Simon says OPERATION VALKYRIE could have been better...
Released to coincide with the cinema bow of Brian Singers VALKYRIE, writer/Director Jan-Pierre Isbouts OPERATION VALKYRIE: THE STAUFFENBERG PLOT TO KILL HITLER arrives on DVD- no doubt seeking to bask in the reflected glory of Tom Cruise and Co. The documentary is a composite of re-enactments, computer animation, personal footage, current interviews and archive footage to tell the story of the infamous conspiracy to kill Hitler. 
I thought it prudent to go and see Singers filmic account before embarking on what initially looked an exciting documentary telling the same, now familiar story of Colonel Von Stauffenbergs failed attempt to kill Hitler. Im fully aware now that only a small minority of people dont know the story- considering the renewed media attention afforded it, so I wont bore you with the sordid details. Now, as much as I enjoyed Singers attempt (and 1994s superior STAUFFENBERG) there is part of me that will always be attracted to my Sunday morning History Channel fix. Documentaries really do fire my engine: the twin sisters of pathos and Hollywood stylistics often sour the facts, so whenever a factual account becomes available I feel immediately compelled to seek it out. Its a shame then that OPERATION VALKYRIE attempts to hold onto some Hollywood tropes to supposedly heighten the mood of certain scenes. There are two major faults with the documentary which almost lead to its complete demise- firstly the decision to employ a gravel voiced baritone voice-over artist who would surely be more comfortable with something whose every sentence started In a world Second is the attempt to manufacture an atmosphere, when the facts do not require any further manipulation in order to be engaging and affecting- over-egging is not the word. It all boils down to an attempt to cater for those viewers who need their hands held: the moronic few who cannot engage with a documentary if it is too far removed from the recognisable tropes of cinema. There is one particularly sickening scene when Mr Stereotypical Baritone describes Von Stauffenbergs appearance, which sounds like a love-letter, and whose hyperbole belongs in Romantic Fiction not a historical doc. Perhaps its a condition of American film-making that documentaries arent their best genre, after all theirs is a society and culture based upon pomp and circumstance- little wonder then that European documentaries, generally speaking, are better received en masse. Im not suggesting for one minute that all American documentaries fail- mine is rather a more general belief that there is not yet an established culture of successful documentary making without the hyperbole of cinema attached (consider MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and anything by Michael Moore). I can understand the need to establish a context to the assassination attempt- Stauffenbergs initial support of Hitler is a particularly interesting revelation- but there is a limit to how much I think was necessary. Personally, I did not want an entire Nazi history: and Im assuming the majority of viewers of this doc are likely to have some background knowledge of that history. Perhaps Im a little too impatient, or perhaps Im justified in believing this is another attempt to cater for the less learned viewers, but either way I didnt like it- I just wanted the documentary to start where Singers film picks up the story. The facts of the story are just about compelling enough to hold the attention, but any hope of aesthetic enjoyment is wildly disappointed by some shoddy production- I realise budgetary constraints may be tight on such projects, but there have to have been some better options available to Isbouts. The re-enactments are catastrophically acted, and I cant help but wish they had cast actors who resembled the real players in even a tiny way- as way of an example Hitler is just a middle aged man with a moustache (I fear Tom Selleck would have had a chance to play him if the money were available). I have to give it to the film-makers- even despite those ill-conceived characteristics I mentioned at the start, they stay close to the facts, neither overly demonising the Nazis, nor aggrandising Stauffenberg in any way. As such it at least stayed true to every documentarys pledge to attempt partiality wherever possible (take heed Michael Moore). To do so in the face of the Nazis appalling actions has to rate as a remarkable achievement, and indeed one that deserves proper recognition. EXTRAS Fantastic- not only for a Documentary: the level of complexity visited on the extra features is immense, and the DVD compilers for VALKYRIE would do well to look into a similar format (as well as the inevitable usual gubbins). A particular highlight is the inclusion of the EVA BRAUN FILMS, offering a look at Hitler in a deeply personal manner- capturing his human moments, and explaining a little the man behind the moustache. The revelation that he was just a man like any other makes his monstrous actions and legacy all the more chilling: and I urge everyone with an interest in history to seek them out. In fact these films are worth the cover price of OPERATION VALKYRIE alone.