Downfall (Der Untergang)
By: Mark Runyon | Category: DVD Archive | 08/10/05 | 06:40 PM
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 Grade: B+ | Genre: Foreign Drama
Summary: Downfall is a must for history buffs and anyone who has spent more than a few minutes pondering how a man like Hitler came to mesmerize an entire country into submission.
At first, I was thinking of writing up Alexander, but really what is there to tell. It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be, but it doesn't qualify as good either. It seems Oliver Stone was defeated by his own hubris more than anything. Instead, I've chosen to focus on another moment in history -- Adolph Hitler's last days. Downfall is an adaptation of two books on the subject: Inside Hitler's Bunker and Until the Final Hour. It chronicles every step that led to the end of Hitler's life, helping to shed some much needed light on this mysterious figure, and witness the struggle faced by the army commanders surrounding him. It is an intriguing journey that starts off like the best original feature the History Channel has ever produced and evolves into a first rate film with great performances, thick tension and a tide of change triumphing over radical ideology that could have ended the German people. |
It begins like a documentary with Hitler's secretary, at present day, still trying to reconcile her actions. Her only crime came in dictating Hitler's correspondence and the naivety of her youth eats her alive fifty years later. Next, we flash to a reenactment of her younger self (Alexandra Maria Lara) first meeting Hitler (Bruno Ganz), so very curious and giddy with the excitement of being in the company of a celebrity. This was in November of 1942. We jump forward to the beginning months of 1945 where the Russians are slowly crushing Berlin under their boot heals. Hitler is steadily running short on offensive options yet stays resolutely positive in the face of overwhelming hopelessness. In fact, his positivity borders over into sheer delusion as every option fails even before the fuse finds the spark.
The film takes place almost entirely from the bunker beneath Berlin that served as his command center in those last days of World War II. From outside, shells destroyed the city, echoing ever closer by the hour. The high generals partied away like the roaring 20's in America, dancing as they plummet to their death. You also have an array of very surreal scenes like Joseph Goebbels' children singing for Hitler like the von Trapp family in the Sound of Music.
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| Downfall |
German Title: Der Untergang
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Kohler & Heino Ferch
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel |
| View the Trailer (Quicktime) |
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The most fascinating aspects of this tale are the inner look at Hitler's psyche and the Nazi generals, trapped like a cockroach under a glass by the Allied forces and Hitler himself. This psychological portrait of Hitler is interesting because it shows his human side. He truly cared for those around him that were dedicated to he and his cause. He shows much affection for his secretary Junge, his wife Eva Braun as well as a young boy who showed such bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. There were elements of kindness and compassion in his heart though they smacked in harsh contrast to the hatred that spewed from his lips. He considered exterminating the Jews one of the pinnacles of his legacy. He railed on his generals when they attempted to question his flawed judgment. He readily ordered the execution of top officiers questioned of treasonous action based on hearsay. The fury of betrayal boiled in his blood. He was ready to exterminate all of the German people, women and children alike, if it meant that the Nazi cause had a chance to live on. Everyone was just a pawn in his game of world domination. As the grip on his empire got increasingly more slippery, his mental and physical condition nose-dived. He hand perpetually shook and the delusions multiplied.
Those who surrounded him were equally fascinating creatures. The Nazi soldiers ranged from dedicated troops ready to expend themselves for the cause to those who had a very rational mind, trying to reason Hitler into surrendering or, at the very least, fleeing Berlin. One of the creepiest moments of the film is when Magda Goebbels (Corinna Harfouch) decides that it was better for her children's lives to be snuffed out rather than grow up in a world without Socialism. This woman makes Mommie Dearest look like a mother of the year candidate. This extremist ideology is so imbedded in her that there is no separation between the person and the ideal. This is a great portrait to attempt to grasp how the suicide bombers of New York and London can rationalize their actions. It's so ingrained in their person that it almost seem as if their entire lives have led up to this moment. The cause is bigger than them, and they will live on through it. Their life is simply a means for furthering that end.
This film is a must for history buffs and anyone who has spent more than a few minutes pondering how a man like Hitler came to mesmerize an entire country into submission. I'm each a student of history and of the human mind so I found this a fabulous picture. From my trip to German last year, I can say the flashes of Berlin, and the small facets of the film were dead on. The only problems are in the composition. It runs longer than it should at two and a half hours. The heart of the story is over around the 2:10 mark. The final Goebbels scene would have been a good place to cut away. Also the beginning doesn't give us the strong tension and powerful performances that kick in as the Russians inched ever closer. Beyond these trivial details, this is a fabulous look at a complex character of human history in his last days. It's easy to write him off as a monster so we don't have to see that he was human. A very warped and twisted human, but human nonetheless. By understanding him, we can hope to find ways to dampen the extremist ideology that birthed a man like him and keep those seeds from being planted in those most vunerable to its influence in our society.
Buy or rent Downfall now.
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