Reviews of Downfall

Downfall rises to the challenge

Posted : 7 months ago on 6 June 2009 03:31 (A review of Downfall)

I saw this movie on the shelf in my local library and thought it looked interesting. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. This is one of the best movies I have watched that deal with WWII. It takes you into the last days of Hitler's reign and lets you experience his downfall.

I watched the behind the scenes and interviews with the actors on the DVD after watching the movie. I wanted to see how they made this movie and what they were thinking. The extra feature was almost as interesting as the movie. Some of the actors had concerns because of the subject matter and others took on the challenge of such a controversial subject. I think all of them took it on as a personal project that they wanted to get right and make sure the story was told well. They described making the sets as authentic as possible. They wanted us to get a peek into the private lives of Hitler and his closest conferderates.

If you like war movies or historical films, this is one that you really want to watch. The movie is extremely well made and dramatic. It will amaze you with what was going on behind the scenes in the last few days of WWII. Rent it at your local video store or library if you can find it. You won't be disappointed.

Flash

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Der Untergang.

Posted : 11 months ago on 3 February 2009 12:13 (A review of Downfall)

''Many mistakes have been made. Be ruthless. Life doesn't forgive weakness. This so-called humanity is religious drivel. Compassion is an eternal sin. To feel compassion for the weak is a betrayal of nature. The strong can only triumph if the weak are exterminated.''

Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.

Bruno Ganz: Adolf Hitler

Der Untergang(2004) has historical valour, a controversial rendition and a powerful insight into the High Command of the National Socialist party during 1945.
The story of the last ten days of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime are seen through the eyes of a young woman and other close personnel in his employ; this is historical drama and reference from Germany.
Based on the books Der Untergang (meaning Downfall) by historian Joachim Fest and Bis zur letzten Stunde by Traudl Junge, Hitler's last private secretary from 1942 to 1945.



Bruno Ganz portrays Adolf Hitler truthfully: He doesn't show him as a stereotypical monster but an intelligent, at times caring, human being.
Hitler was a man with a vision intent on world domination and racial superiority; A vision which would revive and take Germania to new dizzying heights in the World.
Any mistakes by his cohorts or personnel would instantly send him into a violent outburst of anger; Ganz shows this beautifully. His mannerisms, gestures and accent are all given precedented depth by the talented Bruno Ganz.
Bruno Ganz practiced Hitler's unusual accent with the help of a young actor from Hitler's area. Also Ganz studied Parkinson's patients in a Swiss hospital to prepare for his role as Hitler.
The portrait Hitler is staring at in one scene is that of Frederick the Great. A very mysterious moment when Junge sees him alone just looking at the painting.

Alexandra Maria Lara whom plays Trundl Junge a secretary to Hitler (The actress has brown eyes while the real Junge had blue eyes: Brown eyes induce more sympathy than cold blue); the story is conveyed from her perspective. Although the story is told expertly through other witness accounts at times.
Thomas Kretshmann as SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein; one of my favoured German actors for me was in the film.
Ulrich Matthes as Joseph Goebbels is a portrayal of significance; His devotion and loyalty to the Party unwavering throughout the entire film.
Heino Ferch as Albert Speer; The architect and artist of Third Reich projects is also another cleverly portrayed character. He begins to see the War will be lost and the fruitlessness of continuing. The suffering of the People being one sacrifice of persisting. His changes in stance and thinking show a very deep man. One of the few whom survived the War and continued with life after this cataclysmic event.

Granted Downfall is a long film at times; but it is necessary to convey the great fashions of the times, set pieces and an outstanding score bring proceedings to life. We actually feel part of this 1940s World we are seeing, we are pulled into events becoming more than merely a spectating bystander.
This is history being told honestly and in a truthful non-glorifying manner; yet in an also non-demeaning way at the same time. Featuring graphic, violent and horrific scenes like any films which drive and propel the realism to great lengths.
One scene that was especially effective was in the bunker where Magda Goebbels (played wonderfully by Corinna Harfouch), places cyanide pills into her children's mouths; Why? Because she simply does not want her children to grow up in a world without National Socialism.

This movie shows a whole nation obedient to Der Fuhrer; Loyalty, obedience and total control belongs to Hitler and his High Command.
He shows at times empathy for his people; When they fail he shows them no remorse. Downfall shows Hitler as a Caring and affectionate man; he loves Eva Braun, (played by Juliane Köhler) and his loyal dog Blondi; yet when he is the Fuhrer he is angry, powerful and abandons emotional weakness. In essence he is at times a completely different person.
This is pure, honest, historical storytelling from Directing team Duke White, Garrett White, and Oliver Hirschbiegel.

Hitler is obviously always the main focus of the story; even when he is not on-screen his looming shadow on proceedings is always omni-present.
Minor grave endeavors are shown throughout the movie and director Oliver Hirschbiegel does a good job of connecting the dots: the National Socialist Party and it's high ranking members are given detail and the attention required.
Happenings in Der Untergang range from instances showing violence on the streets of Berlin to honourable patriotic suicides. The most intriguing part of the film is not only the realistic reproduction of a bombed city, or the amazing acting by all involved; although these mentioned are startling and deserve awards. No, the best part is definitely the way Hitler and his closest aides are illustrated. During his last ten days Hitler didn't have control over anything; not the country, not the army, and not even the Nazi party itself. While the movie depicts those things really well, it goes even deeper and acknowledges that the Fuhrer couldn't even control himself. It was something not even he realized until those final desperate moments in that isolated dark bunker; where he shot himself.

