Far and away the best film of 2005

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2006)

I came across this film in the video store while searching for a movie I have already forgotten. It wedged in a tiny column in between entire walls of "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Wedding Crashers." It was only because of the Oscar buzz over the former and the sophomoric media hoopla over the latter that this film has received such little attention here in the US despite being vastly superior to either.
What impressed me the most about this film was Bruno Ganz's acting. His portrayal of Hitler was the capstone to a production effort that could have stood without him. As a historian I have seen the footage of Hitler giving speeches and read numerous accounts of his madman personality (both on stage and in private) that held his audiences spellbound. Ganz could have been forgiven had he failed to capture this virtually impossible act, yet he does so flawlessly. Words can't really describe it; the viewer must witness it for himself. At the same time, however, Ganz manages to portray the human side of Hitler as well, the non-drinking, non-smoking vegetarian who was an absolute hit with children. It is a true testament to Ganz's performance that some historically-illiterate critics felt that he portrayed Hitler as being "too human" while others felt he went overboard in his portrayal of Hitler's lunacy.
Ganz is not the whole show, however. Much of the movie is focused on the plight of every Berliner, ranging from Eva Braun and Hitler's close subordinates to Hitler Youth mounting a last stand in the streets to the old men and women being chased through the streets as "deserters" by the SS. The acting is superb across the board and the production of Berlin burning is downright disturbing in its accuracy. Those with narrow attention spans will have difficulty with the length but the engaged viewer will find themselves enjoying every minute. This film is a true masterpiece and the best piece of German cinema since "Das Boot".