"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. 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. ... Ending Thursday at 8:52AM PDT 3d 22h. "[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. [60] Ottman said the scene he was most saddened to delete, because he had been looking forward to scoring it, was one where von Stauffenberg dances with his wife . [27] Singer invited Tom Cruise to take the lead role, which Cruise accepted. Earn 125 points on every ticket you buy. [99], The film opened in 13 additional territories on the weekend of January 30, including Russia and Spain. The critic believed that McQuarrie's script was well-carpentered but felt that compressing and streamlining the events to make a known failed plot more thrilling lacked a "sufficient sizzle into the dialogue or individuality into the characters". ", "How Tom Cruise found his Nazi lookalike in Valkyrie", "Risky business? Valkyrie is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.The character, based on the Norse mythological figure Brynhildr, was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.First appearing in The Avengers #83 (December 1970), Valkyrie became a mainstay of the superhero team known as the Defenders and a close ally and one-time love interest of the superhero … [3] The new campaign also played up the reputation of director Bryan Singer, who had directed the thrillers The Usual Suspects (1995) and Apt Pupil (1998). The film was released by American studio United Artists and stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the key plotters. The changing calendar and poor response to United Artists's initial marketing campaign drew criticism about the film's viability. Cartwright described how von Stauffenberg was an appropriate leader for the plot: "He was the man who unmistakably wore the mantle of a near-mystic German past, a warrior Germany, a noble Germany, a poetic Germany, a Germany of myth and longing." His parents were the last Oberhofmarschall of the Kingdom of Württemberg, Alfred Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and Caroline née von Üxküll-Gyllenbrand. There are details which must be counted as liberties. Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck saw that Cruise's involvement would promote awareness of a neglected story,[33] and veteran German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl also gave his support to the production. Singer instead used two P-40 Warhawks in the battle sequence. With Sean Patrick Flanery, Tom Sizemore, Kip Pardue, Stephen Lang. [139] Producer Christopher McQuarrie later stated that the shift of the first assassination attempt to the Wolf's Lair was in order to show the audience the inside of the concrete command bunker, with the intent being to emphasize that Hitler most certainly would have been killed had the July 20th attempt not been moved to the outdoor conference hut.[140]. [83] The new trailer accentuated action, and was widely considered an improvement over the first trailer. ... No, not for one minute during the entire film did I think about Scientology." Logged in users can submit quotes. Although he found that composing music based on the script results in overlong pieces, he felt the music worked out fine for the sequence. [71] In the same month Cruise was given a Bambi courage award, presented by German media company Hubert Burda Media, "for tackling a story that had never been covered by Hollywood before". [55][56] The star eventually addressed and denied the suppositions. [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. (2009). The New York Times wrote, "It has been greeted with a measured and hospitable reception in Germany, where it was once viewed with suspicion. 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. [11][41], A replica set of Hitler's Eastern Front Headquarters Wolf's Lair was constructed 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of Berlin, though the headquarters' actual location was in modern-day northeastern Poland. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. It seems unlikely that soldiers would allow detainees that kind of freedom of movement during a firing squad. Spain was its highest-grossing territory with $2.8 million, followed by Germany with $2.3 million, the United Kingdom with $2 million, and $1.9 million in Italy. Approximately three quarters of the way in to the film, there is a close up of a German soldier handing an officer a file of documents. Schirrmacher visited the set and agreed that the film would advance global awareness of the German Resistance. [59] Since Valkyrie drew its inspirations from previous World War II films like The Great Escape (1963), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Patton (1970), and Midway (1976), filmmakers initially had a cut where title cards introduced characters and their roles. He was implicated in the plot (and was later forced to commit suicide) although he refused participation.[141]. FACEBOOK; Officer Heinz Brandt moves the case behind a table leg, inadvertently shielding Hitler. [18], After Singer completed the three major productions X-Men (2000), X2 (2003) and Superman Returns (2006), he sought a smaller project before embarking upon the eventually aborted sequel to Superman Returns. The company's two key goals were to accurately portray von Stauffenberg's injuries and to create a 1943 period look to Berlin.