Possibly one of the most remarkable documentary dramas ever made

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2005)

Downfall is an achievement on a tremendous scale, and all the better for being a German film since it chronicles the final days of a Hitler, who not only devastated half the known world and a very large number of Jews, but also most of his own country and the people who had put their trust in him long before he ascended to a position where he could abuse it on such a massive scale. It is a fascinating story because although we feel we 'know' it, it has never really been told on film, and never so forcefully or by his own countrymen (who of course play Germans, good and bad, much better than American imitations in Hollywood!) The film also comes at a watershed where Germans are coming to accept their history, as is the rest of the world, without feeling they have to apologise for Hitler at every breath. German people of that time, it might be argued, were also (at least very many of them) victims of a madman who were forced to endure the destruction wrought by the Allied bombing. That is true of almost any horrific dictator, but the film is careful not to over-humanise him. We see those (some, not all) of those near to him secretly horrified at his views - both regarding the destruction of Jews and the destruction of his own people. But the credits also point out that, even among the populace, ignorance was no excuse. Downfall is no revisionist whitewash - it is perhaps as honest an attempt as any could be to portray the last days of a madman, still clinging ferociously to power. Everyone whose life or loved ones was badly affected by Hitler has the right to feel aggrieved, but it is not, for instance, limited to Jews or even non-Germans.
As a documentary-style drama, Downfall is so convincing that we do feel we are watching the actual characters from history. We also see a range of German people, from equally fanatical, evil-minded officers, to those who were simply in the grip of his power, to the women in his life, to some of the ordinary German people who had little idea of what was happening or others that were simply strung up or treated as expendable for having put Hitler in power in the first place. Hitler's psychology is also interesting. We almost see his fatal flaws come to light, his disrespect for equality, his determination to put his own skewed philosophy before people (even the citizens of Berlin in the bunker above him). It asks if the one of the strengths of the Allies was a love of humanity, a desire to work for the common good. It reminded me that mankind as a species, however competitive, has achieved dominance over the animal kingdom and flourished largely through a sophisticated system of cooperation and the ability to build trust Easily one of the most memorable dramas about Hitler ever made, Downfall will burn into your brain notwithstanding the German subtitles.