`Valkyrie` is not a documentary: director Bryan Singer

Los Angeles, Feb 20: Director Bryan Singer has denied that his Nazi war drama "Valkyrie" starring actor Tom Cruise is a documentary. "We weren`t making a documentary. The important thing was getting the truth of the story across in the most engaging way," said Singer.

The director of Academy award winning film "The Usual Suspects" wanted to depict the determination of the German officers. "When the film begins, you`re transported to this world of German soldiers in the mid-1940s, and the thing that draws you into that world are the characters – these proud military men who saw that they had a monstrous leader and felt they had to get rid of him," he said. Singer first gained widespread attention in 1995 with the mystery thriller `The Usual Suspects`, which won two Academy Awards followed it with three blockbusters – `X-Men`, its sequel `X-Men 2` and `Superman Returns`. The director was so fascinated with the story that he began doing his own research, reading extensively about every aspect of life during the Third Reich. He also met with a number of people who could give him an inside perspective. "We had private meetings with members of the Stauffenberg family. On the other side, we met with Hitler`s former bodyguard, who, I believe, was the last person to leave the bunker where Hitler committed suicide. These meetings were done specifically to bring new perspectives and ideas to the material," he said. All of this translated into Singer`s stylistic approach to the film, which would mix nuanced period details of the Third Reich with the lightning pacing and visual dynamism of a modern thriller. Valkyrie, which release today in India, stars Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann and Eddie Izzard. Bureau Report The Hollywood production is a real life story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Stauffenberg, a German army officer, who led the group of officers in the failed 20 July 1944 plot to kill German dictator Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from power in Germany. The filmmaker felt Tom Cruise was the perfect actor to play Stauffenberg. "Stauffenberg was an intense, charismatic individual, so we needed an actor who could really portray that. I was really excited when Tom came on board. Very few actors are able to pull off those hero roles, but Tom completely does -- he`s a highly skilled actor and has such a strong screen presence."