Naked GuyWhile various pics of Valkyrie’s one-eyed Tom (as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg) made their way to public consumption and consternation, United Artists was been tenderly massaging the will of the German government to allow shooting in the infamous Bendlerblock courtyard- the spot the Hitler assassination conspiracy began and ultimately ended. Apparently, authenticity and cultural understanding goes a long, long way as Germany‘s Defense Ministry has given a codwallop to the German governments official stance of "Nein!”, allowing the film to continue its Nazi-style rootin’ and shootin’. And by rootin’ and shootin’, I mean rootin’ for Hitler’s death and the subsequent shootin’ by firing squad when the whole thing fell apart.

For the uninitiated, Bendlerblock is a non-descript building in Berlin which currently houses the German Ministry of Defense. The place has all kinds of dubya-dubya military history and a lone statue of a naked dude with humble junk commemorating the guys the film Valkyrie is all about. Constructed as a Naval headquarters pre- WW I Bendlerblock became the de facto headquarters of the German Resistance as headed by General Friedrich Olbricht (as played by the fantastic Bill Nighy) i.e.- birthplace of the Valkyrie conspiracy which, sadly, didn’t do as much for killing Hitler as it did for eventually killing everyone who was involved.

United Artists had been requesting access for a couple months, but was sausage-blocked by governmental worries that shooting a movie would tarnish Bendlerblocks’ dignity… as opposed to, you know, the place being known for a bunch of guys lined up in a courtyard and shot dead.

Enter Producer and Bryan Singer pal Christopher McQuarrie, who used his skills of penmanship to sway the Ministry of Defense with noble appeals about democracy’s ultimate triumph in giving Nazi barbarism a righteous taste of the Shocker. Now that misconceptions of connecting modern day Germany to Nazism is retired, the Valkyrie project can proceed with shooting at the historic location– sans swastikas and Nazi flags (they’re illegal in Germany, dontcha know).

I’d imagine this will lead the way to a shot ala Flags of our Fathers and Saving Private Ryan openings of modern day memorials, which are fast becoming genre staples. And really, if Valkyrie can equally deliver, that’s just fine.