Film: Operation Valkyrie
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Jo Baier
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hardy Krüger Jr., Christopher Buchholz, Nina Kunzendorf
Genre: Drama/History/War
Studio: High Fliers
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
The story of the Stauffenberg plot to kill Hitler has long been a source of fascination and discussion for historians and filmmakers. Following the Hollywood release of Valkyrie, Germany’s own version of the story has now been released in the UK.
This short film follows the story of Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who began as an idealistic young soldier, rising quickly through the ranks under Hitler’s rule. However, as his career progresses so too do his doubts about Hitler’s regime and his brutal acts of genocide. A few brave and foolhardy whispers start speaking against the Fuhrer and Stauffenberg finds himself in a dilemma: unwilling to follow orders in Germany, but unable to bring himself to act against his superiors.
As a way out of this quandary, he accepts a posting to North Africa, where he is badly wounded. On his recovery, he makes the decision that something must be done about Hitler and, with a select few compatriots, orchestrates a plan to kill him. It is a plan fraught with danger, but Stauffenberg becomes increasingly obsessed with his aims at the expense of his relationship with his family and, ultimately, his own life…
This made-for-TV German film may be seriously overshadowed in box-office terms by the Hollywood version, but it shows an attention to detail and historical fact that gives it real integrity. Baier deftly racks up the tension towards the climax of the film until the viewer is paying the utmost attention to every ring of the phone and every knock on the door. He also portrays a side of the war against Hitler that is less known – the secret, internal one being waged by his own officers. As a film made in Germany for a German audience, it is perhaps not a surprising choice of story to tell, but for the wider world it represents a reality that we rarely allow for: that even within Germany there were many people fighting against Hitler’s tyranny and cruelty.
Sebastian Koch gives a dynamic and powerful performance as Stauffenberg which carries the film. The story and action focuses around him but he is supported by a strong cast. Nina Kunzendorf gives a restrained and believable portrayal of his long-suffering wife while Ulrich Tukur offers a steadfast and quietly courageous image of General von Tresckow, the leading voice of dissent in the early part of the film.
The film was originally part of a larger TV documentary about Operation Valkyrie, which may explain its condensed nature and short running time. It offers only a cursory view of the events leading up to the assassination attempt. The first part of the film covers an entire decade at breakneck speed with almost every scene taking us forward by a year. While this might have worked well alongside plenty of other background information, as a standalone film, it leaves the viewer feeling a bit short-changed. There are a lot of themes and characters ripe for development, which we see very little of, particularly some of the other officers involved in the plot and Stauffenberg’s wife. We only see her twice, briefly, in the first half of the film, then suddenly there are four children in the picture and we are expected to accept Stauffenberg as a family man. Similarly, as noted above, there are some tantalizingly good performances from many of the actors in this film, but we only get to glimpse their potential rather than seeing it realized.
Having said that, it is a masterful film which remains true to the story it is telling. Some performances are actually notable for their briefness and understated impact, such as Udo Schenk in the role of Hitler. It would have been tempting to give the infamous figure more screen time, but in fact, the one scene which he appears in, without even speaking, comes at a moment of high tension and the performance is absolutely chilling – it sends shivers down the spine.
The catalogue of atrocities is also not laboured over as it might have been. Because the drama centres around Stauffenberg and not Hitler, we hear reports of the mass murders just enough to remind us of the horror of it all, but not so much that it devalues the impact of it or takes away from the main story.
Baier has a very clear vision and keeps focus throughout the film. The mix of high-action wide-view shots and close-ups with more subtle action is just right. The short length of the film means that no moment is wasted and the quieter moments are all the more intense because of that. No scene in this film is there just to pad it out. Although we already know the story, Baier changes the pace with a fluency which carries the viewer along. We lean in for a better look as the scene with the figure on the stretcher is slowed down and replayed, and we feel the sense of despair mixed with blind and desperate hope that it might still work out as everything begins to unravel.
This is a picture of Nazi Germany from the inside at a unique moment of an indelible section of history. It is only right that there should be a German production of this story and this film does it real justice. KS
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