VALKYRIE: German Reactions
Tom Cruise in Valkyrie
Via "Muted Praise for Valkyrie From German Critics" in Der Spiegel:
"How could [Tom] Cruise, the all-American action hero, play Germany’s only hero of the 20th century, Claus Count Schenk von Stauffenberg, the man who came close to killing Hitler and ending World War II on July 20, 1944? Cruise’s membership in the Church of Scientology, seen by German authorities as little more than a money-making operation, fuelled doubts about his suitability.
"Now Valkyrie, named after the plot by German military officers to overthrow the Nazi leadership, has had its world premiere in New York, and German film critics are less damning than might have been expected."
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Kevin McNally, Christian Berkel, Bill Nighy, Tom Cruise, Terence Stamp, David Schofield, Kenneth Brannagh in Valkyrie
One Valkyrie review quoted in the article is from the Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Measured in terms of all the things the film was accused of, measured in terms of all that could have gone wrong, one can almost call it a triumph. It’s definitely the most exciting, realistic and complex feature film about July 20, even if the benchmark — three German attempts between 1955 and 2004 — wasn’t unattainably high.
"One can also say that Hollywood has never taken such a thoroughly German issue as seriously as it has with this opulent, logistical cinematographic effort."
The report adds that even though Tom Cruise’s performance was criticized for being "wooden and low-key," the supporting cast, including Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson, was generally praised. Bryan Singer directed.
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Tags: Bryan Singer, Claus Count Schenk von Stauffenberg, David Schofield, Kenneth Brannagh, Terence Stamp, Tom Cruise, Tom Wilkinson, Valkyrie
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4 Responses to “VALKYRIE: German Reactions”
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I just read a kinda positive review for valkyrie and tom cruise in the washington post. the writer says the film is good but not great. others had said that it wasn’t all that good and that tom was pretty bad. now i have to go see it.
Well, the reviews have been lukewarm, but they haven’t beel all that negative about Tom Cruise. I’ve read a couple that said he was ok. But when has Tom Cruise ever been better than ok, if that?
What saddens me is the advertisiments for the movie, they only mention tom crusie but none of the other steller stars in it, i know cruise plays the key character in the whole movie, but so many others played other key roles in the whole plot to kill hitler, not just Claus Count Schenk von Stauffenberg. And im sure he gave the credit to those that helped him plan the plot and carry it out., the movie advertisement should give those steller actors the proper respect and mention, this is not just a tom cruise movie, this a movie with good solid based older actors such as …tom wilkinson, bill nighy, kenneth branaugh, terence stamp, and carise van houten, and so many more. at least in the tv preview ads mention those people , it isnt just a movie with tom cruise in it.
I watched the movie last night. First, I think Bryan Singer did a wonderful job at directing the film. The movie was dramatic & had a good pace. The dialogue was outstanding as well. David Bamber’s portrayal of Hitler was credible and dynamic but perhaps his role was under utilized.
I thought Tom Cruise did a good job of acting. Any problem with his casting to the lead role was due to my own pre-conceived opinions that I brought to the film as a viewer. In all fairness to Mr. Cruise, the problem was with me not him.
I wish the film would have been done in German with English subtitles. Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” was a richer film because he used the native language.
I am glad the story is being re-told to another generation that needs to hear it, as do I.