to be quite convincing as the scarred and crippled veteran of many battles and hardships, while Tom Cruise made one of his most convincing performances in all his vulnerability. Nothing bad can be said about either of the versions, it's an important chapter in modern German history, as an evidence of the fact that the national resistance against Hitler was only the greater and more bitter for being constantly suppressed, as there were any number of attempts against his life, of which at least one statistically ought to have been successful, but the bitter tragedy was that they all failed, and especially the greatest and final one, which was the most urgent one, because of unpredictable human factors.

There is no question to honour the activity and exploit of Stauffenberg, but if you are not enough informed about the background of this heroic deed, you are getting really fast an uncritical illustration. It is historically incorrect to focus the whole "coup d'état" of the 20 July 1944 on Stauffenberg. It seems that it was Stauffenbergs own motivation to fulfill the assassination, but there were a lot of other people, who were involved in the preparation. Beck and Olbricht were leading characters long time before, for example. In this movie they just appear as minor characters compared to Stauffenberg. At least it should be "mentioned" that there were two other tries to kill Adolf Hitler the days before the 20th July. I know that it is almost impossible to realize a historical moment as the 20th July in less than two hours, but there were as well a lot of scenes which could be deleted: for example Stauffenbergs "turning point" in Tunesia and this "more funny scene" with this Swabian guy or the long discussion with his wife wasn't that important for the plot...more concentration of basics would have been better. However, I am a great admirer of Sebastian Koch and he was acting fantastic as Stauffenberg. Very deep and clear and not exaggerated at all in opposite to some other characters in this movie. (O. Dietrich was horrible as Goebbels...he should continue to make comedy!)

OPERATION VALKYRIE (originally titled STAUFFENBERG for its 2004 television release in Germany) is a condensed, powerful, and realistic telling of the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler by his own military supporters on 20 July 1944. Unfortunately now in the shadow of the highly touted VALKYRIE released this past year as the Hollywood version of the incident OPERATION VALKYRIE is getting little attention from viewers. Now that it is available on DVD perhaps it will gain the importance it deserves.

For one aspect, the film is written, filmed and acted by Germans and the result is a different kind of felling than the later VALKYRIE: the tenor of the film suggests a growing lack of hope and a recognition of the insanity of Hitler by the a larger portion of the German populace than we have been lead to believe. It bears more a sense of reality than of a thriller movie.

Sebastian Koch is wholly credible as Oberst Claus Graf Schenk v. Stauffenberg - a devoted military man under the spell of Hitler's influence in the early years of the rise of the Third Reich who gradually pays attention to the rumors and reports of Hitler's aloof response to his murders of thousands of people. In a particularly touching scene a Polish Jew named Polja (Katharina Rivilis) recounts the horrors that the war has imposed on her family and her descent into insanity from Hitler's plan and execution of that plan for the genocide of the Jews. Stauffenberg is so deeply touched by this crowning encounter that he requests immediate transfer to the African Front and it is there that he is nearly killed in action, losing a hand and an eye. From the moment he awakens in a Munich hospital he begins his plan to exterminate Hitler (an impressive mute role by Udo Schenk), a plan that ultimately fails and results in Stauffenberg's assassination - a film clip of which opens the film before the credits.

The cast is excellent and the pacing and forward momentum of the story as written and directed by Jo Baier makes for a film that strikes the viewer in bullets aimed for the mind and heart. If too much of the peripheral activity of the times around the 1944 event is edited, remember that the film was originally a made of television experience to be viewed by the German populace and accepting part of the history depicted is still tainted by the horror of the Hitler guidance of Germany. Well worth watching. Grady Harp

In 1944, a group of high command officers plot an attempt against Hitler, and one of the leaders of the conspiracy, Stauffenberg (Sebastian Koch), goes to a meeting with the Fuhrer in charge of exploding the place. However, Hitler survives and the officers are executed.

"Stauffenberg" is another great example of the powerful German cinema. Based on a true event, with remarkable performances, tight direction and excellent reconstitution of a dark period of the contemporary Germany history, it is highly recommended – indeed a must-see film - for fans of war movies. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Operação Valkiria" ("Valkyrie Operation")