Fashion Nazis Should Love Valkyrie Movie
Valkyrie by Demon
Say what you will about the Nazis, they had great design flair when it came to flags and uniforms, something the creators of Valkyrie no doubt appreciated as well. For one thing that stands out in this mashed up movie about the historically significant failed assassination attempt on Hitler’s life, is that Tom Cruise looks chic in a Nazi uniform.
Valkyrie shows us the Third Reich in its waning months as a land bereft of dust, rust, or dirt of any kind. With its strangely chosen cast looking picture perfect in polished leather boots, pressed cotton shirts, and shiny uniform paraphernalia, Valkyrie shows us the original meaning of the term “fashion Nazi”.
While plot of Valkyrie occupies itself primarily with the unfolding of the failed coup, the art direction takes on a life of its own as we are treated to glorious swastikas wafting in the wind, military formations that would make Darth Vader blush, and even a blonde bombshell crooning in a smoky café.
Hitler’s Germany may indeed have been a remarkably clean and sexy and orderly place before the Allies blasted their way in with troops and heavy armor. But everything in Valkyrie seems strangely artificial, and the movie suffers because of it. In a cinematic landscape shared with 
painstakingly realistic World War II movies like The Thin Red Line and Downfall, Valkyrie seems stuck somewhere in the Sixties or Seventies when Clint Eastwood was battling brownshirts on the roof of cable cars in Where Eagles Dare.
Likely the strange combination of forces at work in Valkyrie – minute historical detail, glossy style, the English language, British and American actors portraying Germans — comes from the difficulty in approaching the subject matter itself within the conventions of modern day Hollywood. One cannot envy the challenge of the filmmakers in deciding how sympathetic to depict Nazi characters — even ones hell bent on destroying Hitler. After all, these characters are still Nazis, and they aren’t going after Hitler during the height of his popularity and power, but during his decline.
On the other hand, there are no stigmas about presenting Nazi iconography within its proper context, and it’s the very nature of Hollywood to make things look larger than life. So the filmmakers do just that. It’s certainly not Tom Cruise’s fault if he looks good dressed as a fascist.
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little known fact: the Nazi uniforms, from the grunts on up to the head of the SS, were designed by fashion mogul Hugo Boss. The same one whose suits you can find at Men’s Wearhouse.
Where do I get hugo boss nazi uniform. I want to be nazi for halloween.
Hi Demon,
I definitely share your perspective on the fashion of the day during this period, and I too thought Tom et al looked fabulous in their get up. I saw the film with a scriptwriter pal of mine in January and was amazed by the attention to detail applied to their uniforms. If only it wasn’t in the name of Nazi-icm (is that a word?), I’m sure like vintage and 80s fashion making a renaissance, we might have seen something from that era…alas, it wasn’t for a good cause!
I haven’t read about the history of the Third Reich (although I’ve certainly read enough about its impact), but you raised an interesting point about the Valkyrie unit’s decision to assassinate Hitler towards the end of his reign…indeed, why not long before?! The film, whilst informative to some degree and pictorially strong, had a few holes in it, as it didn’t set the context enough and explain why they chose ‘now’ to assassinate Hitler. We also didn’t have much insight into Tom’s character…perhaps it requires a prequel!
On a separate point, I wonder if Tom gets deep into the mind set of characters he portrays well enough. I couldn’t help feeling, even during the film that someone like Christian Bale or Gary Oldman would have done a far better job, even Guy Pearce. They’re the type of actors that in addition to the overall story, would have been interested in letting viewers into this Stauffenberg character and help us understand the motives.These actors become the characters they play, so convincingly and are better able to bring their characters’ stories to the big screen.
Still, good film, great cast and all that’s left now is a prequel….er, Mr Singer?
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, Bella. Much appreciated! I think Hollywood likes to odd some extra gloss to the boots when they make these movies. And I think now that most of our WWII vets are dying out we’ll see even greater liberties taken with cinematic depictions of World War II. Look at the upcoming Inglourious Basterds… I haven’t seen the picture yet, but from what I’ve seen in the trailer, it looks like the map has definitely left the territory!