Berlin, April 1945. The Third Reich is disintegrating, with Germany overrun. Deep inside the Fuhrerbunker, Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz in a miraculous performance) has sealed himself off from the outside world, save his highest Nazi Party officials and his soon-to-be wife, Eva Braun (Juliane Kohler). Far more obscurely, his company also includes his secretary Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara). Through the very passive and mousy Junge's eyes, we see Hitler struggle to accept his and Germany's impending defeat.
Downfall was based on two books, with three others uncredited but used for extensive research, and several audio sources, and as you might expect for a film offering an unusually sympathetic portrayal of Hitler, it was very controversial upon release. But it proves riveting, because its sympathy for its subject does not mean it ignores or excuses his and his followers' crimes. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel and writer Bernd Eichinger's shared approach treads this very fraught narrative highway with thoroughly wise, mature judgment and mounting suspense, even though the outcome is of course a foregone conclusion. The most impactful scene for me, however, doesn't involve Hitler or the Holocaust, but rather Magda Goebbels (Corinna Harfauch) killing her and her husband Josef's (Ulrich Mathes) six children with cyanide capsules in their sleep.
But the highest praise certainly belongs to the late Swiss actor Ganz, who took an enormous risk in accepting this role and then faced a mammoth task after he did. And in it, he does the unthinkable. Far beyond the toothbrush moustache and Nazi salute, Ganz (who spent four months preparing for it) infuses his Hitler with a personable nature in one scene and overt rage and paranoia in the next; you'll probably know one much-parodied scene where he spits the dummy in front of his officials. But where Ganz' characterisation shines brightest is in how he channels Hitler's charisma. It's terrifying to see that quality in somebody who could do any of what Hitler did, but Ganz, Hirschbiegel and Eichinger collectively and brilliantly show that to emphasise how intentionally blinding and deceptive it can be.
Obviously, Downfall is a challenging watch, and particularly at 156 minutes. But with bravery, objectivity and sharp insight, it brings us as closely as we will ever get to learning what drove and destroyed history's greatest villain and his cause.
But the highest praise certainly belongs to the late Swiss actor Ganz, who took an enormous risk in accepting this role and then faced a mammoth task after he did. And in it, he does the unthinkable. Far beyond the toothbrush moustache and Nazi salute, Ganz (who spent four months preparing for it) infuses his Hitler with a personable nature in one scene and overt rage and paranoia in the next; you'll probably know one much-parodied scene where he spits the dummy in front of his officials. But where Ganz' characterisation shines brightest is in how he channels Hitler's charisma. It's terrifying to see that quality in somebody who could do any of what Hitler did, but Ganz, Hirschbiegel and Eichinger collectively and brilliantly show that to emphasise how intentionally blinding and deceptive it can be.
Obviously, Downfall is a challenging watch, and particularly at 156 minutes. But with bravery, objectivity and sharp insight, it brings us as closely as we will ever get to learning what drove and destroyed history's greatest villain and his cause.
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