Valkyrie
Fact Versus Fiction:
Is Valkyrie the movie an accurate perception of real events? Some would agree that most movies are made for pure entertainment, including movies with historical references or “based on a true story.” For the movie makers, it’s about making a movie that people will want to see. An added character here or there or a change in the story usually doesn’t matter as long as the movie reaches number one at the box office and grosses big money. Sometimes mixing the want to succeed and being historically accurate doesn’t always work. When it comes to the movie Valkyrie, the plot summary states “based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler unfurled during the height of WWII.” Does it accurately show the events of the attempt to overthrow Hitler in Operation Valkyrie? Though there are some differences and “fillers” between the movie Valkyrie and what actually happened, Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, the writers, make a point to include all the necessary details to keep the movie as accurate as they could. Valkyrie, the movie, is a depiction of the events that took place in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. The summarization of the movie Valkyrie according to the Internet Movie Database, imdb.com is:
In Nazi Germany during World War II, as the tide turned in favor of The Allies, a cadre of senior German officers and politicians desperately plot to topple the Nazi regime before the nation is crushed in a near-inevitable defeat. To this end, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an Army officer convinced he must save Germany from Hitler, is recruited to mastermind a real plan. To do so, he arranges for the internal emergency measure, Operation: Valkyrie, to be changed to enable his fellows to seize control of Berlin after the assassination of the Führer. However, even as the plan is put into action, a combination of bad luck and human failings conspire on their own to create a tragedy that would prolong
Is Valkyrie the movie an accurate perception of real events? Some would agree that most movies are made for pure entertainment, including movies with historical references or “based on a true story.” For the movie makers, it’s about making a movie that people will want to see. An added character here or there or a change in the story usually doesn’t matter as long as the movie reaches number one at the box office and grosses big money. Sometimes mixing the want to succeed and being historically accurate doesn’t always work. When it comes to the movie Valkyrie, the plot summary states “based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler unfurled during the height of WWII.” Does it accurately show the events of the attempt to overthrow Hitler in Operation Valkyrie? Though there are some differences and “fillers” between the movie Valkyrie and what actually happened, Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, the writers, make a point to include all the necessary details to keep the movie as accurate as they could. Valkyrie, the movie, is a depiction of the events that took place in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. The summarization of the movie Valkyrie according to the Internet Movie Database, imdb.com is:
In Nazi Germany during World War II, as the tide turned in favor of The Allies, a cadre of senior German officers and politicians desperately plot to topple the Nazi regime before the nation is crushed in a near-inevitable defeat. To this end, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an Army officer convinced he must save Germany from Hitler, is recruited to mastermind a real plan. To do so, he arranges for the internal emergency measure, Operation: Valkyrie, to be changed to enable his fellows to seize control of Berlin after the assassination of the Führer. However, even as the plan is put into action, a combination of bad luck and human failings conspire on their own to create a tragedy that would prolong
Cited: Eberle, Henrik and Matthias Uhl, ed. The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of Hitler’s Personal Aides. Trans. Giles McDonogh. New York: PublicAffairs, 2005. Print. Gisevius, Hans Bernd. Valkyrie: An Insider’s Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler. Trans. Richard and Clara Winston. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press, 2009. Print. Mason Jr., Herbert Molloy. To Kill The Devil: The Attempts on the Life of Adolf Hitler. Toronto: George J. McLeod Limited, 1978. Print. Moorhouse, Roger. Killing Hitler: The Plots, the Assassins, and the Dictator Who Cheated Death. New York: Bantam Dell, 2006. Print. United States. Internet Movie Database. Valkyrie. IMDB, 25 December 2008. Web. 10 March 2011. Valkyrie. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten. United Artists, 2009. DVD.