Much brouhaha about the latest Tom Cruse flick Valkyri, which details the 1944 plot to kill Hitler.
Leaving aside the merits of the film, what nobody wants to discuss is the internal politics of the plotters. With Hitler out of the way, they intended to strike a separate peace with the western allies, the UK and the USA, leaving Germany free to continue the war against the Soviet Union.
This is clearly a less than optimal response and I can’t imagine “Smilin” Joe Stalin would have been too impressed.
It was all nonsense, of course. The west had clearly ruled anything other than “unconditional surrender” was unacceptable and the war was well and truly lost for Germany by then but the plotters’ vision for Germany was an authoritarian state, closely modelled on its Imperial past.
So a group of Prussian aristocrats try to assassinate Hitler, completely fuck up and bingo-bango, they’re (belatedly) national heroes.
Meanwhile, the real German resistance to Hitler centred on thousands of working class trade unionists, Social Democrats and communists who fought for basic human rights and a decent society (except the communists, of course, who fought for a Stalinist dictatorship).
And people like Georg Elser, a carpenter and communist party supporter who, in 1939, probably came closer than anyone to knocking off the big H.
But we can’t have Tom Cruse portraying a working class, trade unionist, communist party supporter now, can we? The marketing people would have a fit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
23 comments:
Oh my goodness. Ramon, what don't you know about this stuff?
And may I ask, why the fascination? I enjoy the Art Deco and 'Swing' eras and just about everything that goes with them, from the dancing to the architecture, the music, the technology and the 'modern' woman breaking loose from her Victorian corsets. But that's me - I'm just trying to figure out the ticking that goes on over there comrade :D
Also, I am currently enjoying the history lessons on TSFKA, please keep them up :)
Still, it looks like it could be a good movie. Then again, so many good plots, so often badly executed.
And you're right. Convenient little facts are often omitted in the name of a good story. I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying.
Dickens' 'Tale Of Two Cities' was a bit like that, in that it was more about the noble nobleman instead of the noble savage. Which was odd, given that Dickens was all about the noble savage in every other book.
Goes to show but - people like to see/read about the nobility, and if they happen to do some good, even better.
You know, like, Princess Di, under strick supervision, mopped up one freakin' land mine and half the world jizz'd.
That's a very good question, Aesophia.
I might write a longer post about that very topic.
Feel free to have your eyes glaze over.
Dammit - so you mean those pimply students shoving their Socialist Alliance literature under my nose at Berlin Uni back in '41 really were freedom fighters?
My family came from Prussia, way back when. I'm in the process of reading Killing Hitler (Roger Moorehouse), which I picked up off a hostel book shelf. I'm only a chapter in at the moment, but it seems an interesting read so far.
Someone let me know if the movie's any good. I probably won't get to see it until I get back.
It's received mixed reviews Puss.
Perseus, can I just say how disappointed I am that nobody has written a porn book called Tale of two Titties
...nobody has written a porn book called Tale of two Titties
Or perhaps Rape Expectations.
Can I say that?
Nicholas Nickeldick
Nicholas Dickleby
Dickolas Lickleby...
Oliver's Tits
"Sale of Two Titties? Grope Expectations?
Is the transformative [sic] eye patch Tom's answer to Nicole's nose?
The Bigdick Papers
I'll Have a Twist
David Cop a Feel
And not forgetting Martin Nuzzletit
A Christmas with Carol?
OK, that's pretty lame.
All the good ones are taken.
Nicely done guys!
But I reckon Bob gets the prize for David Cop a Feel
Made me laugh anyway.
I laughed heartily too then, realising it was my own joke, sobered up and quickly posted it before someone else did.
I'd like to nominate you for a blog award thingo, Bob, but they no longer exist.
And they were crap, anyway.
But I've already written my acceptance speech!
...still trying to think of one for Dombey & Son
Dildo and Cum?
wow you're good
Bob, did your acceptance speech start with "Oi, cunts!".
You've been rifling through my bins again Ramon.
Post a Comment