I was surprised to see Kenneth Branagh appear in this movie that stars Tom Cruise. But the movie, while geared to popular audiences (history buffs should dig it), did have a classic tone. And, the story is a tragedy. What a major production this was, too, with many parts shot on location in Germany, many vintage uniformed extras, vintage cars, and vintage everything, helped by digital special effects. It appears to have been meticulously designed.
The plot retraces the July 20, 1944 attempt by a group of German officers to assassinate Hitler. For those who know the history, the production alone fascinates. And those who don't know the history know the outcome, obviously, so design and acting have to carry the movie. This is a brief history lesson the easy way. But were it not that the era is over it would be all too disturbing.
Oh, yes, there are interesting, albeit brief allusions to Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. Children in homemade costumes are seen play acting to a Gramophone recording in one scene. And in another, Hitler describes his idealized version of the Valkyries as golden handmaidens of victory (rather than the sinister spirits of the old Norse myth) even as he is being duped into signing an altered version of his national security emergency plan (named Operation Valkyrie).
