BUY IT AT AMAZON: STUDIO: Koch Vision
MSRP: $19.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 76 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
-The Eva Braun Films: Newly Re-Mastered Home Movies
shot by Hitler’s Mistress
-An Exclusive Visit to the Stauffenberg Estate
-Killing Hitler: Other Assassination Attempts on the Fuhrer
presented by author Roger Moorhouse
-A Visit to the German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin
-Footage from the Volksgericht Trials
-Interview with Philipp Baron von Boeselager,
the last surviving member of the Stauffenberg Conspiracy
The Pitch
Be a smarty, join the Nazi Party. Then try to kill Hitler when you quit.
The Humans
Claus von Stauffenberg, Adolf Hitler and a cast of millions
The Nutshell
World War II was a time of epic conflict. Lines were drawn in the sand and men proved what they were on the battlefield. Then, there were battles of ideology. Claus von Stauffenberg didn’t care for what Hitler had done to his Germany. So, he teamed up with some fellow German officers to plan an amazing conspiracy. Using a strategically placed parcel, they would assassinate Adolf Hitler.
It’s just like Hogan’s Heroes.
The Lowdown
Operation Valkyrie
relies too much on live recreation to be taken seriously. Honestly, you get one or two recreations to set the tone. But, when you go overkill it turns into Unsolved Mysteries. Operation Valkyrie (Unternehmen Walküre) was an operational plan
developed for the Resistance Army of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer). Claus von Stauffenberg had several reasons for creating the outfit, but none of those get explained here. You’ll have to pick up the Oscar nominee Restless Conscience to get more information on that.
Whistler’s Mother schtick got old after the first decade or so.
Operation Valkyrie is being released to cash in on the theatrical debut of Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie. Both works portray the basic details of the plot with a degree of accuracy. German upper crust gets pissed at Hitler, they get a bomb set and shit hits the fan. But, the only information that the documentarians seem to build off of are the memories of conspirator relatives. Memory is a false witness to the truth.
Somebody just strangled their first puppy.
Koch Vision should be applauded for getting this film and the supplemental material ready on short notice. But, a lot of the package feels stilted. Sure, we get the last conspirator on camera talking about what went down. This opportunity is offset with an hour of Eva Braun footage which goes nowhere. Seeing unrelated shots of Hitler surveying the German countryside or plotting does nothing for the audience. We needed to be inside of the Von Stauffenberg inner circle.
Hitler was determined to map out a new way to get reinstated on Live.
Operation Valkyrie is
a documentary that fails to inform. No new information is glimpsed and the entire documentary feels a waste. History is full of those What-Ifs and odd moments that dare to change the course of our lives forever. Operation Valkyrie didn’t weigh this moment with the same importance, so the documentary falls under its weight. It’s a shame, really.
Hitler now realizes that he shouldn’t have let 21B re-attach his hand.
The
DVD
has a pretty strong transfer with some shifting quality due to available film sources. The special features are housed on the second disc, but those are for more educationally minded folk. The archival footage is interesting, but it adds nothing new to Operation Valkyrie. The interview with Philipp Baron von Boeselager is the big draw. Listening to one of the conspirators, as he talks about what went down is amazing. It’s very rare that you get that kind of direct knowledge on a historical matter. Therefore, I would recommend at least a rental.