Downfall Der Untergang Channel 4 Thu Mar 02 9:00 PM (175 min., 2004, Italy/Germany/Austria, Classical/Historical Movie) Add to My Calendar Oliver Hirschbiegel's Oscar-nominated film is set in Hitler's bunker in the dying days of the war and based on the memoirs of his secretary Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara). Bruno Ganz's portrayal of the dictator shows him as a man at the end of his tether and beyond reason, railing at those he believed have deserted him, ordering non-existent troops to attack the advancing Allies and throwing untrained teenagers and their grandfathers into battle. Equally chilling are the portrayal of Goebbels and his wife (Ulrich Matthes and Corinna Harfouch) calmly killing their children while an almost maddened Eva Braun (Juliane Kohler) literally dances with death. Ganz's performance is superb to the point of unnerving (ironically, he is Swiss) and while there are exterior battle scenes amid the rubble of Berlin, the concentration on the claustrophobic hysteria of the bunker makes for a stunning, gripping film that lingers long in the mind. Cast: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes and Heino Ferch. Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel. Production: Constantin Film Produktion GmbH, NDR, WDR, Degeto Film, ORF, EOS Entertainment, Rai Cinemafiction Distribution: EOS Entertainment Brilliant from start to finish 10 out of 10
Don't Forget everyone those who can pick up UK TV Not long to go well worth watching. Downfall Der Untergang Channel 4 Thu Mar 02 9:00 PM (175 min., 2004, Italy/Germany/Austria, Classical/Historical Movie)
I bought this DVD and the movie is truly remarkable, especially considering that it is German-made. It seems that the Germans really have a difficult time with this period of their history and need outside help to get it right. To be effective, one really needs to read up on the subject before seeing this movie. You need to know what happened and who the characters are to really understand it. I finally figured out who the SS-Obergruppenfuhrer was that blew himself and his family up: Grawitz, who had authorized and/or conducted medical experiments in the Concentration Camps. He would have been tried and executed after the war had he been captured. There were some minor errors but overall the movie and the history come out true. It is amazing to me that Hitler and Goebbels ran the whole country into the ground and then refused to take responsibility for it, instead preferring to blame the German people for the failures. I disagree with many of the liberal reviews saying that the movie showed Hitler as too human and the viewer ended up having sympathy for him. On the contrary... the important message here is that Hitler was human; not some demon from Hell. Man can do this with the help of others. It's been done time and again and will continue to happen. And I for one didn't feel sympathy for any of them save the Goebbels children. And then there are the civilians in Berlin that were caught up in it and until the very end the squads were running around hanging people for being shirkers. Bob
I thought the movie was good but not great. However, Bruno Ganz did an excellent job in portraying Der Fuhrer.
You can also watch this remake, which became a classic joke in the flight sim community http://youtube.com/watch?v=tcW3hbnR2EI
I have the Dvd at home, it's a real "must have". Bruno Ganz is excellent and if you speak German I really recommend the German version, because the way Ganz talks is just stunning.
Ganz is excellent as Hitler but I prefer Richard Basehart as a better actor--though Ganz looks more like Hitler than Basehart did--and though that Basehart is still my favorite actor playing him.
Excellent spoof! Anyway, the original film is superlative. Goebbels is a bit too cadaveric for my taste and Chuikov is no Chuikov, but beside these gripes the film is something out of the ordinary. This Hitler is perfect.
Goebbels taken from a Michael Jackson video clip, all right!!! Yet het totally looks like Goebbels. It must be very difficult to find someone who looks and acts like Zhukhov.
I agree, Za. I was lucky enough to see the movie on a very large screen in London when it was released and was totally mesmerized. I just couldn't believe that nearly three hours had passed when it finished. If only more movies could be that good.....
Definitely, Martin! Or if that fails at least contain more characters like John Wayne in the Longest Day
