Valkyrie

[Neil]

Another amazing chain of events...


eg: Had the Titanic:-
a) Been travelling slower
b) Been travelling 0.1 degree in a different direction
c) Not put its engines into reverse
etc... etc... how different fate would have been!


Likewise with the assassination attempt on Hitler:-
a) If the briefcase had't been moved (behind a table leg away from Hitler).
b) If the other briefcase (even unarmed) had been in the room
c) The the meeting had been in the original bunker instead of the wooden building.
...Hitler would have been dead, and the war over sooner. No Berlin wall? etc?

[EvilNed]

I don't want to piss on this important matter (for it IS important!) but any films trying to tackle the seriousness of the situation kinda pale these days compared to Der Untergang. I'm not so sure I can go back watching films about nazis in english. It's just not nearly as authentic or dramatic.

Had Bryan Singer chosen to have his actors speak german, I would be all over this. But now? Well... It just pales.

[MinionZombie]

As soon as I saw all the actors speaking in their American and English accents, I just couldn't bring myself to be at all interested in it - it's far too distracting - plus you're just going "oh that's Bill Nighy/Tom Cruise/Eddie Izzard etc etc etc".

Maybe I'll watch it one day, but to be honest I'm not in the least bit fussed - I remember watching "The Bunker", and thought it was Brit soldiers undercover as Germans - but no, they were playing German soldiers ... but with Lahndahn accents, and it just distracted me throughout the entire movie (plus it wasn't much cop anyway).

But aye - the other thing you said Neil, it makes you think.

[Craig]

I don't want to piss on this important matter (for it IS important!) but any films trying to tackle the seriousness of the situation kinda pale these days compared to Der Untergang. I'm not so sure I can go back watching films about nazis in english. It's just not nearly as authentic or dramatic.
I'd tend to agree with you (not least because I thought Downfall was an amazing film) but I still hold films like Schindler's List, The Pianist and the lesser known Conspiracy in high regard. However I feel there's quite a big difference between those films and a heavily marketed film starring Tom Cruise.

[Neil]

Had Bryan Singer chosen to have his actors speak german, I would be all over this. But now? Well... It just pales.

Didn't bother me to be honest... The film was made by an English speaking studio/country, so was aimed at English speaking folks...

The beginning of the film does quite a nice little 20 second change from German to English...

[EvilNed]

Didn't bother me to be honest... The film was made by an English speaking studio/country, so was aimed at English speaking folks...

The beginning of the film does quite a nice little 20 second change from German to English...

I understand WHY it's in English. It's just that after Der Untergang, which is a masterpiece beyond all others, I just feel kinda "Meh" when this film comes out. Had it been in german, however, I'd be very interested. When I watch Der Untergang, it feels real. The trailer for this just doesn't promise me anything interesting... It feels to clean, to Hollywood, to fake.

As for language-transitions, I always thought them to be really cheesy and I only accept them in films which are supposed to be entertaining, and nothing more. The 13th Warrior comes to mind.

[Neil]

When I watch Der Untergang, it feels real.

Have you seen the extended version of it?