Most of Tom Cruise’s films could be certified as masterful works of the craft of acting, if not masterpieces in themselves. From the highly fantastical Interview With the Vampire that turned even the novel’s dissenting author into a fan of the actor to Tropic Thunder where he skirted dangerously close to parodying Hollywood producers without the fear of consequence, Tom Cruise has always been the herald of greatness hiding behind an action hero persona.
When it came to Valkyrie, a film that is seldom associated with Cruise’s filmography, not only did it fail to establish a presence in pop culture (like his films usually do) but it was not a generally favorable situation to begin with. With opposition from an entire nation of dissenters and critics, Cruise’s most challenging role to date is that of a former Nazi officer-turned-resister, best known for organizing a military coup d’état to overthrow the Nazi regime.
The Rebel and the Dictator Who Cheated Death
Disillusioned by Hitler’s extreme ideology and politics, the Holocaust, and the Nazi State, nearly 200 German officers and elites executed a plan – Operation Valkyrie – to assassinate the Führer in July 1944. The plan, conceived by General Olbricht, became an emblem of Germany’s internal resistance against the Third Reich, despite crashing and burning overnight on July 20, 1944.
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the chief of staff of the Ersatzheer (Reserve Army) and a key member of the military resistance who played a central role in the conspiracy, had private access to the Führer at his headquarters – the Wolf’s Lair. He set off the bomb inside the Lair’s briefing building on the day of the intended assassination and flew back to Berlin to set the coup in motion.
Hitler survived the explosion, the coup was deemed a failure, and Colonel Stauffenberg, along with 3 other officers, was executed by a makeshift firing squad in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock building, a central command post of the Nazi regime in Berlin until its occupation by the Soviet troops in 1945.
Tom Cruise Survives the Wrath of German Dissenters
Angered by Tom Cruise‘s involvement in bringing the story of Colonel Stauffenberg to life, all of Germany – from politicians to the media to the public – unified in their collective opposition to the actor’s casting. Due to his affiliation with the controversial Church of Scientology, which has often been perceived as a cult in mainstream media, Cruise’s casting was viewed as detrimental to the story of the German war hero who took part in taking down the oppressive Nazi regime.
Meanwhile, Thomas Gandow, a spokesperson for the German Protestant Church, claimed Cruise’s casting would “have the same propaganda advantages for Scientology as the 1936 Olympics had for the Nazis.” Ursula Caberta – an employee of the German office that was in charge of monitoring the Church of Scientology – claimed: “Tom Cruise [is] a figurehead of an anti-constitutional organization, and he should be treated that way.”
Colonel Stauffenberg’s eldest child, retired general Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg himself came out in opposition to Cruise’s role, citing in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper [via CBC News]:
I hoped for a while that it was all just a publicity stunt by Mr. Cruise. I fear that only horrible kitsch will come out of the project. It’s bound to be rubbish. Cruise should keep his hands off my father. He should climb a mountain or go surfing in the Caribbean. I don’t care, as long as he stays out of it.
However, the tide soon began to turn in the actor’s favor when a few media representatives read the script and welcomed the story that Cruise wanted to bring to the world’s attention. Col Stauffenberg’s grandchild met Tom Cruise and was taken aback by his professionalism, keen enthusiasm, and approach to the story of a man who was buried under the shadow of the oppressive Third Reich and its figurehead dictator.
Tom Cruise, in his role as Colonel Stauffenberg, shined momentarily in the Bryan Singer-directed Valkyrie, which turned in an impressive performance at the box office with a rating of only 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning $201.5 million worldwide [via Box Office Mojo].
Valkyrie is streaming on Prime Video.
