The movie, Valkyrie is one of the thriller movies that have attracted a wide perspective of audience. It has also attracted a wide perspective of criticism from various parts of the globe. This has been mainly as a result of the fact that its main plot portrays several incidences that occurred during Nazism in Germany, specifically during the reign of Hitler. One of the aspects of the movie that portrays Nazism in Germany is the use of Nazi sign or arm band among many military personnel and other elite group affiliated with Adolf Hitler. The Nazi sign or an arm band indicating a Nazi sign is worn by military general i.e. Claus von Stauffenberg, a role acted by Tom Cruise.
The movie is also characterized by various scenes indicating military official performing the Hitler or the Nazi salutation style whenever Adolf Hitler was present. The essence of putting on the Nazi Uniform in this movie and the performing the Nazi salute in the presence of Hitler in this movie gives it a feeling of the Nazi modes of operation and gives audience a feeling if the evils that were performed by the Nazis under Adolf Hitler’s watch.
Several scenes within the movie are also characterized by an ever expanding repertoire of Germanic characters, which is portrayed through the use of Nazi Major Generals’ names such as Claus Von Stauffenberg among others. At the beginning stage, the movie begins with a scene of military conflict in Tunisia, with General Claus von Stauffenberg severely injured in the conflict. The incorporation of violent scene as well as a high sense of loyalty and fear portrayed by many characters specifically towards Hitler portrays issues that were associated with the German Nazi during the Second World War.
Scenes in the Movie that Relates to Article 20 of the German Constitution
Article 20 of the German constitution stipulates four main issues: The Federal State of Germany is considered a democratic as well as social federal state; the entire state authority is derived from the people of Germany, therefore it shall be achieved through elections from the people and through legislature, judicial bodies and the executives; the legislature is guided by constitutional order while the executive as well as the judiciary are guided by justice and law; and the entire German population have the right to resist any person that attempts to abolish this constitution in case there is no other remedy (Currie, 14).
In the movie Valkyrie, Adolf Hitler is portrayed as dictatorial leader, who has assumed power and made decisions against the German constitution, which stipulates that all state power shall be derived from the people. The movie describes how Hitler made certain decisions, the compelled the nation to engage into war with other nations, a decision that was secretly rejected by some of his major Generals. The rejection of Hitler’s dictatorial mode of leadership is exhibits a relationship with article 20 of the German constitution, which requires all Germans to resist anyone who attempts to violate its stipulations.
Scenes in the Movie that can refer to Courts in Germany
The People’s Court was established by the then German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in the year 1934; this was after Hitler was disappointed with the performance of the German Supreme court that made a decision regarding the Reichstag Fire (Currie, 23). The People’s Court was established to handle various political offenses or crimes for instance: Treason, Defeatism, black marketeering among other crimes. This Court made various judgments that led to the death of several people including those that had plotted the death of Hitler like General Clause von Staffenberg, Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl.
In the movie, the main scene that portrays the actions that were performed in the people’s court is the Scene where General Clause von Staffenberg is tried with other military officials. The trial is based on their early assassination attempts, where they planted a bomb in a plane, but failed to denote. They also planted a bomb in a meeting in the presence of Hitler, but Hitler was lucky after only suffering minor injuries. The scene presents the trial of Clause von Staffenberg, leading to his death sentence as a result of being found guilty for treason.
Relationship of the Movie with Sophie Scholl and White Rose
Sophie Scholl was a student at the Munich University who were found guilty of opposing Hitler’s dictatorial leadership. They had formed an activist group that was distributing leaflets informing the general public to opposing fascism. She and other students within the White Rose activist group were found guilty of treason at the People’s Court and were sentenced to death. The movie also depicts scenarios of trials i.e. the trial of Clause Staffenberg and other military generals, who had opposed Hitler’s leadership, considering him not only an archenemy of the world, but also to the people of Germany. They are also tried of treason at the people’s court and are sentenced to death.
Work Cited
Currie, David P. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. University of Chicago Press, 1994
Valkyrie. Perf. Tom Cruise. MGM Home Entertainment, 2008. Film.
