Powerful film about the last days of the Third Reich

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2005)

We have seen numerous portrayals of Adolph Hitler in films before but we've never seen one like this that uses facts to give viewers an incredibly honest portrayal. In my voting I gave this film an 8 but I'm ready to give it an even higher number because it's one of those amazing films that will stay with viewers for years to come and I think has the greatness in it to be thought of as a classic and should be studied by students of film. Story is about the last few days of the Third Reich where we see Berlin crumbling from the Russian forces and Adolph Hitler (Bruno Ganz) and those around him having to go underground in a bunker. Hitler is approaching his 56th birthday and we see him displaying emotional outbursts when his orders are not carried through and we also see the deterioration of his health as one of his arms trembles from a previous assassination attempt and the ravages of Parkinsons disease.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Most of the films story is told through the eyes of Hitler's stenographer Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) who is loyal to her employer but has started to wake up and see first hand what is really happening to Germany and how others are reacting. Eva Braun (Juliane Kohler) not only stays with Hitler but attempts to cheer everyone up with parties and lots of drinking and eventually she and Hitler marry in a small ceremony less than two days before they both commit suicide. Joseph Goebbels (Ulrich Matthes) moves his wife Magda (Corinna Harfouch) and their children into the bunker also and when it appears that Germany has lost the war they decide to commit suicide rather than live without National Socialism. In a harrowing scene Magda slips cyanide capsules into the mouths of her children as they sleep and then she and her husband prepare to kill themselves as well.
This is directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel who's source of material is inspired by the memoirs of the real Traudl Junge and the book "Inside Hitler's Bunker" by Joachim Fest and while it's historically accurate it does an even better job of showing the blind loyalty of Hitler's followers. We have seen countless films where Nazis are portrayed in the usual over the top manner but this is the first time (that I have seen, anyway) where their point of view is shown in such an ambiguous light. Not only is their perspective shown but also the point of view from the secretaries who at first thought of Hitler as a father figure and than the realization (and incredible disappointment) of who he really is. While the production design and historical accuracy put this in a class by itself this film is still enhanced by an utterly magnificent and haunting performance from Ganz. His portrayal of Hitler is nothing like the caricatures we have seen before and Ganz actually studied rare tapes of Hitler engaging in normal conversations to get the proper tone of his voice which is vastly different than the one that shouts at crowds. There are those who criticize this film because it shows Hitler in a more human light but let's face it, the guy was human and did things that others do as well. He wasn't screaming and frothing at the mouth every second and did partake in everyday events like walking his dog and having tea with his mistress which isn't going to make anyone forget how evil and psychotic he was. Ganz's performance is so eerily accurate that he shows the trembling in one arm from the Parkinson's that he dealt with in the last 12 years of his life. This is one of those rare films that is achieved through historical fact and brought to life with some truly haunting performances and it's a film that makes a solid claim to greatness.