Tom Cruise read "Dafka" to prepare for "Valkyrie" role

"Dafka — In Spite Of," by Magda Watts, published by Arbor Books, tells the heroic, autobiographical story of a young Hungarian girl who survives the terrors of Auschwitz to become a thriving artist.

"I found the book very moving and incredibly useful in terms of discovering the plotters' motivation for their act," says Cruise.

"Valkyrie," based on a true story, takes place at the height of World War Two, and recounts how a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize power of the military command in order to end the war.

The operation was codenamed "Valkyrie", for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after.

Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice Van Houton, Terrance Stamp and Eddie Izzard co-star in the Bryan Singer-directed epic.

"I thought how incredibly suspenseful it was and a really great thriller," Cruise says. "I couldn't put down the script. I was just flying through the pages.

"When I put it down I thought, 'This can't be true.' But then I found out it was true. It was an important story. I also felt that I wanted to entertain audiences, so that was the bonus in this film."

It's far from a Holocaust movie, Cruise cautions. "This is just about killing Hitler with the bonus being it's true and gripping."

It seems von Stauffenberg had personal reasons fueling his plot. "We put in a scene with his children saluting him," Cruise says. "His own son was being indoctrinated into the Hitler youth. As a parent looking at that seed, I could see how he was feeling. He needed to change history."

With Cruise in charge at United Artists, the studio releasing "Valkyrie," could director Bryan Singer give him direction? "I want to be directed. I enjoy it," he says.