The Definitive Word on the Subject

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2007)

In Oliver Hirschbiegel's "Downfall", we follow young secretary Traudi Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) into Hitler's bunker and witness the final days of the Third Reich through her increasingly disillusioned eyes.
Finally, Germany gives us a film on the matter, and, rather unsurprisingly, it feels far more authentic that any other take on the subject. Hirschbiegel's film is taut and claustrophobic and his characters breathe and feel real. His depiction of the war above ground is harrowing and efficient... Yet, as with all such films, "Der Untergang" will live or die by its central character: Hitler.
Hitler is such a monumental figure that, if you translate him, you are unable to see anything else than the actor portraying him, however talented (Anthony Hopkins and Alec Guiness gave it a go and didn't transcend). For the most part, we have had to accept mediocre caricatures suggesting that Hitler was as seen in his speeches (overly manic/dramatic) 24/7 (most films about Hitler fall prey to this, and "Hitler, the rise of Evil"'s Robert Carlyle is just another example of getting it completely wrong!). Bruno Ganz's portrayal of Adolf Hitler crashes through these misconceptions and the heavy baggage and makes us distinguish the man from the phenomenon. To our horror, we discover that the man who sparked this wretched out-of-control ideology is also a sometimes touching and amiable father-figure, making us understand how so many people would follow him. Ganz manages to become the man, utterly believable throughout, whether showing kindness to someone, yelling at his cowardly generals, or putting his pet out of its misery (a heart-breaking scene).
The film, technically admirable and boasting powerhouse performances, truly marks itself as a triumph in terms of tone and message. "Der Untergang" shows quite rightly that it is not the misguided and ultimately tragic man, but the system and its followers, that are monstrous. Ganz's Hitler seethes with anger at what he perceives as a betrayal: the German people have failed him, putting an end to the lie that Hitler was a cunning and deceitful sorcerer who brain-washed Germany. The people deceived themselves, and in the final moments, Magda Goebbles and other underlings prove themselves to be more repugnant and evil than Hitler himself ever could be. Thus, the film attracted naive controversy because many refuse to see Hitler as a human being. They do not realize that doing so dilutes the most important message of Nazi Germany: the people, not just Hitler, made it what it was! This could all too easily happen again...
You owe it to yourself to see this incredible film!