Monday, July 9, 2007

Von Donnersmarck Supports Cruise Film

Academy Award-winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has joined the chorus of protests against the German government blocking filming of a film about an attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler.

Von Donnersmarck slammed the government in an ad in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The film, Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, would star Tom Cruise as Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg who was involved in a failed assassination of Hitler.

According to the Deutsche Welle, “While some German politicians have said that Cruise, 44, is unwelcome because of his involvement with the Church of Scientology, officials have said that the decision to prevent filming at the Bendlerblock, now part of the defense ministry, was unconnected with the star's beliefs and was based purely on the disruption it would cause.”

Von Donnersmarck countered that the government for wasting "a golden opportunity," and that the film would promote Germany's image "more than 10 soccer World Cups."

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