Downfall

The star of the film "The Fall of the Third Reich" is Adolf Hitler. No, maybe I should correct myself a little. The star is Bruno Ganz, who portrayed the German dictator in an absolutely incredible way, a person who was not afraid to kill millions of people just because they had a different origin than what he desired. True, his ideology was a bit more complicated, but we don't have to go into that. "The Fall of the Third Reich" is about how Hitler's life is coming to an end as the war in Europe is also coming to an end. The Soviets have reached Berlin and the city is being destroyed. The constant background of the whole film is explosions and gunfire. Hitler is still trying to do something to change the situation, he wants to reverse the course of events in his bunker, but gradually realizes that it is no longer possible. The last moments of this mad man are well-known, but when I watched what he actually did, when I could see him portrayed by the excellent Ganz, I realized that Hitler must have had enough sanity to realize that suicide is the only solution to leave this world peacefully and spare himself the inevitable trials that would follow. Eva Braun, his mistress and wife in the final stages of his life, is depicted as a completely fanatic woman who is willing to do anything for her Leader. But she was not alone. The film definitely does not aim to only condemn the Germans, I think that rather than an attack on the nation, it is a demonstration of what a person can achieve when they have sufficient abilities and acquire the necessary power. People are willing to go along with him under any conditions and take any steps, just to avoid being on the other side of the barricade. It is insane, but one single person can control the masses. Even if the masses know that he is insane, they will stand behind him as long as they feel that the other side is worse and that there is a bright future waiting on this - for now, right - side. Or at least the vision of it. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/ong-bak-pad-treti-rise-bolt-zathura-3g.html (03/01/2013)

A movie that seems more like a documentary that isn’t so much about Hitler’s last days, as about the people around him and his last atrocity committed on his own nation. Certainly worth watching, but if it hadn’t been made by Germans, it would never have caused such a stir (is it really making Hitler seem more human if he thanks his cook for his food?). Even so, it’s good that it was the Germans who filmed it; they need to chase the skeletons out of their closet. (05/06/2005)

Even years later, Downfall is a truly powerful experience. The famous producer Bernd Eichinger cleverly drew on the book "Der Untergang" by Joachim Fest and the memoirs of Hitler's youngest secretary Traudl Junge, published under the title "Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary." After all, Junge's confession frames the whole story of the last days of the Third Reich. And although she did not live to see the premiere of the film, her memories of her years at the Führer's side were the subject of a separate documentary Blind Spot. Hitler's Secretary. Thanks to this material, the resulting film is a much deeper and more plastic account of the end of a millennial empire that lasted only 12 years and yet never ceases to fascinate and is important to study in every detail. We follow so many important questions and paradoxes scene by scene, meeting once again those infamous figures of history. The cast is very interesting, for example Eva Braun - she was 33 at the time of her death, but played by almost 40-year-old Juliane Köhler (known from Aimee & Jaguar). And despite this handicap, she became a very authentic Mrs. Hitler. Magda Goebbels is a slightly different case - she was 44 at the time of her death, her character is 6 years older than Corinna Harfouch (famous as Vera Brühne), and her actions spoke for her more than her acting. Bruno Ganz (one of the best Hitlers) and Alexandra Maria Lara (Traudl Junge) are practically ideal representatives. (01/18/2020)

The first war film dealing with the conflict from the other side, and also directed by “natives”. There is a certain interest in the material, but it doesn't have any significant impact on the viewer. The script is simple and the actors (although very decent) practically have nothing to rely on. Bruno Ganz stands out, but mainly because seeing Hitler himself on the screen is already a peculiar and unique experience. But Oliver Hirschbiegel didn't excel in terms of visual presentation. The cold visual style doesn't stand out as it should, and the war scenes are quite implausible and poorly edited. (09/24/2005)

For a person who is not interested in history and confuses Husák with Hitler, it is certainly a meritorious and interesting piece of work, but for someone with an interest in history, it is a modest account that does not bring any fundamental new information and not even the controversial view of one human being that is so much proclaimed in the press. In any case, the performances were excellent, including Bruno Ganz, whose role was tempting to overact, which fortunately did not happen. Overall, I would see it as a three and a half stars, rounded down this time due to the high expectations. (11/26/2005)