Talking of Nazis..how about the new Bryan Singer film Valkirie" with Tom Cruise as Von Stauffenberg,the guy who tried to blow up Hitler ..seems like lots of doodah is hitting the fan already about this,not least in Germany.Including from the Von Stauffenberg family...they dont like the fact that Hollywood has appropriated a story that German Cinema may well think itself better qualified,and by now ,justified, in telling ,although i see it's not the first time by a long way..and "Valkyrie" it seems,could well be seen as a re-make of "Stauffenberg" a critically acclaimed German made 2004 T.V movie....They also dont like Tom Cruise personally,notably because of his "religious" beliefs...(cue "Religulous" review) BBC Radio did a show about it a few weeks ago,with (audio only, obviously) clips .and .I must say,i couldnt help laughing at and bemoaning the fact that not a trace of a German accent is evident,least of all from Tom Cruise..I know it's not necessarily a pre-requisite,but couldnt he at least have given it a go?Arent "actors" meant to be able to do that sort of thing? Didnt they have German accents in Schindlers List"? Other cast members include Stephen Fry and Eddie Izzard..wait a minute, sounds like it's a COMEDY anyway!
Now you know i'm not anti-American, (anti-Bush yes..) but i cant help imagining a whole tranch of the audience for this thinking "hey, an American guy infiltrated, and tried to stop him... dude" ..
In "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" David Thewlis plays the Commandant of a concentration camp,and is chillingly believable ,it's not like we should demand Cruise speak German..but why not cast someone who could pull off the same job that Thewlis did.? I suppose it's about box office and Cruise's career?...
On the up side.Of course it's good that a story that hasnt been told in a "big" movie before will get put "out there" ,and more people will be educated to the fact that there WAS opposition to Hitler ,within Germany..