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New Cruise Movie Opposed by German Minister
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The filming of a Tom Cruise movie about an attempt on Hitler’s life is jeopardized by the star’s links to Scientology, an American religion that Germany classifies as a dangerous cult.
30 Second Summary
German Defense Minister Franz Josef has stated that the makers of a movie about an attempt to kill Hitler in 1944 will not be allowed to film on historic sites.
The defense ministry says this stance is taken to protect the dignity of military memorials. However, Josef has explicitly objected to the beliefs of the male lead, Tom Cruise, a Scientologist.
Cruise is slated to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the German army officer who masterminded the failed assassination plot.
Simply put, Josef does not want Stauffenberg, who is remembered as a hero, to be played by a Scientologist.
Josef's attitude to Scientology reflects that of the German legislature. In Germany, Scientology is classed as a cult and monitored as an antidemocratic element.
In contrast, the U.S. government recognizes Scientology as a religion.
Cruise’s connection to Scientology was one of a number of factors that combined to create a flurry of bad press for the star in 2005 and 2006. Now, according to German magazine Spiegel, the star's new role has provided an opportunity for German politicians to "wage a campaign against Scientology."
The defense ministry says this stance is taken to protect the dignity of military memorials. However, Josef has explicitly objected to the beliefs of the male lead, Tom Cruise, a Scientologist.
Cruise is slated to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the German army officer who masterminded the failed assassination plot.
Simply put, Josef does not want Stauffenberg, who is remembered as a hero, to be played by a Scientologist.
Josef's attitude to Scientology reflects that of the German legislature. In Germany, Scientology is classed as a cult and monitored as an antidemocratic element.
In contrast, the U.S. government recognizes Scientology as a religion.
Cruise’s connection to Scientology was one of a number of factors that combined to create a flurry of bad press for the star in 2005 and 2006. Now, according to German magazine Spiegel, the star's new role has provided an opportunity for German politicians to "wage a campaign against Scientology."
Headline
The German defense ministry has said that granting permits to film at the Bendlerblock, where the assassination attempt took place, could detract from the site's historic significance. But others opposed to the film have directed their criticism directly at its star. Stauffenberg’s eldest son, Berthold, told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, “I don’t like the idea of an avowed Scientologist playing the role of my father.”
Source: Spiegel
Key Players
Cruise has progressed rapidly through Scientology’s ranks and is now only one stage below the highest ranking possible for a member of the church. This investigative piece that originally appeared in Radar Magazine details Cruise’s continued advancement as a Scientologist, a progress that came under threat when he reached level III and was indoctrinated into the church’s inner secrets.
Source: Radar Magazine
Born in 1962, Cruise made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981), as detailed in this biography.
Source: Inernet Movie Database
The 1944 plot to kill Hitler was never likely to succeed, according to Oxford University journal The Contemporary Review. It went ahead nonetheless thanks to “the energy, organizing ability and conviction of one man, Claus von Stauffenberg.” His life and background are outlined by historian Ramsay Allan.
Source: Encyclopedia.com
Background
Tom Cruise and the Press
Tom Cruise began to accumulate unflattering press in the summer of 2005, when publicizing his new movie, The War of the Worlds. He publicly attacked psychiatry and criticized another star for using antidepressants, most notably in an interview with Today host Matt Lauer. Trouble continued for Cruise in 2006 after he behaved in a way many thought bizarre on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Before the end of that year, he had attracted so much negative attention that Paramount Studios decided not to renew his contract.
Tom Cruise began to accumulate unflattering press in the summer of 2005, when publicizing his new movie, The War of the Worlds. He publicly attacked psychiatry and criticized another star for using antidepressants, most notably in an interview with Today host Matt Lauer. Trouble continued for Cruise in 2006 after he behaved in a way many thought bizarre on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Before the end of that year, he had attracted so much negative attention that Paramount Studios decided not to renew his contract.
Cruise discussed his criticism of the star Brooke Shields for using antidepressants in this 2005 interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show. His skeptical attitude toward psychiatric medicine is in line with the tenets of Scientology. Cruise's strident tone did little to boost his popularity.
Source: MSNBC
The negative publicity stirred up by Cruise’s behavior helped to end the star’s 14-year relationship with Paramount Studios in 2006. The head of Viacom, the company that owns Paramount, explained the unusual step the studio had taken in not renewing the contract of a star who still carried a hefty box-office clout: “We don’t think that someone who effects creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot.”
Source: CBC
New York Times writer Caryn James analyzes the growing distance between Cruise and his fan base in this piece published in the wake of the star’s split from Paramount. “In the past year,” James writes in August 2006, “his life has become a public relations debacle as he has gone into full scientology mode, and he has come to seem self-righteous and intolerant.”
Source: The International Herald Tribune
History
The officers' plot organized by Von Stauffenberg exploded a briefcase bomb in Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia, on July 20, 1940. The fuhrer escaped death, though he was wounded in one arm and left temporarily deaf. Stauffenbeg was executed the same day, and the other conspirators were tried and hanged or offered the chance to commit suicide. The BBC's "On This Day" provides an audio clip as well as textual accounts of the incident.
Source: The BBC
Reference Material
The Church of Scientology describes one of its primary beliefs: “Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized––and those capabilities can be realized.”
Source: The Church of Scientology
Janet Reitman of Rolling Stone magazine visited Clearwater, Florida, the"worldwide headquarters of Scientology," to embark on "the study of truth." That indoctrination ended up lasting nine months. In this article, Reitman reveals the inner teachings of Scientology, which were intended only for the ears of the most senior members. She was told by Scientologists that 75 million years ago the ruler of an interplanetary empire traveled to Earth to slaughter billions of unwanted aliens whose tortured souls, known as thetans, now inhabit the bodies of troubled humans.
Source: Rolling Stone
Professor of Sociology Stephen Kent, having extensively studied the practice of Scientology, argues that Germany’s opposition “has nothing to do with what people believe. It has everything to do with what German government officials know that the organization does.” Kent’s paper is titled “Scientology––Is this a Religion?” and Germany is discussed under section 7: “Scientology and Human Rights Abuses.”
Source: Marburg Journal of Religion
The Church of Scientology Web site posts a response to the question “What is Scientology’s view of democracy?” It is a question that has troubled German lawmakers. According to the Web site, Mr. Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, felt that “democracy works and works far better than any other type of political activity.”
Source: The Church of Scientology
Update
July 22, 2007––The religious cult specialist of the German Protestant Church described Tom Cruise as “the Goebbels of Scientology,” likening the actor to the head of the Nazi propaganda machine. Suspicion of Scientology runs deep in Germany. Some government officials believe it to be linked to extremist political groups, according to Slate.
Source: Slate
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