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Thursday, December 25, 2008 12:00 AM

"Valkyrie"

Tom Cruise leads a cast of actors giving terrible performances in a big-budget Nazi thriller that's just following orders.

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  • Friday, December 26, 2008 06:01 PM

    If they want to make a movie about a respectable right winger from the 1930's . . . .

    I would recommend Kurt Schussnigg of Austria. For those who don't know his story, and to the extent memory serves, Schussnigg succeeded a man named Dolfuss, who came to power around the time of Hitler and Mussolini, and likewise suspended parliament, etc. But the Austrians lived by their WWI treaty obligations and Dolfuss was not anti-semetic, at least compared to the Germans. Freud later recalled that while his family was not particularly religious, they prayed from time to time for the Austrian government, realizing that the Germans were comparatively much worse. Dolfuss was assassinated, and Schussnigg replaced him.

    Schussnigg stood up to Hitler for a time to avoid the Anschluss, and even out-foxed the Germans by calling for a plebiscite on it, which he anticipated would vote for independence. Hitler threatened war; Schussnigg gave an impassioned national radio address declaring "bis zu dem Tod; Rot Weiss Rot" (together until death, red white red); he eventually relented to avoid bloodshed; then spent much time upon his arrest in a concentration camp, yet survived the war. He may have done some dishonorable things as well - I don't know - but he certainly had his high points. He was right wing and Germanic without being involved in any of the Nazi crimes.

    Curiously, the movie Sound of Music makes a passing allusion to Schussnigg in the scenes where Von Trapp's ball features an Austrian flag and an Austrian design on his top coat. Schussnigg had banned all political insignias other than red/white/red; Von Trapp seems to have been a Schussnigg supporter (in real life, of course, he fled to America via Italy, and died shortly after the war).

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