Search - The Plot to Kill Hitler on DVD

Tragic Heroism

J from NY | New York | 08/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One would be hard pressed to find a tale more inspiring and devastating than the plot to kill Adolf Hitler on July 20th, 1944.

Led by Colonel Claus Josef Von Stauffenberg, a high ranking German officer, devout Catholic, scholar and badly wounded veteran of WW1,
the element of chance in the ultimate failure of his heroic historical gesture is chilling. Played by a youthful Brad Davis, the gentle and firm nature of the man is conveyed well.

Slowly becoming aware of the atrocities that the Third Reich were committing in Poland and the Eastern Front in general, Stauffenberg
originally planned to a coup--develop a shadow government and overthrow the SS, thereby rendering Hitler powerless. Reality set in after awhile, however, and Stauffenberg was granted the privilege and curse of seeing Adolf Hitler then as we see him now: a mass murdering psychopath.

Returning from Tunesia after surviving a combat related attack which rendered him blind in one eye, he told his brother Berthold (one of his only loyal co-conspirator when all hell broke loose) that he was willing to sacrifice his life to kill Hitler.

His decision would have a horribly adverse effect in the sense of taking countless lives and, most tragically, the torture and garrotting of Berthold, but had it succeeded Stauffenberg would be up there in the history books, and rightly so, with Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and a host of other great men. The film skips over his original indecision: whether to shoot Hitler (bad idea, since there were crackshot marksmen around him at all times), and a suicide bombing at an art museum in which only Stauffenberg and Hitler would perish (Hitler never showed up, changing his schedule once again). Stauffenberg knew his time was limited and that at some point Hitler would be in hiding somewhere and the concentration camps would be running as always even as his evil empire went into ruin.

The day came. Depicted perfectly and with no historical inaccuracies in this film, Stauffenberg walked into Hitler "Wolf's Lair" and set a bomb
in a briefcase beside him. It was a heavy oak table.

A German officer in the room who was advising Hitler, Colonel Brendt, got up and moved the briefcase because it was in his way.

A matter of hours later, Adolf Hitler was on the radio in Germany shouting that "Divine Providence had saved him for his Mission". The irony is crushing.

The scene in which Stauffenberg is executed is done dramatically here: he did not merely snivel and recite passages from the Bible hopelessly, but gave a proud should before the last shot was fired: "Long Live Our Sacred Germany!"

I remember seeing this years ago and wondering why I hadn't heard of Stauffenberg and why he has been reduced to such a footnote in history. There were other attempts, yes, but none as daring and conscience inspired as this one. Other were concerned about Hitler running Germany's economny into the ground, etc: as reflected in his letters and conversations with other officers, his chief concern was killing Hitler because, as he wrote so aptly, the Fuhrer was "evil incarnate".

I guess Tom Cruise is supposed to play Stauffenberg in an upcoming film about the plot. I hope he doesn't. Here we have a man who gave his life for mercy and an actor who proselytizes against the mentally ill and psychotropic medications. THIS is a sparse, sober assessment of one man doing what he knew was his duty, at all costs.




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Better than Expected

James T. Wheeler | TUCSON, AZ United States | 01/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1990 movie was better than I expected. Video and audio quality of the DVD were outstanding and the plot held my interest throughout. Acting and production values were all quite good, despite the absence of big-name stars. Brad Davis as Col. von Stauffenberg and Madolyn Smith as his wife Nina are convincing in their tragic parts. Mike Gwilym also does a fine job playing the monster, Adolph Hitler.

Yes, as other reviewers have said, the show does have the feel of a made-for-TV production and there are a few historical flaws. Producers were the Wolpers and that can't be all bad. They did produce other things like "Roots" and "The Thornbirds," as well as some outstanding war documentaries. European filming was done in Yugoslavia which lends an authentic aura throughout. As noted above, video quality was extremely good, making me think the movie was re-mastered somehow. I found no graininess, dropouts, or other problems with the video. It's really first rate all the way.

It would have been nice to see a little more of the late Ian Richardson, one of my favorite actors. Nevertheless, he plays Gen. Beck who didn't have a major part in the story due to ill health. Also, a recent documentary piece on the subject would have been nice to add to "Special Features." Still, the movie covers an important topic--efforts by brave Germans to rid themselves of Hitler. This may have saved the country from being totally dismantled after the war.

A useful touch at the end was to credit Stauffenberg with having several streets and other public places named after him in post-war Germany. Although not popular right after the war, it may be seen now as a just tribute to a courageous, patriotic man. Those of us with German blood in our veins can take solace from this.

I haven't seen the new movie with Tom Cruise playing Stauffenberg but intend to do so after seeing, "The Plot to Kill Hitler." Let's hope when the DVD appears it will have Special Features which add to our understanding of why the plot failed. It's been estimated that 10 million more people died because of that.

--Jim Wheeler, Tucson, Arizona"