Downfall (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #25

There have been many men who have played Adolf Hitler over the years, some better than others. Has anyone ever attempted to make a full list? I found a list of 27 actors in IMDB, but it's incomplete. Rolf Kanies is missing, who played Hitler in "Joe and Max". However, I think all the performances pale into insignificance in comparison to Bruno Ganz. It's difficult to say what makes him so good. His physical appearance matches Hitler, but his mannerisms really make the difference. Before filming he spent four months watching videos of Hitler and listening to recordings of his speeches. That's dedication! But there's still more to it. The excellent script and directing add to the complete picture of the man Adolf Hitler.

When "Downfall" (German "Der Untergang") was released in 2004 it hit the cinemas like a bomb. After the many films about World War Two, here was something different. It's not a war film. It's a ruthlessly accurate portrayal of Hitler's last 10 days in his Berlin bunker, showing the despair and debauchery of those closest to him.

Initial response to the film was positive. In more recent years the film has been criticised because it's too positive in its portrayal of Hitler. I think that the recent critics don't get it. Adolf Hitler is known as the most evil person who's ever lived. This leads to him being portrayed as a caricature. When I lived in England it was common for people to make fun of him as stupid, as a "failed painter". Believe me, no man who's stupid could have become the leader of Europe's largest country. Maybe he didn't go to university, but he had great intelligence when it came to influencing people. Arguably, his greatest fault was that he relied on his own intelligence too much. He was incapable of delegating decisions to those below him. In particular, he was unskilled as a military strategist. He could possibly have won the war if he'd listened to the advice of his generals.

This is shown at the beginning of "Downfall". Hitler is surrounded by his generals. They're giving him advice, good advice, but he refuses to listen. Anyone who contradicts him is accused of treason.

The main reason for people criticising the film in recent years is that they claim it's pro-Hitler. What they really mean is that it's not anti-Hitler. The film carefully avoids the propaganda that has become the norm in films about Hitler. The film is based on the biography of Traudl Junge, who was Hitler's personal secretary from 1942 to 1945. The story is told as she saw it. The film shows Hitler not as a monster, but as a man, with all the strengths and weaknesses of any man.

Historians have frequently mentioned that Hitler had a charm that attracted women to him, but this has rarely been shown in films. We can see that Traudl Junge was drawn in by Hitler's charm. When Hitler offered to let her leave Berlin, she insisted on staying with him until the end. 

The real Traudl Junge in 2002, shortly before her death.

Alexandra Maria Lara as Traudl Junge in the film.

Alexandra Maria Lara was an excellent choice to play Traudl Junge. She expresses a naive innocence in the middle of the chaos of Hitler's last days. She was one of three women who remained close to Hitler's side. The others were Gerda Christian, also a secretary, and Eva Braun. They were friends, but Traudl's facial expressions in the film show her amazement and disapproval as Eva continued to party until the last moments.

The three women take Hitler's dog for a walk in one of the rare quiet moments. Apart from these few moments, the scenes look like they come from an absurd horror film. Senior officers are committing suicide, other officers are sitting getting drunk, and Eva Braun is dancing on the tables.

Most of the film takes place in almost staccato fashion, hurrying from one chaotic scene to the next. An exception is the scene in which Magda Goebbels murders her six beautiful children. Everything else stops, and this scene is shown slowly and deliberately, as each child is forced to swallow a cyanide capsule one by one. Hitler is portrayed neutrally, but Magda Goebbels is shown as a woman of pure evil. How could any mother act like this? It's horrific beyond description.

If you haven't yet seen this film, what are you waiting for? It's not a war film. It's a study of the breakdown of society in a confined space. It's not an easy film to watch. Try to see the film through Traudl Junge's eyes. She was an innocent woman watching her whole world collapse around her.

Success Rate:  + 3.5

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de