Downfall

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Moviecut—Downfall

I have been fascinated not only by the movie (I have watched this now 10 times) but the divergence of opinion - with some Germans saying it was terrible. This I don't understand. In the West from the time of Charlie Chaplin Hitler was portrayed as a raving lunatic - but to me that does not explain his rise to power. A lunatic could not nearly conquer and enslave half the world. In his early rise to power, he was ridiculed in the West. The fact that this movie gives him some human qualities makes him all the more chilling. There is a dialog between the Junge character and the Braun character that perfectly summarizes Hitler. They talked of the great gulf between the private man and the public man. The Braun character said that she had known the man for 15 years - and yet she knew nothing of him. I believe to truly understand the movie one must also watch the movie with the director's commentary. Everything about this movie - with the exception of 2 things mentioned by the director - (which having just read the spoiler agreement I will refrain from mentioning - everything was based on fact, which makes the movie all the more dramatic. And the movie characters make some minor statements - based on fact - that would be lost on the audience without outside knowledge of those historical facts. Small case in point: The Eva Braun character is telling the Traudl Junge character that she "so looked forward to coming to Berlin" with the inference (to me) that she hadn't seen Hitler for awhile. Then I read elsewhere that she was in Obersaltzburg for 6 months away from Hitler prior to coming to Berlin. The director stated that he wanted this movie to be treated not only as a drama - but a documentary. He succeeded in both. I suppose this movie is controversial - a local reviewer said it tried to make Hitler sympathetic by giving him some human qualities but as someone else said this makes him all the more evil. It is these human qualities that make him a believable entity - kind to many individuals, indifferent and murderous to millions. And with the end he was indifferent to the fate of his own people, who were dying for him. Watching this movie made me think that the German people's initial support of Hitler followed a plot from Goethe - that a Mephistopheles - a demon in disguise - promises the recipient all that he wants in return for his soul. This of course is a theme that has subsequently replayed countlessly in western literature since Goethe's Faustus. This movie is based not only on Junge's book and Fest's book, but interviews with some of the survivors of the bunker. I would recommend not only the movie but then watch it with commentary from the director a second time. It is all the more haunting when you realize that virtually everything was based on fact during Berlin's last days. Bruno Ganz - as all the cast - turned in an excellent performance. Watching Ganz in this performance was watching Hitler. You will feel as if you too are a witness in the Bunker. The beginning and end statements by the real secretary Traudl Junge make the movie even more powerful. This movie was so moving for me that I have bought Traudl Junge's book, "Until the Last Hour". In the US on the DVD it is said it was nominated for "best foreign picture" - if it didn't win, it should have.

Watching DER UNTERGANG is something of a unique experience for me . It's not often I'd go out of my way to watch a foreign film , far less one that is often talkative and where the outcome is in no doubt . Even more remarkable is the fact that I sometimes rewatch this movie from start to end unable to take my eyes off screen . The reason ? It's one of the few films where the acting is truly compelling I heard a lot of controversy about DER UNTERGANG as soon as Bruno Ganz had been cast and together with director Oliver Hirschbiegel they both decided to make a film where every minor detail about Hitler's last days should be totally accurate . They succeeded and that's not only my opinion because every professional historian has remarked that Ganz interpretation is the only truly accurate portrayal of Adolph Hitler . You find yourself unable to take your eyes off screen every time Hitler appears . Also of worthy note is Ulrich Matthes as Joseph Goebbles . Note how often Matthes appears on screen where he doesn't have to say a word , his burning presence is enough to hold the audience attention and radiates great evil . It's almost as if the audience have jumped into a time machine and landed in Hitler's bunker in the spring of 1945 . It's so convincing it's almost enough to give you nightmares I would have happily given DER UNTERGANG 10 out of 10 but it loses a couple of points because of a serious problem and that is the way it somehow tries to make out the people of Nazi Germany are also victims of the Nazi regime . Notice the speech by Goebbles where he sneers he's not interested in the suffering of the German civilian population because " They voted for us and now their throats will be slit ". If you have little knowledge of European history 1939-45 ( I'm afraid such people are becoming more and more numerous as the years pass ) then you'll find yourself asking why don't the Germans just surrender ? It's easily explained by the fact that the Nazi regime murdered million upon millions of people in Eastern Europe and it's payback time as the red army advances into the heart of the Nazi regime . It's also interesting to note that we never see Soviet soldiers raping German women in their thousands . Again if someone with no knowledge of the period would ask why are the Soviets doing that ? And again the answer is simple - Revenge against a country /regime that was responsible for the deaths of almost 15% of the Soviet population . Don't you get the feeling the film wants to avoid awkward questions ? This type of controversy seems to be responsible for Ganz , Matthes , Hirschbiegel and the film itself being very under rewarded at international film festivals which while being slightly understandable does seem wrong . There is no doubt in my mind that Ganz deserved the Oscar for best actor that year since it's the best performance I've ever seen by a non English speaking actor in a movie . If no one discovers time travel then this will be the closest we'll find out what it was like in the days leading up to the death of history's most hated figure

