Fall of the Valkyries

The extras injuries during the filming of United Artists’ Valkyrie were sustained during second unit filming when the side panel of a WWII-era truck in which they were travelling burst open as it cornered in front of Germany’s Nazi-era finance ministry building in Berlin.   The truck was travelling at less than 10 miles per hour at the time, and although all the extras involved were taken to hospital, only minor injuries were sustained.

 In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, the actor’s legal representative, Ariane Bluttner of the Berlin law firm of Dr. Schmitz & Partner, said, ‘The studio knew the trucks were rickety. ... There had even been an internal memo about the railings.’   The German office for worker protection reportedly rejected the claim after inspecting the vehicle.

 Although the extras had signed waivers before taking part in the scene, their lawyers claimed they still had a case of malice that would override the waivers.  Bluttner confirmed that the extras hoped to reach an out-of-court settlement with United Artists and Tom Cruise, who co-produced as well as starring in the film about Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the Nazi officer who tried to assassinate Hitler.   However the German company Studio Babelsberg AG, co-producer of the film with United Artists claimed an offer made to the extras had been ignored.

 Studio Babelsberg's president Charles Woebcken said: ‘We have offered a settlement. But they haven't even reacted.’   He also added, ‘In America, these things happen. You have a different system in Germany…   If you lose an arm, it's not worth a million dollars. This [is] a broken rib.’ [ADD]

 

Further Reading:

2008

Germany: 2008