mandatory viewing

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2005)

SPOILERS There are demons in the past which are often kept buried. Scared of remembering our mistakes, we hide them and hope that they won't gnaw away at our souls. One country above all others has experienced this feeling the recent years.
Poverty stricken and suffering, the people of Germany in the 1930s looked for a brighter future. Bitter after their surrender in 1918, the people were tormented. Unable to foresee the eventually consequences of their actions, this once proud country turned to an Austrian to resurrect their fortunes. This man, Adolf Hitler, had a vision and a philosophy. Entering Germany into a long and bloody war, he ordered countless atrocities that Germany is still feeling guilt for now. The often misconception though is that Hitler was a monster without any human emotions. This film "The Downfall" challenges this view by introducing Hitler as a man who loves to feed his dog and who thanks his cook for every meal. This man, who could switch from a man of warmth into a cold ruthless mass murderer in a split second, is perhaps even more terrifying than normal views.
"The Downfall" is an amazing film which hits home hard and the fact that it was made in Germany makes it all the more impressive. This is a film that all children need to see, that Germany needs to help with it's healing, and that ultimately just needed to be made.
In 1945, Germany was on the verge of defeat. With Hitler moving into his infamous bunker, Berlin is being bombed to the ground. As civilians are left to die by their Fuhrer, Hitler and his remaining circle of generals and friends dine and consider the future safe in a bunker under the ground.
The brutality of the war on Germany truly hits home in this film. In so many films about the war, the focus is mostly about the Holocaust and the murder of the Jews. A worthy topic, the Holocaust often overshadows the damage done to the lives of the other inhabitants for Germany.
From the first explosion and Hitler's comments that civilians are not worth saving, "The Downfall" paints a picture of a German people ignored. Forced to fend for themselves, people struggle to survive as through evacuation or suicide, slowly all their leaders abandon them. Berlin becomes a war-zone and it is the regular family that suffers the most.
Beneath the surface we are shown a German hierarchy who follow their Fuhrer's demands irrelevant of how mistaken they believe him to be. Hitler refuses to surrender and those Generals who don't run away often follow his orders with a sense of dejectment.
As Hitler, swiss born Bruno Ganzy places the role to perfection. Modelling an accent from Hitler's home area, and forever bending forward with a twisted left hand, Ganz gives us a Hitler to truly fear. Ganz's Hitler is a man who can be kind to a secretary, before entering the next room and screaming of betrayal. He speaks of loyalty, yet he abandons his German subjects to Russian artillery. He is a man of contradiction who only remains direct in his ideas of a brighter future. A scene where he dictates to his secretary Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) his testimony is particularly harrowing. He speaks with pride at the removal of the Jews and he remains convinced of a dream of a united world.
Ganz's Hitler is not the only terrifying character in the bunker. Juliane Kohler as Eva Braun gives us confusing signals. Braun remains strikingly cheerful almost throughout the whole film. She sticks out as being either ignorant of the suffering her love causes or she simply chooses to not notice.
Corinna Harfouch as Magda Goebbels is the one responsible for perhaps the most harrowing scene in the whole film. Her character is a devoted socialist who does not want her family to live in a world without it. The way she solves this issue is so brutal and shocking, that it's images stick with the viewer and stun, for hours afterwards.
After watching "The Downfall" it feels a shame to have a criticism, but sadly there is one minor complaint.
This is a truly gruelling film which focuses almost entirely on the suffering of the German people. For some reason though, at the very end, it feels an almost predictable urge to say something about the Holocaust. By this time, it has been an all but brief reference with occasional comment. The reason for this is that this film is not actually about the suffering of the Jews, it is primarily about the collapse of the third Reich and the suffering of the residents of Berlin. The Holocaust is the worst atrocity committed in Europe for centuries, but it's inclusion at the end of this film is not necessary.
Despite this small criticism about the conclusion of this film, it's difficult to find any major fault. Telling a harrowing story to a country which finds it hard to face up to it's past, this film is a necessary feature which leaves it's audience stunned for hours afterwards. It is to be heavily praised for reminding us that we should never forget. It is time Germany should begin to heal, and with this film, this might happen. "The Downfall" is a masterpiece which should be mandatory viewing for all school children around the world. This film is that important.