This is the true saga of the anti-Hitler German Army officers Bomb Plot of July 20, 1944 that almost killed Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, and thus very nearly changed the course of World War II. In light of the recent release of the new Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie, there is renewed interest in the very first docudrama on this fascinating subject, famed director G. W. Pabst s riveting 1955 film Jackboot Mutiny. Valkyrie presents as the plotters main motivation the Nazi war crimes against humanity. In vivid contrast, Jackboot Mutiny reveals instead that it was to stop the loss of German lives and the destruction of Germany, and also not to continue the war to a successful conclusion. Thus, it is a more historically accurate film. Originally titled It Happened on July 20th, Jackboot Mutiny is an expert retelling of the events that proceeds fast without a single slow moment. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from historical records, and there are no fictional characters added. Actor Bernhard Wicki plays the true-life hero von Stauffenberg, and is excellent. One of Germany s most capable post-World War II directors (such as the outstanding film The Bridge), Wicki here tried acting for a change, and this is the fine result. (He also later directed the German parts of the American film The Longest Day.) Other major historical characters featured in this film are Col. Gens. Ludwig Beck and Friedrich Fromm, as well as Maj. Otto Ernst Remer, a key figure in foiling the plot in Berlin. Germany, 1955, B&W, 74 minutes, German with English subtitles.

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