Yesterday I watched again the film Stauffenberg (2004) to evaluate better recently thrown Valkyrie (2008). The character interpreted by German Sebastian Koch is much more interesting than the one of Tom Cruise.

In the film Stauffenberg (2004) the colonel suffers deep modifications along the film. Of sympathizer of Hitler before the war, Stauffenberg passes her criticize from the Nazi regime when taking knowledge of the atrocities during the invasion of Russia. After being mutilated in the North of Africa the hero-traitor becomes ferocious opponent of Hitler and disposed to give the life to eliminate him. Tom Cruise character, for his time, is quite lineal and previsible. From the beginning it is shown as opponent of Hitler.

The film of 2004 is concise and leaves several gaps that need to be filled out by the spectator's imagination. Valkyrie (2008) it is irritatively didactic.

In Stauffenberg (2004) it is noticed the precariousness of a plan that had everything to give wandered from the beginning. Even if Hitler was eliminated, there was an entire chain of military command filled out by Nazi that certainly would resist to the hand blow given by the plotters. In Valkyrie (2008) the spectator is taken to believe that the plan of Stauffenberg could give right if Hitler died. What did the scriptwriter of the new version forget Hilter died before the end of the war?

The interpreted colonel's Sebastian Koch desperate action has more epic value than the one of Tom Cruise character. In Stauffenberg (2004) the hero does run all of the risks knowing that everything can result in a disaster. In Valkyrie (2008) the colonel demonstrates a certainty of success that is incompatible with the planned precarious action.

The three crucial scenes of the film, the moment in that the blow is discovered by the commander of Reservation's Army, the fast battle in the headquarters of the Ministry of the Army with the prison of the in revolt ones and the hero-traitor's execution has subtle differences.

In Stauffenberg (2004) Goebbels calls the commander of the troops that you/they began the military operation and raisin the telephone for him demonstrating peacefulness. In Valkyrie (2008) same Goebbels puts a poison capsule in the mouth before receiving the military person in charge of arresting him. Which would the most probable attitude of the true Minister of the Nazi Propaganda be? I think that the version of 2004 is more probable than the one of 2008.

The fast battle that results in the prison of the in revolt ones is more dramatic in the version of 2008. This happens because of the narrative conciseness of Stauffenberg (2004). In the film interpreted by Sebastian Koch the larger emphasis given to the hero eclipses the secondary characters (some of them are just inanimate puppets). In the 2008 characters' film as the General Fromm was very well built and they won larger autonomy and dramatic depth.

The executions of Stauffenberg in the two films are robbed and very seemed. The only difference among the scenes is the assistant's of orders of Stauffenberg conduct. In the film of 2004 he runs to protect the commander, in the version of 2008 he walks to be in front of the friend.

The film of 2004 has more virtues than the one of 2008, but it incurred anachronism at least once. In certain moment Sebastian Koch's Stauffenberg says that he dreamed about a peaceful Germany that it respected the human rights. Before the Declaration of the Man's Rights the imaginary European it was still very polluted so that a soldier adopted an ideology so contrary to the racism and to the militarism. In fact, same today no few the westernmilitary ones that demonstrate the deepest contempt for the human rights (as it was patent in the American campaign in Iraq and in the Israeli attack Gaza).

Stauffenbeg has a similar dramatic value Joan D'Arc. Both they were had the almost insane daring of getting up against invincible powers. Both were well happened just partially. Both were betrayal victims and they died in reason of the own recklessness. When they died, both were considered despicable. With the time the memory of both if it turned extremely valued.

The history of Stauffenberg has been inspiring good films, but he has not been having disciples. In spite of all the counted lies for George W. Bush to attack Iraq, of their lunges against the rights and individual warranties of the Americans, of the atrocities that he committed with their followers squires' Dick Cheney, Condolezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and other help, no official of US Army had balls for order him for the airs with explosives. A clear sign of the American decadence is the need of the producing of Valkyrie (2008) use to the hero-traitor of other times and of other lands. At the present time, inside of the USA, the military ones always say amen as if they were the incorruptible Nazi combatted by the German hero-traitor.