Valkyrie (2008)

Réalisateur:

Bryan Singer

Scénaristes (WGA):

Christopher McQuarrie (written by) &
Nathan Alexander (written by)

Date de sortie:

25 décembre 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Histoire | Thriller | Guerre

Accroche:

Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.

Intrigue:

Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is unfurled during the height of WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Plan | Plot | Nazi | Colonel

Récompenses:

1 win & 8 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Excellent, historic thriller

Ensemble

Tom Cruise	...	Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
Kenneth Branagh	...	Major-General Henning von Tresckow
Bill Nighy	...	General Friedrich Olbricht
Tom Wilkinson	...	General Friedrich Fromm
Carice van Houten	...	Nina von Stauffenberg
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Major Otto Ernst Remer
Terence Stamp	...	Ludwig Beck
Eddie Izzard	...	General Erich Fellgiebel
Kevin McNally	...	Dr. Carl Goerdeler (as Kevin R. McNally)
Christian Berkel	...	Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim
Jamie Parker	...	Lieutenant Werner von Haeften
David Bamber	...	Adolf Hitler
Tom Hollander	...	Colonel Heinz Brandt
David Schofield	...	Erwin von Witzleben
Kenneth Cranham	...	Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

Autre(s) titre(s):

Walküre (Germany) (literal title) (USA) (alternative spelling)
Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg-Attentat (Germany)
Rubicon (USA) (fake working title)
Untitled Bryan Singer Thriller (USA) (working title)
Walküre/Valkyrie (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Durée:

121 min

Pays:

USA | Allemagne

Langue:

Anglais | Allemand

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

1,85 : 1

Son:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Classification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44626) | Czech Republic:12 | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Norway:11 | South Africa:10V | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:14 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | India:UA | Mexico:B

Lieux de tournage:

Barton Flats, San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA

Société:

United Artists

Anecdotes:

The song played over parts of the end credits (Track #1 on the soundtrack album, "They'll Remember You") uses lyrics from the the Goethe-poem "Wanderers Nachtlied" ("Wanderer's Nightsong"): "Ueber allen Gipfeln / Ist Ruh, / In allen Wipfeln / Spuerest du / Kaum einen Hauch. - Die Voegelein schweigen im Walde./ Warte nur, balde / Ruhest du auch." This translates into Englisch: "Over all the summits / it is calm. / In all the treetops/ you can feel / hardly a breeze - The birds remain silent in the woods. / Just wait, soon / You'll rest as well." The music was composed by John Ottman and performed by Sylke Schwab and the Rundfunkchor Berlin.

Goofs:

Erreurs faites par les personnages (éventuellement des erreurs délibérées par les cinéastes): When Tom Cruise's character is speaking with another character, he looks at the portrait of Hitler hanging on the wall and says "At the end of this the portrait will be unhung, and a man will be hung." In reality, a man would be hanged and never hung.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
soldiers in unison: I swear by God this sacred oath: That I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and that I shall at all times be ready, as a brave soldier, to give my life for this oath.

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) (TV)

Bande son:

Badenweiler Marsch

Excellent, historic thriller

"Valkyrie" takes on an important event in the history of Nazi Germany: the failed assassination attempt of German officers of the Wehrmacht against Hitler in 1944. Most Germans like myself are quite familiar with the story of the "Stauffenberg-Attentat" since it was not only the topic of many German docudramas (e.g. one made by well-known director Pabst in 1955) but is also widely discussed in history class in school.

I was pleasantly surprised about the "American" interpretation in Valkyrie and think that Singer and Cruise came up with an excellent film. Although the outcome is known and the movie develops rather slowly in the beginning, it manages to create a highly suspenseful and darkish-intense atmosphere that keeps you captivated until the end. Complains regarding the American/English accents and the German actors not speaking with German accents, or criticizing that Stauffenberg was "in reality" more charming and not as stiff as Cruise' interpretation, are niggling and banal at best. The movie does not focus on the private, psychological side of Stauffenberg but on his leading role in the assassination plot planned and executed amidst the "heart of darkness", which -we can be sure- was more than nerve-wracking and left certainly little space for charm and jokes. BTW: I was glad to see Nina von Stauffenberg portrayed as the knowing and smart wife that she actually was. The performance of all actors is superb, and Cruise certainly deserves special praise since his commitment to the role is tangible and remarkably intense.

Highly recommended!