Come for the meme, stay for the story.
Excelente película que nos lleva a esos últimos días de la caída de Imperio Nazi, nos muestra todo lo que tuvieron que vivir dichas personas, una historia muy trabajada y que transmite y te hace sentir lo que te cuenta. Excelente actuaciones, primordialmente la de Bruno Ganz.
Muy buena pelicula, recomendada para verla y que puedas ver desde otro angulo la historia de la guerra, en este caso desde el punto de vista de los alemanes, sus acciones y fe que profesaban por su alocado líder.
The original title of the film is Der Untergang.
That scene where Hitler and Speer are looking over the model of Berlin... soulcrushing.
"Downfall" is a depressing tale of madmen and the final 10 days of the terror that they brought to the world. The crumbling of the Nazi war machine and its biases and hatred against humanity are partly revealed here. This movie makes it all too clear that Hitler was insane but had a powerful hold over so many. How one man can control the minds and acts of so many is terrifying.
This film is claustrophobic as it takes place almost entirely in Hitler's bunker. The conflicts, conversations, and behaviors of those in the bunker is amazing in its realism and tension.
The only thing that holds this film back for me ever so slightly is that I thought it could have done a little more to explain who Hitler's key officers were before the "where are they now" montage at its end.
An incredibly powerful World War II epic, Downfall is a German war drama about the final days of the Third Reich. Partially based on the biography of Traudl Junge (Adolf Hitler's personal secretary), the story follows the events of the Battle of Berlin as the Russian Army lays seize and Hitler and the Nazi high command face inevitable defeat. The performances are also especially good; particularly Bruno Ganz, who gives an exceptionally compelling and humanizing depiction of Hitler. And, the directing of Oliver Hirschbiegel adds an extraordinary level of realism that's quite engrossing. Downfall presents a fascinating historical look into the Nazi regime, and at how they chose to face their defeat at the end of the war.
This is a powerful movie. One of the best war movies i have ever seen. The hopelessness of the situation during those last 10 days of probably the most hated man in the history of the world is almost heartbreaking.
Bruno Ganz plays the part of Adolf Hitler perfectly. What we see is a broken man whose plans and dreams are shattered while he tries to hold on to them until the bitter end.
This movie is not pro-nazi nor does it depict them as the monsters everyone says they are. What we see is the war from their side, in utter realism. In the end they are all just people who by their own choice or by force were sucked into a horrible war.
What Traudl Junge (the secretary) said was really moving. Even though she was young and she didn't know better she could have. At the same age as her another German woman by the name Sophie Scholl was rebelling against what the Nazi's were doing. Years ago i found a single page comic that perfectly tells the story of that there is a line between standing up for yourself and what you believe in and going along with what everybody else is doing. I encourage everyone to read this comic.
http://www.viruscomix.com/page474.html
Absolutely amazing history movie must watch for everyone!
This film depicts the last days of Nazi Germany when the Soviet army was 15 km from Hitler’s bunker Fuhrerbunker. Most WW2 movies focus on the battles from a soldier’s perspective, but this is from the perspective of Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge. She was still alive in 2002 and talked about events surrounding the last days of battle for Berlin before the suicides by Hitler and his mistress (wife then) Eva Braun. Most events are historically accurate based on all accounts, including from Junge’s autobiography.
The film captured a sense of realism through its dark, gritty atmosphere, direction, acting, and cinematography. To prepare, the actor (Bruno Ganz) playing Hitler studied the literature, accounts, and surviving media surrounding Hitler, including a recording of his normal talking tone away from cameras. Hitler didn’t allow such recordings, but Finnish secret agents recorded a private conversation in 1942 for later study. All other recordings were of his public speeches, which is not how he talked or behaved in private. Ganz also studied Parkinson’s patients to get an idea of Hitler, who had Parkinson’s. Some scenes were cold and brutal to watch but factual, including a scene by Nazi fanatic Magda Goebbels (wife of Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels) murdering her six children over her fear of living in a world without Nazism. Another is a scene of Hitler moving around pieces representing his army divisions on a map. His generals were too scared to tell him the armies were no more. Once a fanatic accepts belief in an ideal or an individual, they cannot exist outside it.