Truly great movies are few and far between these days; but Der Untergang most definitely represents one of those rare occasions. Oliver Hirschbiegel, who brought us the wonderful 'Das Experiment' has produced a film that is very nearly perfect. Depicting the final ten days of Hitler and the National Socialist regime, Der Untergang or 'The Downfall' to give it it's English title is an expose of failure and the way that a madman can bend a whole nation into doing his bidding. The film is very realistic, and an excellent ensemble cast breathe life and believability into the roles of the various members of the Nazi party and because every performance is picture perfect, the whole thing comes together brilliantly as one whole piece. Bruno Ganz gives the central performance as the Fuhrer himself and it is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a film. His portrayal of Hitler in the middle of his downfall is absolutely perfect, and Ganz excellently portrays the man's every emotion. It must be difficult to play such a notorious character as Hitler himself, but Ganz rises to the occasion and gives it his all. It is not the acting or the realism that is Der Untergang's main claim to greatness, however - it's the double meaning behind every scene. Each one is perfectly composed, and all the time you're watching you can not only see what's happening on screen but also take note of the implications surrounding it. Through every scene, there's always the notion that a nation is falling. That's another thing that's great about this movie - the way that it manipulates the audience into an awkward situation. On the one hand, we know that Hitler and the Nazi regime were unspeakably evil; but while we're watching this almost great nation crumble around it's leader, it is hard to watch without feeling some sympathy for the country, in spite of the ideals that were preached. I thought it would be impossible to generate feelings for the Nazi's; but Der Untergang has managed even that. 'The Downfall' is an apt title for this movie, as aside from depicting an important event in history; the film is fundamentally about failure. The entire movie focuses on one man's huge downfall, and it is both a heartbreaking and powerful cinematic experience. Der Untergang is not to be missed.

All I can say about "Der Untergang" is: WOW! This is one of those rare films that prove that the darkest pages in our world history easily surpass the fiction tales of the most imaginative fantasist. This soon-to-be landmark in cinema portrays the final ten days of Hitler's reign at the well hidden bunker in Berlin. In the opening sequences, we see how the Führer hires Traudl Junge (flawless performance by Alexandra Maria Lara) as his personal secretary and we largely witness the rest of the story from her viewpoint. Recent documentary footage with the real Junge is showed to audience at the end of the movie, stressing even more that this is a very intelligent and carefully elaborated production. A form of criticism I often encountered stated that Hitler was portrayed too "human" by the Swiss actor Bruno Ganz. Let me tell you that people who claim this haven't got the slightest clue what they're talking about! It's true that Hitler sometimes strokes his dog…or even gives a compliment to his servant for cooking him such a lovely dinner! But only moments after, you're exposed to the real Hitler again! Alternately a mad-raving dictator, a disillusioned conqueror or simply a pathetic old man. But perhaps the most astonishing scenes in "Der Untergang" are the ones in which the persons close to Hitler – either professional or amicable – remain unconditionally loyal to him! It is deeply disturbing to behold how so many people blindly swear by the unworldly beliefs of a madman, even prepared to follow him into death. This accurate portrait results in a series of brilliant sequences with the severely shocking fate of the Goebbels family as an absolute highlight. Purely talking in terms of cinema, "Der Untergang" comes dangerously close to perfection as well. The largest part of this film exists out of interior shots, more specifically the bunker-network where Hitler lasted his final days and eventually committed suicide. And the atmosphere inside this bunker is reflected on the movie-screen as genuine as humanly possible. You can nearly smell the fear of the lower-ranked officers! You can almost feel the shivering of the petrified secretaries! I really hate using a cliché sentence like this but…it's true…it's like you are there yourself! And you don't want to be there! Even the totally demolished streets of Berlin looks look more appealing than the claustrophobic Nazi bunker. This despicable chapter in history deserves an accurate and well-budgeted cinema version, if only just for passing on the inglorious stories of WWII to younger generations. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel terrifically turned Joachim Fest's novel into a mesmerizing film experience. Perhaps the most praiseworthy aspect about it all is that "Der Untergang" simply is a reconstruction of the facts! No lame and amateurish attempts to blame Hitler's actions on miserable childhoods or traumatizing experiences. Simply put: this is fundamental viewing!

