The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VWaE859igQ&feature=related
I recently watched the History channel special involving the attempts on Hitler with clips and behind the scenes looks at the movie. I’m not a Tom Cruise fan, but it looks like he did the character of von Stauffenberg justice. The movie will be interesting to watch.
Personally I like Cruise as an actor. However, here in Germany have been major discussions about him playing v. Stauffenberg. Mostly because of his Scientology activities.
I didn’t even know it was already released
It isn’t. I think it comes out Christmas Day…
I hope your right. the trailer you put up said coming summer of 08 !!!
there is another trailer that says january 2009 .
It’s supposed to open on December 25th. I find it difficult to watch anything where Tom Cruise is trying to play a character that is based on a historical or real figure/person. I am always aware that it is Tom Cruise playing another person and I never get lost in his characters because he is such a strong personality. However, when I watch actors like Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Ed Norton, etc… the characters that they are portraying is what I notice most and not the fact that it’s a specific actor.
Tom Cruise will always be Tom Cruise, no matter what character he plays and that’s probably why I’ll wait for this to come out on HBO or something.
IMHO Tom Cruise playing Ron Kovic in “Born on the Fourth of July” was marvellous!
I agree with you on this. I think that was the only picture that I can say he didn’t remind me of himself and that the character he was playing came through very well. In anything else, however, it’s hard, for me personally, to see him as someone other than himself.
I mentioned this before on another occasion I guess but over here in Germany there has been quite a commotion when announced that scientologist Cruise is going to play von Stauffenberg.
It was an amazing movie!
A commotion which I don’t understand. He’s an actor, his personal life should have nothing to do with the roles he portrayed. If he capable of bringing the character across and doesn’t hide any Scientology symbols in his acting, I couldn’t care less if he believes in God, Allah, Buddah or a science-fiction author…
On a different note, I saw that in the trailer, they also showed his time in the Afrika Korps. How much of the movie is dedicated to this part of his life?
The Afrika Korps has always been something I was very interested in.
I normally wouldn’t care. But Scientology has been tied to exploitative, cult like tendencies and there’s a clear difference as to how Hollywood celebs such as Cruise, and his first wife, Mimi Rogers are treated, and how a commoner is treated. In any case, it was Tom Cruise that made it everybodies’ business when he went off on Matt Lauer with his “I know the history of psychiatry” rant about three years ago as he had the gaul to attack Brooke Shields for taking medication to treat her adult ADD…
As for the Africa Korp, I doubt they dwell much on that. Von Stauffenberg was wounded in an air strike by the RAF desert air force while on a recon mission early on…
I finally saw it today. my opinion. but i thought it was really good. very intriguing. even though I already knew the outcome. still it was really good. Cruise did a crediable job here but the supporting actors get the cudo’s from me. if you don’t like blood guts and violence this is one to see. virtually none. they stayed right on the plot. As for the Africa Korp very little. just in the opening scenes.
that’s somewhat disappointing, simply because I really looked forward to the Afrikakorps scenes…
they did make a movie on this. its old. 1951. James Mason as Rommel in the dessert fox http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lE9Vlthvqs and I haven’t seen it in years…
I haven’t seen it. I have no desire to see it. But I will probably watch it when it comes on free to air TV if nothing else worth watching is on.
Cruise is a good actor, but I have a bit of trouble with a (variously reported) 5’4" to 5’7" bloke playing a 6’3" bloke. Someone with Max von Sydow’s height, looks and presence strikes me as being truer to the real von Stauffenberg. Still, when did Hollywood ever worry about getting it right, such as in the laughable film Pearl Harbor?
I don’t know that the Scientology issue is irrelevant. Somewhere there may be a line which is crossed where an actor is strongly associated with a particular cause or belief. For the sake of argument, assume that Eichmann escaped from Israeli custody before his execution. Would we be happy with him playing a leading role in a film, or would his close association with the Nazi regime and in particlar the Holocaust disqualify him from all public exposure?
Well, if it’s Cruise’s height you take issue with, I can make you feel better: He stands on boxes a lot, so it isn’t all too noticeable :mrgreen: