Downfall
starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Corinna Harfouch
directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
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Product Description:
This takes you into hitlers bunker during the brutal & terrifying last days of the third reich.Studio: Sony Pictures Home EntRelease Date: 04/24/2007Starring: Bruno Ganz Julianne KohlerRun time: 155 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
The riveting subject of Downfall is nothing less than the disintegration of Adolf Hitler in mind, body, and soul. A 2005 Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film, this German historical drama stars Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) as Hitler, whose psychic meltdown is depicted in sobering detail, suggesting a fallen, pathetic dictator on the verge on insanity, resorting to suicide (along with Eva Braun and Joseph and Magda Goebbels) as his Nazi empire burns amidst chaos in mid-1945. While staging most of the film in the claustrophobic bunker where Hitler spent his final days, director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment) dares to show the gentler human side of der Fuehrer, as opposed to the pure embodiment of evil so familiar from many other Nazi-era dramas. This balanced portrayal does not inspire sympathy, however: We simply see the complexity of Hitler's character in the greater context of his inevitable downfall, and a more realistic (and therefore more horrifying) biographical portrait of madness on both epic and intimate scales. By ending with a chilling clip from the 2002 documentary Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, this unforgettable film gains another dimension of sobering authenticity. --Jeff Shannon
This takes you into hitlers bunker during the brutal & terrifying last days of the third reich.Studio: Sony Pictures Home EntRelease Date: 04/24/2007Starring: Bruno Ganz Julianne KohlerRun time: 155 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
The riveting subject of Downfall is nothing less than the disintegration of Adolf Hitler in mind, body, and soul. A 2005 Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film, this German historical drama stars Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) as Hitler, whose psychic meltdown is depicted in sobering detail, suggesting a fallen, pathetic dictator on the verge on insanity, resorting to suicide (along with Eva Braun and Joseph and Magda Goebbels) as his Nazi empire burns amidst chaos in mid-1945. While staging most of the film in the claustrophobic bunker where Hitler spent his final days, director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment) dares to show the gentler human side of der Fuehrer, as opposed to the pure embodiment of evil so familiar from many other Nazi-era dramas. This balanced portrayal does not inspire sympathy, however: We simply see the complexity of Hitler's character in the greater context of his inevitable downfall, and a more realistic (and therefore more horrifying) biographical portrait of madness on both epic and intimate scales. By ending with a chilling clip from the 2002 documentary Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, this unforgettable film gains another dimension of sobering authenticity. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- To Vikram
In regard to your your review "Vikram Ramanthan" Jan. 2008
The following comments: "The Russians soldiers raped 100's of thousands of German women. But some feel it was fully justified and deserved of a civilian poplulation which was as much to blame as the germany military." "The Germans said they did not know. Thats a bunch of hogwash. Off course everyone knew what was going on, they just tried to ignore it"
I'm not good at writng but wanted to respond to those statements. My ... Read More
Rating: - One of the best war movies I have seen
I bought this film and the book from Amazon after renting it from a Blockbuster. This is one of the best war movie I have ever seen!
Rating: 
- Beware: no subtitle options
First off: this movie is great.
I gave my review 4 stars because it bothers me when foreign language films have subtitles that you cannot turn off. This is not a hard task in DVDs, and for those of us that understand German (or any other foreign movie's language) the subtitles are distracting, especially because they cover part of the image. There should always be a "no subtitles" option.
Rating: - Fuhrer Trapped In Refrigerator Eats Own Foot
This is an important film.It had to be done: the fascinating and terrible story of the final moments of the Third Reich, told by Germans as a kind of artistic therapy. Major pluses include the boldly dispassionate approach- humanizing historical figures who aren't generally seen as human; the non-hysterical examination of a highly emotional subject; the great historical accuracy and attention to detail, and perhaps most of all, the showcase of excellent performances, beginning with the phenomenal ... Read More
Rating: - Engaging, Fantastic Story of Hitler's Fall
I never knew Hitler was a vegetarian, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of information this film delivers in a finely acted and superb screenplay of Hilter's last days in his bunker.
I wouldn't say this is on the top tier of war films(Das Boot, Schindler's List), but it does deliver a riveting account from one of Hitler's secretaries, as one of histories worst war criminals sinks into his own madness of hell.
Recommended for more maturer audiences(subtitles, and a little long in some ... Read More
- To VikramIn regard to your your review "Vikram Ramanthan" Jan. 2008
The following comments: "The Russians soldiers raped 100's of thousands of German women. But some feel it was fully justified and deserved of a civilian poplulation which was as much to blame as the germany military." "The Germans said they did not know. Thats a bunch of hogwash. Off course everyone knew what was going on, they just tried to ignore it"
I'm not good at writng but wanted to respond to those statements. My ... Read More
- One of the best war movies I have seenI bought this film and the book from Amazon after renting it from a Blockbuster. This is one of the best war movie I have ever seen!
- Beware: no subtitle optionsFirst off: this movie is great.
I gave my review 4 stars because it bothers me when foreign language films have subtitles that you cannot turn off. This is not a hard task in DVDs, and for those of us that understand German (or any other foreign movie's language) the subtitles are distracting, especially because they cover part of the image. There should always be a "no subtitles" option.
- Fuhrer Trapped In Refrigerator Eats Own FootThis is an important film.It had to be done: the fascinating and terrible story of the final moments of the Third Reich, told by Germans as a kind of artistic therapy. Major pluses include the boldly dispassionate approach- humanizing historical figures who aren't generally seen as human; the non-hysterical examination of a highly emotional subject; the great historical accuracy and attention to detail, and perhaps most of all, the showcase of excellent performances, beginning with the phenomenal ... Read More
- Engaging, Fantastic Story of Hitler's FallI never knew Hitler was a vegetarian, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of information this film delivers in a finely acted and superb screenplay of Hilter's last days in his bunker.
I wouldn't say this is on the top tier of war films(Das Boot, Schindler's List), but it does deliver a riveting account from one of Hitler's secretaries, as one of histories worst war criminals sinks into his own madness of hell.
Recommended for more maturer audiences(subtitles, and a little long in some ... Read More
