der untergang

"Morgen Werden Mich Millionen Verfluchen Aber Das Schicksal Wollte Es Nicht Anders" (Adolf Hitler)

("Tomorrow, millions of people will condemn me but the fate wanted it so!")

Before writing this review, I trembled. The feeling of terror and fear is very significant for me to admit since whenever I attempt at discussing such cruel topics as the one of war and its misery, I feel scared. It is impossible to do justice to people who created hell on earth. But it is possible to show them to new generation in an accurate way.

Der Untergang is not a movie, as some people would probably expect, that shows the leaders of the Third Reich as real monsters. It is a psychological attempt at creating a slightly different image of Hitler and his closest "companions" than has been preferred by many so far. The "monsters" appear to have human feelings. They, however, have mostly dark rather than black souls. The whole movie is truthful to history since it is highly based on the notions of Hitler's secretary, Traudl Humps - Junge. To my surprise, she herself appears at the end of the movie, old, tired of her sad memories from the 1940s. Her words "One could look for the truth even if we did not know the scale of human tragedy" prove that she was not one of the blind Nazi propaganda followers but someone who believed that everyone is a child of God and it is not right to kill. The strange destiny of hers led her to Hitler somehow unconsciously.

The thing that seemed the most significant for me is the effect that the movie has on a viewer. All of the scenes take place in Berlin bunker, in very small rooms where the leaders of the Third Reich are hiding. Hitler, though cruel, deadly furious, and far from consciousness (for long he still believes in victory), is also able to show human feelings, especially to women. Eva Braun, escaping from the cruel facts of her lover's (later husband's) downfall, wants to be cheerful and entertain. One of the most memorable scenes was the one where Eva wants to have a party and dance although Berlin is full of bombarding. This is a sort of escape from the reality, a feeling that every human has in despair. Others, including Magda Goebbels and her husband are sheer fanatics. I will never forget the moment when Mrs Goebbels kills her children, calm, not showing any feelings at all. With reference to Speer's words, she does not even hesitate to deprive her children of future. One of the few people who retained reason is Traudl and Prof. Ernst Guenter Schenck.

The cast are really great. These are mostly German stars, some not very famous, but they perform wonderfully. Bruno Ganz portrays Hitler really well. From fury and devil's cruelty to politeness and calmness. However, never accepting compassion! A young, beautiful rising star, Alexandra Maria Lara, feels her role of Traudl. Sometimes, she feels empathy with Hitler, but in other moments she is shocked by his furious behavior. Corinna Harfouch as Magda Goebbels is great in this role. She seems to have calm nerves for most of the time, even while killing her children, but when Hitler plans to kill himself, she kneels down before him, panics begging him, in sheer mad fanaticism, not to leave his people. Great acting

Finally, the most unforgettable performance, in my opinion, is Juliane Kohler's Eva Braun. I loved all the scenes she appeared in. For most of the time a viewer can distinguish two sorts of personalities in her: on the one hand, someone who wants to be happy and live a cheerful life, and, on the other hand, someone who does whatever the fuhrer says, no matter if it destroys her personal happiness. Consider the scene when she begs Hitler for the life of Hermann Fegelein (Thomas Kretschmann), her sister's husband, to spare. She feels compassion, says that her sister is pregnant... but when Hitler is not able to feel empathy, she wipes off the tears of her face and calmly says "You are the fuhrer!" I saw the film for the second time partly for the sake of Juliane and her performance.

There is one more topic which I have to mention in this review, though long. Some people in Poland said that Oliver Hirschbiegel, the director of the movie, raised nationalism in Germany through this movie. Isn't it silly? It would mean that people would go to the cinema and the film would teach them nationalism or other sick and corrupted ideologies. The film clearly conveys one message "Hitler was evil, he killed many innocent people including millions of Jews, but he was not a devil. He was only a tool in his/her hands and a "god" for blind Nazi fanatics! What is more, there are always good and bad Germans like there are good and bad people in every nation on earth!" Even the title says clearly, it was the DOWNFALL of the Third Reich! If someone is a racist or Nazi, the film does not change anything. The corruption comes out of one's heart!

THE DOWNFALL is a must to see. It is a film that will be surely regarded as one of the most ambitious films ever made. The content is very hard to present, but Mr Hirschbiegel together with Bernd Eichinger (by the way, he produced a wonderful movie in 1986 The Name of the Rose) managed to do it perfectly. I give this film 10/10 with no hesitation!

Finally, I feel a need to share my thoughts with you that i had just after seeing the movie:

Yes, there are millions who condemn you, Hitler! The gist, however, is not condemning, but rather learning from history and drawing right conclusions. In order not to allow for A HELL ON EARTH again! NEVER!