Downfall (2004)
When looking at the story of the Second World War and the events that ultimately led to its breaking out, historians have focused a great deal of attention on the career of one man, Adolf Hitler.
The rise of Hitler and his Nazi party and their bitterness over the nation’s surrender in the First World War allowed them to transform the democratic nation of Germany into a one-party totalitarian dictatorship with him as the Führer. Hitler’s dreams of a glorious thousand-year Reich would never be achieved, instead meeting his end in a cold Berlin bunker in 1945.
It is these dark final days of the Fuhrer’s life that is the focus of Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Oscar-nominated war drama Downfall (Der Undertag).
Taking place from April 20th to April 30th 1945, the film follows the final ten days in the life of Adolf Hitler and of his Nazi regime as told through the eyes of the dictator himself, his inner circle and of ordinary citizens struggling to survive in war-torn Berlin as Soviet forces surround the city to enact the final defeat of Nazi Germany.
I’m going to get this out of the way early on before I really dive into the film proper. Yes, this is the film from which those countless “Hitler reacts to (insert topical reference)” videos that use a clip from showing Hitler ranting at his staff. If that is your only experience with this film at all, then you are really doing yourself a disservice as, while those clips might be funny (although let’s face it most of them aren’t), the entire film in its original context is simply brilliant and you would be daft not to at least give it a chance.
The main reason to watch the film is to witness Bruno Ganz’s outstanding lead performance as Adolf Hitler with the veteran Swiss actor creating a deep and layered depiction of one of the most vilified men in history.
Ganz manages to portray Hitler portrayal as warm and fatherly in his initial encounter with secretary Traudl Junge, quick to forgive her nerves when she is typing up his dictations as part of a job interview. It’s a deeply unnerving scene when you realise that, like Junge, you find yourself actually charmed somewhat by the despot’s seemingly kind manners.
Yet it’s when the film jumps forward to portraying the final days of the dictator’s life that Ganz really shines. Ganz expertly manages to capture the dictator in his dying days as a hollow shell of the once vibrant ranting tyrant that captivated crowds at Nuremberg, now reduced to bellowing and roaring at his terrified staff all of whom realise that the war is lost, even if the Führer himself struggles to admit it himself.
The reason why the performance of Ganz is so admirable, as it is chilling, is mainly because he does what many thought would be near impossible, he humanises Adolf Hitler. Ganz does such a magnificent job at humanising the dictator that in some moments one might feel a sense of pity at this pathetic shell of a man, although his happiness and satisfaction at having inflicted hell upon the Jews of Europe manage to prevent you from feeling too sorry for him.
Downfall might lack the big battle set pieces of most other war films, with much of the film taking place in the claustrophobic conditions of Hitler’s bunker. However, instead of an explosion-heavy battle fest, the film is instead a brilliant character study of a dictator in his dying moments.
While I haven’t really discussed the film’s other qualities, like the supporting cast, the production design and the overall feel of the film, which needless to say are excellent, it’s just that they are all overshadowed by Bruno Ganz’s performance which really deserves much more praise (and perhaps an Oscar nomination) than a collection of largely forgettable YouTube memes. It truly is something special that should be seen as it was originally intended.
A fascinating story about the end of the most notorious of dictatorships and a truly domineering lead performance make Downfall another one of those films that I feel people shouldn’t watch, but one that I feel people must watch.
Originally published April 29, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
