Kill 1, Save 10,000,000

Members of the White Rose, Munich 1942. From left: Hans Scholl, his sister Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst.

“I am a soldier. I serve my country. But this is not my country.” –Von Stauffenberg as played by Tom Cruise.

That line hooked me for the entire Valkyrie movie. I’ve watched it three times over the Summer. It’s important for viewers to understand some of the history behind Germany’s military oath at the time, how it had been changed under Hitler, and how his death was required to symbolically release their obligation. I’m not sure how quickly that would’ve worked since as the old saying goes “men go mad in groups, but only regain their sanity one at a time”. At least killing the dictator would’ve been a start.

The movie is old news. I didn’t watch it when it was at the theaters, nor did I rent it as a new release. I waited until it was a used DVD on the 4 for $20 rack. I was only somewhat familiar with the history behind the actual bombing attempt, but I’ve heard the movie was criticized for some minor inaccuracies. That is to be expected when history moves from the recollections of the people who were there to the authors and screenwriters who weren’t even born yet who want to satisfy their contemporary audience. No matter the event, every day that passes is a step away from the point in time witnessed by the living. Only cultural memory lives past the original survivors.

Thanks to the movie a new generation is at least aware of the coup attempt in Germany on July 20, 1944. I was disappointed more time wasn’t spent on the kangaroo court trial presided over by an ex-Bolshevik turned Nazi. Few people are aware of the many precursors of this plot among the German people. For example, one began and died with only a handful of students, a core of siblings, known as the White Rose.

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