It captures a great moral catastrophe well

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2006)

First of all, this movie was incredibly well made (and much better than Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List). I am examining these movies as to their usefulness as teaching tools about that period in history. You're better off with Band of Brothers than Saving Private Ryan. Schindler's list is probably easier to show to an American school audience, because their are lines delivered in English (weren't there?) Also, Schindler's List exposes the evil of Nazi Germany better than Downfall. Downfall. . .is all in German (with subtitles)--very hard for high school students to sit through, and is much more subtle in it's presentation of the evil of the Third Reich. That doesn't mean that the message isn't there (or clear), but the viewer needs a lot more background to the story to understand that this movie is not pro Nazi or pro Hitler. The movie's only shortcoming is that the historical players seem to wander in and out of the story for the first 45 minutes or so, but the movie certainly starts threading all of the pieces together. The actors do a great job, and the attention to detail is correctly used (not overused). This movie shows the chaos of Berlin, the military, and Hitler's Government shortly before they surrender to the Red Army. If one thinks that this movie is pro Nazi, he or she has to juxtapose the obvious displays of fanaticism for Hitler's cause with the obvious frustration of his General Staff (they're left in a drunken heap by the end of the story) along with the ruin of Berlin (with no concern for the civilians at all). Do not confuse an excellent performance of Hitler with a sympathetic performance. This is still the same monster who murdered millions of people and held on to impossible delusions until he surrendered to cowardice. Also, do not confuse the fact that 98% of the story is told through the German side as being sympathetic. When they finally confront the reality of Soviet occupation, they all react as cowardly as possible.
A good movie to show in a college classroom.