Who better to make a WWII film than the Germans themselves? This is possibly the best WWII film I have seen yet. It is a very intense movie about the final days of Adolf Hitler (a SUPERB roll played by Bruno Ganz, he should get at least one Oscar for this...) which had me coming back to see the movie a second and even a third time (I saw T3 only twice, he he). And not only Bruno Ganz has done a great performance, the entire cast gives it all their best. Very good film indeed. As I said, it's a film about Adolf Hitlers final days, trapped in a bunker in Berlin, while the Russians are slowly moving closer. Hitler losing his faith in a 'good' outcome, the final bullet, everything is has happened for real. But when I left the cinema I had the idea I had just been watching a fictional story. A perfect script, made in real life 59 years ago. Not much to say about anything else. If you are interested in WWII stuff, go see it in the cinema, it's worth every penny.

"Der Untergang" is certainly the most impressive, depressive and realistic dramatic movie about the World War II ever made. I have never seen a film picturing the insanity of Hitler in his very last days in a bunker in Berlin with his high command, and how the German people were hypnotized by him like in this film. Last year, I saw the deceptive, boring, pretentious and overrated "Molokh", showing a caricature of Hitler and Eva Braun in Bavaria. But "Der Untergang" is awesome and comparable to "Apocalypse Now!", my favorite movie of war. Two years ago, I saw the powerful "Das Experiment" and I was impressed with the work of Oliver Hirschbiegel. With "Der Untergang", this director is certainly included in my list of favorite directors. It is difficult to highlight one actor or actress in this constellation of stars, but I was impressed with the performance of Bruno Ganz and his "human" Hitler, totally different from the stereotypes usual in other movies. The cinematography and the battles are stunning, and the scenario of Berlin completely destroyed recalled the neo-realistic movie of Roberto Rossellini "Germania Anno Zero". For those who know Germany and German people, it is amazing to see how this wonderful country survived to the chaos, destruction and lack of command, arrived from the ashes like Phoenix and sixty years later is again one of the greatest nations. For those who might have believed in Hitler and his Nazi Party, it is impressive to see how people is forgotten and treated without compassion by their leader in his last hours. And for those who love war, I really recommend to watch this magnificent anti-war movie, and see the behavior of the leaders and population when a war is lost. My vote is ten. Title (Brazil): "A Queda! As Últimas Horas de Hitler" ("The Fall! The Last Hours of Hitler")

Considering the fact how hard it is to make an adequate movie about the Third Rich and especially Hitler himself, "Der Untergang" is a superb portrayal of the last days of Hitler, his minions and the Third Rich. First of all, Bruno Ganz' performance is magnificent, brilliant, perfect. You're beginning to think he IS the Fuehrer, his look, his mannerism, his sick philosophy of life and his downfall are absolutely convincing. After seeing him you can finally understand why so many people back then were attracted by his charisma, but thanks to Ganz' performance you do not forget about the terrible crimes he committed by his followers and about the evil inside the sick soul of this man. His minions weren't that important in this movie, except for Joseph Goebbels and his family. Heinrich Himmler, the ReichsfuehrerSS, was portrayed as the man he was: an idiotic coward, who was in great part responsible for the Holocaust and still believed in a peace agreement with the allied forces, although this idea was completely out of place. Albert Speer as one of the less criminal national socialists was also quite good interpreted. Martin Bormann, Alfred Jodl and Wilhelm Keitel, 3 other important Nazis, got too few screen time, and Hermann Goering didn't even show up, he was just mentioned. I think Goebbels wasn't portrayed that authentic as he could have, due to the fact he was the most intelligent of Hitler's inner circle, but in some scenes he seemed like someone who could just repeat his own slogans. The part about Traudl Junge and the boy from the Volkssturm, Peter, was also quite good, but it was clearly overshadowed by the Hitler/ minion part. There are also some surprisingly well done battle- sequences taking place in Berlin, in which you can also see a part of the pretty high amount of blood and violence, for example when a soldier gets shot through his head, some officers are committing suicide or the killing of the Goebbels children, a scene which gave me the chills. Due to it's high authenticity, great actors and an important message, this movie could become as important as Schindler's List already is, in order to show today's youth the insanity of Hitler and the whole Third Rich and to make them avoid racist and extreme right wing organisations. All in all, this is one of the best German flicks I've ever seen - although there isn't such a huge number of good German movies. 10/10