Downfall (2004)

Austria, Germany, Italy

Drama, History, War

NDR, ORF, Degeto Film, EOS Entertainment, WDR, RAI, Constantin Film

Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch

Oliver Hirschbiegel

Bernd Eichinger

Taglines: April 1945, a nation awaits its... Downfall

dying and death, based on novel or book, nazi, clerk, dictator, poison, despair, traitor, world war ii, bunker, destroy, testament, capitulation, soviet military, race politics, national socialism, ideology, minister, national socialist party, historical figure, german shepherd, 1940s, adolf hitler

In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.

Reviews:

Author: Wuchak
**_Hitler’s end_** As the Red Army encroaches upon Berlin in late April, 1945, the final days of Hitler in his bunker (Bruno Ganz) are told from the perspective of his secretary, Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara). "Downfall” (2004) is not a conventional war movie due to its downbeat subject and is more educational than entertaining, but it’s a necessary piece of the puzzle in understanding WW2. If you appreciate movies like "Enemy at the Gates" (2001), "The Pianist" (2002), "Black Book" (2006), "Valkyrie" (2008), "Rommel" (2012), "Warsaw '44" (2014) and "Fury" (2014), you’ll appreciate this one too. It's hard to rate a flick like this because it’s not an enjoyable experience, but it works superbly as means to go back in history and view Hitler’s final days. The film runs 2 hours, 36 minutes, and was shot in Germany (Berlin, Munich and Bavaria Studios) and Russia (St. Petersburg). GRADE: B