Award-Winning Dramatic Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2006)

A powerfully disturbing portrayal of the last days of the 3rd Reich with riveting performances by the entire cast. Be prepared for an intense, rewarding experience on this one. From the brief documentary remarks of Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge at the outset of the film until the hopeful conclusion, this tour de force will give you plenty to think about long after the final credits fade. This is one of the best World War II films ever made.
Bruno Ganz gives an award-winning performance. He's chillingly convincing in his finely nuanced portrayal of Hitler during the last years of his demonic life -- from his amazingly patient, grandfatherly treatment of his secretary to his tyrannical rages with his senior military leaders. You won't see many performances better than this.
To the credit of the film's director and its casting director, the supporting cast is uniformly strong and gives compelling performances. One of the most noteworthy supporting performances is the sinister portrayal of Frau Goebbels by Corinna Harfouch. Magda Goebbels appears throughout most of the film to be an attentive mother (and political enthusiast) who prides herself at molding her 6 children into model National Socialist wunderkinder. In the film's climactic moments Ms. Harfouch convincingly portrays the pathology of Frau Goebbels' excessive glorification of the Fuhrer and his delusional ideology. Her heinous "crime" against nature will shock and outrage many viewers.
Not surprisingly, the sound effects and musical score artfully heighten the emotional intensity of the drama and suspense that unfold on screen. After the first few opening scenes of the film, which take place outside of Berlin in November 1942, the setting shifts to the bomb-riddled streets of Berlin. The 5.1 surround sound of the incoming artillery shells accentuates not only the sudden location and time change (to April 1945), but even more ominously it then continues a funereal cadence of pounding artillery explosions during the next 20 or so minutes, signaling the death knell of Hitler's crumbling empire.
The musical score also provides an almost haunting backdrop to the malevolence of the Nazi hierarchy, which in the final days of the 3rd Reich cold-bloodedly inflicts a horrific toll on its own German citizens. These effects clearly signal that film director Oliver Hirschbiegel has made a film that is destined to become a classic.
Although the Special Features on the DVD release are limited, they are worth watching. The MAKING OF, while running for 50+ minutes, helps to introduce many of the principal characters of this large cast, as well as provide some interesting behind the scenes comments about the film. The INTERVIEW with Melissa Muller, who wrote a book about Hitler's secretary's memoirs is well worth watching.
Don't miss this one!