The scariest lesson is one can be a monster while completely human, as we saw here. I think it’s letting Hitler off the hook to pretend he was some peculiar demon or just a lunatic who had lost control of himself. It’s only when you realize Hitler was human and in complete control of his faculties to his final breath that the real horrors begin. The truth is villains are not anything other than human, the worst of humanity. The difference here is power dynamics and Germans enabling his bigotry and hatred by falling prey to his frantic fanaticism. History, time and time again going back to the first civilizations, teaches us Hitler is what you get when you combine the worst of humanity with absolute power. It should make us wary of those seeking absolute power while claiming to be above the laws. Power allows humanity’s worst villains to come creeping to the surface. The best AND the worst in humanity lies within humanity itself. There is a constant battle waging within each of us, one between love & hate, joy & misery, peace & fury, courage & fear, and order & chaos. We should always be vigilant to keep ourselves and others from falling prey to the worst in us.
Would I recommend this? Yes. The film is in German, but the subtitles are adequate. It’s difficult to watch, but I think it’s important to understand what fanatical hate and blind devotion to an idea/individual left unchecked can do to people.
The overall state of German cinema is a bit of a wasteland, but at least it is good at examining the Nazi era. 'Downfall' is no exception. The movie offers an interesting insight into the final days in the Führerbunker during World War II. The atmosphere is strong, and the performances are also good. Bruno Ganz in particular stands out as Adolf Hitler, rarely drifting into the parody territory that is common with Hitler portrayals.
What drags the movie down somewhat is the absolute determination to have characters that are somewhat 'likable'. This was an endeavor that was doomed to fail from the start because everyone who was in the Führerbunker was guilty of something. The character panels at the end of the movie seemed extra misguided in this regard, leaving a bad aftertaste. But 'Downfall' is still good overall.
Downfall is a captivating movie that brings to life an important part of history. The film does an excellent job of depicting the final days of Hitler's regime and the downfall of Nazi Germany. The acting performances are superb, particularly that of Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler, who portrays the dictator with a remarkable level of authenticity. The attention to historical detail is impressive and the movie successfully captures the atmosphere of the time. Overall, Downfall is a good movie that is both informative and entertaining.
Perfect acting and really gets you to live with them, really engrossing.
Would've given it a 10/10 if not for some historical inaccuracies.
This is one of the essential films about World War II. An absolute powerful and captivating portrayal of the downfall of the Third Reich. The film features incredible performances by Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara and the rest of the cast. It is my all time favorite German film and a must-see for everyone interested in the topic.
Fantastic movie that I saw many years ago and suddenly decided to return to after watching Axis Sally.
After almost 2 decades of anticipation, I finally watched this movie. Truth to be told, I was a little disappointed. It is okay I guess, acting and realism of the environment is most noteworthy, but it could not captivate me. Maybe because I am too familiar with the story already, and I felt bored at several points. The editing was also kind of chaotic at times in my experience. It's possible that 17 years of procrastination made me have too high expectations, and me already not being a massive war movie fan to begin with doesn't help I guess.
Shout by iliumBlockedParent2013-12-22T21:15:31Z
My grandparents were children living in Berlin, Germany during World War 2 and remembered the air raids vividly, as well as the terror that accompanied cowering in the basement and feeling the earth rumble, fearing for their lifes, while houses right down the street where bombed to bits.
When I told them about this movie in 2004, they had to go see it and I was eager to hear what they thought. They are usually jovial and upbeat, but they felt great sorrow and despair when they saw this movie. They cried in the movie theater. It was not just a movie to them, they travelled back in time to a long forgotten and repressed time.
I thought this movie was very well made and Bruno Ganz acts frighteningly well as Adolf Hitler, but seeing how my grandparents reacted, I think this movie is also a beacon to let people remember the terror that came with war, and those that were not born yet, to get a small glimpse into that reality.
9/10 - Edge-of-the-seat atmosphere, combined with a tour de force by Bruno Ganz makes this one a winner