Valkyrie

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gen_custard

New Member
Just saw this movie (finally!) and thought it was a very well done depiction of a little known historical drama...I'm sure a lot of people don't even realize that during WW2, not ALL Germans were Nazis, or necessarily evil.

Just curious what anyone else thought of this film.
 
I would hardly consider the July plot a little known incident by comparison to the 30-50 previous attempts on Hitlers life it was probably the best known of the attempts.

As far as the movie goes I cant comment as I havent seen it, generally I steer well clear of anything with Tom Cruise but as it has been released on DvD I will probably pick it up as it does sound interesting.
 
One must remember that this only a film and even some of those that had tried to get of Hitler were not very nice people. I knew many a German POW during the war and many of them were nice chaps, once they were away from the controlling influence of of Nazi code. There again I can remember four Me 109 shooting up a local school and leaving dozens of children killed or wounded
 
LeEnfield said:
One must remember that this only a film and even some of those that had tried to get of Hitler were not very nice people. I knew many a German POW during the war and many of them were nice chaps, once they were away from the controlling influence of of Nazi code. There again I can remember four Me 109 shooting up a local school and leaving dozens of children killed or wounded
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Yes but lets face it there were "bad" things done by both sides, no matter what the outcome of WW2 the winning side was always going to adopt a "the ends justify the means" defense.
 
Well said Monty.

All sides committed war crimes during WW2. Name an incident whether Germans shot prisoners or kids and I can sadly come up with an example of where Allied soldiers did exactly the same.

I haven't seen the movie yet. I've heard some (women mainly) who said they really enjoyed it and others who were not so enthusiastic. I'll probably catch it at some point but it won't be no Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan I suspect.
 
no its not a band of brothers which is much more if a massive overview of the American movement across Europe. I just bought Valkyrie and even though its much more secluded to something that failed it is very intriguing and thought provoking. its also nice to see something that doesn't paint all Germans with the same brush. Good movie all around.

i just came across these Valkyrie videos on you tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjvpAOx8DHY&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5JHtwd790&feature=related
 
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I watched a directors commentary about the movie and he pushed the idea that there was very little to recommend this as "War movie" it was really more of a suspense drama.

I am still not sure how Cruise can pull off the main character given that he is only 3 foot tall.

I have also been looking at Peter Jackson's remake of the Dam Busters but I am not sure how that will work out given that the locations he has chosen don't look a thing like the Ruhr Valley.

Doppleganger said:
Well said Monty.

All sides committed war crimes during WW2. Name an incident whether Germans shot prisoners or kids and I can sadly come up with an example of where Allied soldiers did exactly the same.

I haven't seen the movie yet. I've heard some (women mainly) who said they really enjoyed it and others who were not so enthusiastic. I'll probably catch it at some point but it won't be no Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan I suspect.
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In terms of combat activities I do not think you can separate the Germans from the Allies (Eastern Front excluded) there were a limited number of war crimes committed by both sides however there is a very big difference between the two sides in terms how they treated occupied territories.

I have seen a lot of arguments to say that Arthur Harris was as big a criminal Herman Goering due to his specific targeting of civilians especially toward the end of the war when it seemed to be more of a "because we can" than "because we have to", I am not really sure whether I agree with this or not but it is interesting.
 
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If I remember my history rightly that during the American Civil War, I think it was the American General Grant who said there are no innocent civilians, it is them that are providing arms, food and money towards the war and if that is removed then so is war . That is one of the reasons he raided the south and torched it to cut of the these supplies to the Southern Army
 
LeEnfield said:
If I remember my history rightly that during the American Civil War, I think it was the American General Grant who said there are no innocent civilians, it is them that are providing arms, food and money towards the war and if that is removed then so is war . That is one of the reasons he raided the south and torched it to cut of the these supplies to the Southern Army
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William T. Sherman who vowed he would "Make Georgia howl"

Valkyrie. They lost me at Tom Cruise.
 
LeEnfield said:
If I remember my history rightly that during the American Civil War, I think it was the American General Grant who said there are no innocent civilians, it is them that are providing arms, food and money towards the war and if that is removed then so is war . That is one of the reasons he raided the south and torched it to cut of the these supplies to the Southern Army
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This is what happened during the Boer War. I have had many discussions/arguements over the British tactic of burning farms. Whether I agree with the tactic is neither here nor there, but the fact is those farms were providing aid and comfort to the enemy. I do not agree however, with the British commanders tactic of concentration camps. When Queen Victoria heard of the plight of Boer women and children she stepped in.
 
Doppleganger said:
Well said Monty.

All sides committed war crimes during WW2. Name an incident whether Germans shot prisoners or kids and I can sadly come up with an example of where Allied soldiers did exactly the same.

.
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OK. Auchswitz for starters.

Never was 'the end justifiying the means' more appropriate than when applied to the taking down of The Third Reich. Hurrah to that.
 
MontyB said:
Yes but lets face it there were "bad" things done by both sides, no matter what the outcome of WW2 the winning side was always going to adopt a "the ends justify the means" defense.
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Indeed.

There were a lot of not really nice ppl on both sides, the difference is that some were soldiers (feeling compelled to adhere to their codex) and the others were political ideologists.

I prefer the solds anytime (and, as German, would have preferred they had succeeded).

Rattler
 
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I liked it, although I'm not sure what the germans were doing with a .50 Cal 'Meatchopper' that only saw use in the pacific.
 
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