Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
You Witness News
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Against odds, Germans warm to Cruise in Nazi film
Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:26pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Madeline Chambers
BERLIN (Reuters) - Tom Cruise has defied expectations and won favorable reviews from German critics for his portrayal of a Prussian army officer who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1944 in the Hollywood film "Valkyrie."
German reviewers who were initially highly suspicious have warmed to the film, describing it as a serious work, and Cruise has overcome unease about his suitability for the role.
"'Valkyrie' is neither scandalously bad nor the event of the century. Neither is it the action thriller we feared, but it is a well-made and serious film," said public broadcaster ZDF.
"Cruise plays his part decisively, coolly -- a solid performance, though he won't have a sniff at an Oscar."
The Hollywood actor plays Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg, who planted a briefcase bomb under a table at Hitler's military headquarters in eastern Prussia on July 20, 1944. The heavy wooden table saved Hitler, who suffered only minor injuries.
Stauffenberg was executed the same night with his co-conspirators and his legacy helps ease the burden of guilt about World War Two and the Holocaust Germans still endure.
FEARS UNFOUNDED?
Initially, Germans baulked at the prospect of Cruise, star of blockbusters such as "Top Gun," playing Stauffenberg. Stauffenberg's son even called on Cruise to "keep his hands off my father" and go home.
Many Germans objected to the actor's ties to Scientology, the movement founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and Berlin made it difficult for the crew to film in the Bendlerblock building and courtyard where Stauffenberg was shot dead.
Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion and regards it as a cult masquerading as a church to make money. Scientologists reject this view.
Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, opened in the United States on December 25 and fared better than skeptics had predicted, reaching No. 4 in the North American box office ratings for the three-day weekend starting December 26.
Before its German release in January, some commentators said Cruise may help to boost the country's image by taking the tale of Stauffenberg to a broader audience.
Frank Schirrmacher, co-publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, said Cruise's depiction would change the image the world has of Germans.
In the ZDF review, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose "The Lives of Others" won a foreign language film Oscar, described the casting as a stroke of good fortune.
"Germany's hope is called Tom Cruise." Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard dies in L.A
Also on Reuters
Obama may set new policy on Cuba's aging revolution
Massive quake rebuild holds key for China economy
Tick tock ... tick: Extra second added to 2008
More Entertainment News
Madonna biggest 2008 N. American tour attraction
Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard dies in L.A
"Meet the Press" stays on top with new host
Tchaikovsky: revival of an underrated great
Documentary filmmaker to honor Holocaust heroes
More Entertainment News...
Video
Talk of the town: Good reviews!
Play Video
More Video...
Related News
"Valkyrie" challenges fans to rethink Tom Cruise
29 Dec 2008
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic
"What are you doing here?": man asks wife at brothel
Woman kills husband with folding couch
How one family's mortgage is linked to meltdown
Lehman bankruptcy filing wiped out billions: report
Israel presses on with Gaza attacks | Video
Obama, daughters cause stir on Hawaii outing
Japan mulls scheme to buy bad loans | Video
Obama may set new policy on Cuba's aging revolution
Kerkorian sells off Ford shares at deep loss
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Inheriting the Mideast miasma
Rocket kills Israeli
Kennedy stumbles in Senate bid
Gaza's hospitals "overwhelmed"
Talk of the town: Good reviews!
Kayakers survive shark encounter
Cruise ship disappearance
Palestinians suspend peace talks
Times Square gets ready
Gaza protests across Mideast, Europe
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.