The movie looks great thanks to the cinematography of Rainer Klausmann; with battle scenes and aftermaths coloured in strikingly cheerless tones of grey. Credit also has to go to director Hirschbiegel for the choices he made as far as casting and cinematography are concerned. It is also to his credit, the way he directs and commands his actors. Bruno Ganz practically embodies Hitler, portraying both his flaws and positive traits. All the actors around him, while turning in great performances are simply puppets for him to interact with, remarkably mirroring the roles their characters played in Hitler's real life.

So in this film you get not only an enormously accurate picture of World War II itself, but also an accurate portrait of the life of the most important and flawed man in arguably all of human history. Downfall is an endlessly rewarding motion picture and one of the best of the year. So if you don't mind the German language and having to read subtitles; you will be able to acknowledge the importance of Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall.

''You must be on stage when the curtain falls.''


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Amazing...incredible...brilliant!

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 22 April 2008 07:52 (A review of Downfall)

"The war is lost... But if you think that I'll leave Berlin for that, you are sadly mistaken. I'd prefer to put a bullet in my head."

It has been about half an hour since I finished watching Downfall and the effect of the movie is not remotely close to wearing off. The film is emotional, heart-wrenching, brilliant and engrossing! I don't think words can do proper justice to describing this amazing production.

Downfall follows the last days of Adolf Hitler (Ganz) who retreated underground into his bunker. The story is told through the eyes of Hitler's personal secretary (Lara). In April of 1945 the Russian forces were closing in on Berlin, and each day brings them even closer. As the Russians tighten their grip on the Nazis and continue their invasion, Hitler and his closest men retreat into a secret bunker. As he is urged by people around him to leave, Hitler refuses and instead spends his final days forming illusions and slowly going insane with power.

Hitler also descends into a deep depression, but still remains confident on the outside that his army will remain triumphant.

Downfall is the only movie that portrays Hitler as a human being, not a murderer and an animal. Now, look, the man was disgusting for his beliefs, but the filmmakers never want us to empathise with him. Instead we're shown a powerful string of events that could make a man made of steel cry like a baby.

Bruno Ganz...was brilliant. I don't think there's a single word strong enough to express the brilliance of his performance. His screen presence is utterly terrifying, and yet he can play him more humanely when the scene calls for it. As he goes insane, we feel it. Not many actors can achieve this emotional effect on an audience.

The whole movie is an exercise in patience; the experience is painfully long, yes, but compelling viewing for each minute that the film runs for. The end does seem rather dragged out, but the filmmakers tell the story undisputedly perfectly. Each performance is great, each scene has a purpose.

Downfall was beautifully made; set design, locations, cinematography...were all sublime. The music perfectly set the tone as well. It was a bold move on the part of the filmmakers to attempt such a project and show the audience a different perspective.

This alteration to your usual war movie is brilliant, engaging and just plain magnificent. The whole movie has been shot in grainy colour, with quality that makes it look like dated documentary footage. Especially the use of shaky cam that was not distracting, but rather placed us in the events happening on screen. And because there aren't many famous actors appearing in the film, we're never distracted and the whole film feels like authentic footage. All the characters come across as chillingly believable.

Beware the powerful themes of suicide, and even the murder of children that will have you in tears. It's no wonder that the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie of 2004. Highly recommended. Known in Germany as Der Untergang.

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Amazing

Posted : 2 years, 11 months ago on 10 February 2007 09:50 (A review of Downfall)

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought the emotion conveyed by Bruno Ganz as the worlds most notorious human being was amazing. Seeing him slowly deteriorate into a desperate and psychotic person, while his trusted inner circle began to abandon him was pretty touching.

Perhaps inspiring empathy for Adolf Hitler isn't a good thing, but it isn't what this film sets out to do, merely something that the actors manage to achieve during the three hour masterpiece. Atmospheric and extremely claustrophobic, it is clear to see how degraded the price of human life was during this period.

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Best War film ever made

Posted : 3 years ago on 19 December 2006 10:55 (A review of Downfall)

I'm baffled. Listal users have given this only a 7.7 average?? Did you guys even see this movie, or are you just rating it average because its a film about Hitler? This movie deals with the horror of the Nazi regime and takes place during the final days in Berlin, as Hitler is still defiant and insane and still thinks victory is possible. This movie is better made, more shocking, and sends a more powerful message than other films that deal with the horrors of WW2, such as Schindler's List, The Pianist, etc..

Some people have blasted this film for showing Hitler's human side. Well I have news for you, even though he was a monster, he still had a human side. He did love his dog. He did treat his personal secretary with respect. The film does show plenty of Hitler going insane, yelling at his generals and such, spewing his ideology, but if people were expecting him to run around, kicking his dog, raping women and killing children, sorry. This film is all about 100% accuracy.

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