Der Untergang (The Downfall)

Well... I havn't seen Hotel Rwanda, so that review will have to wait:)

Der Untergang (The Downfall) This only opens today in most places, but the great thing about New York is that indie films open here earlier than they do around the country:) I saw this a week ago or so.

The Downfall is simply about the downfall of the Third Riech. It takes the last 10 days of Hitlers life, and shows us what was going on in his command bunker. We see this all through the eyes of Traudl Junge, his secretary. We also see what is going on in the rest of Berlin through the eyes of a doctor in the SS, several high ranking officers, Goebbels and his wife, and Eva Braun his mistress.

The film is powerfully anchored by Bruno Ganz, a Swiss actor, who is very good as Hitler. You can see the advancement of his age (Ganz researched parkinsons disease for the role... I wasn't aware Hitler suffered from it, but it seems he did have a slight shake or something, and they surmize it is that) you can see the maniacal side of him come out at various points... he also has a tender, almost kind side when he is talking with Traudl or the Goebbels children. By his own admission however, he is never compassionate. Compassion is weak he says.

The film takes Hitler the way I think he should be. Most films show him as a monster, crazy and powerful, but a monster. And that is legitimate. However, I have always felt that HItler was me. Hitler is YOU. Hitler is simply the worst side of MAN coming out. I think the thing most people forget is that Hitler was born, lived on earth, and died, he wasn't an alien, he had a mother, he ate food, he drank water. He had the same emotions and sense we do. And that means that any of us could be the same way. Hitler was just able to make others see things his way, and get them to do things that most would think were horrible.

The other performances in the film are breathtaking as well. Corinna Harfouch, who plays Magda Goebbels, is creepy, almost more so than Hitler. She calmly makes plans to poison her children, rather than let them grow up in a world without National Socialism. She then does poison them. Her character is very strong, never giving in to emotion, except at one point when she begs Hitler to run away rather than kill himself. Just a wonderful performance.

The rest of the performaces are also great. Alexandria Maria Lara, the young actress playing Traudl does a great job, as does Juliane Köhler, the woman playing Eva Braun. She is especially touching, as she seems like a woman who wants the finer things, and wants to forget the war that is raging outside, but knows that it is there. At one point, she throws an impromptu party in a house above the bunker. The allies shell it, and everyone has to run back inside. She seems to not want to acknowledge what is really happening, but knows she must, knows that the Nazi's won't win, but knows that her role is to encourage those who serve the cause. Joseph Goebbels is also well played, you see him right there standing in front of you, so is Jodl, Himmler and Goreing even. All are close physical matches, but more than that. You see the person inside.

None of these impersonations overwhelms the story however. Each comes in in a very normal way, like they are just real people in a situation. No fanfare or anything, no "look, isn't that Himmler?" or "Wow, the guy playing Goebbels looks just like him".

The film is very heavy. You know where it is going. But it is taken as just a slice of life at that point. I was thinking that I had been priviledged to just be plunked down in that time period and allowed to see what happened. No manipulation, no special effects, just exactly what happened put on film.

It is a POWERFUL film. At the end, the real Traudl talks a bit about her time, saying that she didn't know the extent of the slaughter of the Jews, and that as a young person (she was 25 at the end of the war) she always felt that it wasn't her fault. But she says, she realized that she could have investigated and found out what happened, and that no one is truly innocent.

A powerful film. I recommend it. It is in German, with sub titles, and there is ALOT of gore and blood at various points. The production values are very high, and the direction is superb. The film was nominated for an oscar, but lost to "The Sea Inside".

Roger Ebert's review is excellent. You can find it here

The official movie site is here Check out the trailer.