Valkyrie (2008)

I just finished watching this movie. I had heard many bad things about this film and so kept putting off watching it. I have to say that I thought it was really good. It was fast-paced, dramatic and as close to the actual events as can be made on the screen.

The movie shows that those in the July 20th Plot knew they might not succeed, but that it was the only way to show the Allies and the world that not all Germans were Nazis and not all Germans agreed with Hitler or the war (even if some came to that conclusion late.)

This film shows some of the true German heroes. It is very sad that it wasn't until the 1970s that those few in the German Resistance started to be seen as heroes who wanted to help Germany rather than traitors.

The July 20th Plotters and the White Rose were some of the handful of German anti-Nazi/anti-Hitler organizations. The majority of Germans alive at the time either fully supported Hitler and all that National Socialists stood for or simply went along because they felt they had to (which makes them just as guilty.)

It is 65 years since the war ended and yet the actions of those alive at the time still need to be addressed. There are still many alive who were active in the crimes and need to be punished. There are many Germans in my grandparents' generation that were in their 20s-30s during the war and many are just as guilty as Hitler and all the rest for allowing what happened in the war to take place (by not speaking out they are just as wrong as the murderers themselves.)They need to be shown that even after 65 years their actions during the war should not go unnoticed. The Germans born after the war should hold their grandparents and great-grandparents accountable. No excuses (such as "We didn't know" or "We were only following orders") should be allowed. It has been proven numerous times in the past 6 decades, beyond a doubt, that the majority of Germans during the war knew more than they would ever admit to knowing nowadays.

The actions of a few Germans in the Resistance do not overshadow the millions upon millions upon millions of innocent men, women and children murdered by the Germans during the war. Their actions do, however, show that there were still some Germans who could think for themselves and risked everything so they and their families could live knowing they were morally right. If only the majority of Germans at the time would have stood-up and spoken out it could have changed the war as we know it today.

Every German school child should learn about all the evils their country and ancestors committed in their name (not just during World War 2, but also World War 1, in East Germany, etc.) While more attention should be given to all the murderous acts committed by the Germans throughout history the small acts of German Resistance should also be taught so that every German school child learns that while their country has done many unspeakable crimes in the not so distant past there were still those Germans who gave their lives to try and make Germany a better place.

This movie should be included in the school lessens - or movies like it. Regardless what you think of Tom Cruise and his "religion" the film still stands on it's own and portrays what happened in a realistic light.