Downfall (1 Viewer)

[Armin Jager]

You're right, but at least it shows oppression of the Jews in Italy and the collaboration of the Italians instead of constructing this disgusting Nazi-sadomasochism parallels of the films I've mentioned.
Volker Schlöndorff visited our institute in Mainz for a discussion with the students and one of our lecturers who has written a book about this topic called "Sadiconazista" asked him about one of his less successful films THE OGRE (1996) with John Malkovich where Schlöndorff to a certain degree did what Visconti, Cavani, Bertolucci and Pasolini had done. He admitted in the discussion that it was a bad idea and that Günter Grass' approach in THE TIN DRUM was a more valid one, portraying fascism as an creation by petty bourgeois instead of adding sexual abnormities to fascism.

 

[Scott_MacD]

There's no review thread, so I'll put it here.


Downfall - :star::star::star:1/2

Perhaps it's a mildly unhealthy desire to delve into the dark history of man, but there's something utterly fascinating about Nazi history. Just how did a single man sweep a nation with a morally corrupt and evil regime. The most singularly malevolent man of our age. And we all search for the answers to questions : why were millions of people deemed unfit to continue living, and given uncountable, hideous death sentances through madness and eventually, rampant racism? And what kind of regime does it become, when it begins falling apart at the seams and as it's leader implodes mentally. Can a movie deliver this? Downfall tries to provide some of the latter answers, but cannot begin to answer the former questions.

In Downfall, we have an impeccably crafted piece of recreated history, being one of the few major accounts of the final days of the Nazi regime under the Führer. Sobering, riveting, powerful, and so utterly fascinating, Bruno Ganz's (going from a sad angel in Wim Wender's famous Wings of Desire) persona as Adolf Hitler reveals a hideous, disturbed humanity about the dictator who's inexplicable charisma projected the most repulsive sociological machine in our long and violent history. Ganz, in an absolute powerhouse performance, truly hammers home the diseased madness which drives him, flaying spittle in his howling, fitful raves about the inadaquacy of Germany's officers and the unworthiness of it's people for his "great artistic cause". And yet, it's not at all without a fair amount of creepy charm. Is it a good thing to humanise a man that makes Bin Laden's religious hatred and destruction look like a mere infant's work..?

Downfall is presented as the memories of Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, a young woman, selected by Hitler in the film's opening scene, and through bookending voiceover, attempts to explain just how and why she chose to become and remain a part of the Nazi engine. "I make lots of mistakes during dictation", the Führer remarks during her interview, in one of the film's few pieces of telling dramatic irony. Although, for clarity, moments are presented from which Junge was not present, to connect the narrative for the audience - an essential process, due to the volume of story presented.

It is through Ganz's performance that it becomes clear just how hopelessly dependent the regime became on a man who was clearly beyond all sane hope. He stares at a strategic map of the strongpoints of the city, placing squadrons which are inadaquately manned, to assault the Red Army. Frequently screaming ultimatums at his subordinates, and demanding their blood when they inevitably fail to mobilise, having anethesthised himself from allowing compassion to impair his sick judgement, considering it a cancerous weakness. The film reveals him as a petulant child, given absolute authority!

Later on, as the delusion deepens, we find him at dinner, openly inventing other gargantuan squadrons and air force units which don't exist, threateningly asking those loyal to him to commandeer these figmental units. And most chillingly of all, asking his closest members to kill themselves rather than be captured. Especially, the Goebbels (the six children refer to the Führer as "Uncle Hitler") take these ideals to their end. "I do not want our children to live in a world without National Socialism", says a resting Frau Goebbels. It is in this charismatic power, that Hitler's true strength was, and just why he's remembered as the most dangerous man of the 20th Century.

The film is constructed of multiple parallel storylines, with over twenty major speaking roles, requiring considerable investment to follow, from Hitler's generals, through to the infantry youth and civilians. Indeed, it is a film almost entirely constructed from controlled personal relationships, even when the Führer is deliriously free from control of anything - especially himself. When the film involves gunfighting and artillery, it is usually brief and with a bloody aftermath, with a surgeon team more resembling a hopelessly overworked butcher. The citizens of Berlin are given even less respect by their leader than their enemies, which is best demonstrated by a series of scenes involving groups of elderly and children huddling in the hospitals, forced to starve on thin gruel while the leaders in the bunkers feast on champagne, biscuits and eat on the finest crockery. These huddled masses tear on the heart, and the shell-shocked soldiers are driven by equal measures of fear, hate and desparation. They murder any of those civilian men, women and children who do not share their ardor for the Nazi ideal. One of them shockingly and immediately blows his own brains out on the spot, rather than be driven by his commander to go back on the line.

I must make note of the sterling sound design of the film, superbly recorded voicework (Hitler's frequent feral ranting is painful to make out, even when subtitled!), the above-ground whistling and shrieking artillery shells hammer home with constant thick bassy impacts, and even the subtle, quiet and hideous crunch of cyanide on drugged, innocent young tongues. It's the superb skill of the filmmakers that give the sound such incredible punch, playing superbly on us as we reel in stunned horror. This, along with the claustrophobic cinematography and staging deliver a harrowing experience, even as the film mesmerises us, never resorting to larger than life histrionics. Even when Hitler is cremated, the outlandish saluting from his generals doesn't last long, due to a further Soviet artillery hammering.

Oliver Hirschbiegel - an economical director of prior television work - creates a film which completely refuses to play fast and loose with history, and allows it to take as long as it has to, just over two and a half hours. The stories are awful and fascinating, yet it recreates the utter human chaos with character economy, tact and absolute certitude. It's great skill is to depict the deconstruction of the chain of command with absolute integrity. We are left in no doubt as to Himmler's intentions, in spite of Hitler's furious descecration of him as a traitor to the cause! And in another dryly humourous scene, Himmler debates with one of his subordinates as to how to greet the Americans. We really needed a chuckle by this point.

If I'm going to pick holes, Downfall is a little too-literal minded for my taste, always choosing to err on the side of straight-up caution, preferring to keep it's emotional distance and as such, misses out on a truly personal connection. It also presents little that is fresh and new, other than Ganz's magnificent and malevolent performance. And it's three main environments and their staging limit the film somewhat, as though it were originally intended to be a television serial, like the great Das Boot. Although in a depth-charged submarine, all are equally terrified and human, with the Nazi captain as powerless as his master!

On the other hand, these are really small blemishes when the film is so well-made, with this level of craftsmanship, complete consideration for it's audience, and never relinquishing on it's tight-knit focus, I find myself in a quiet reflective respect for the strength of Hirschbiegel's solid storytelling. And, in the end, I do not believe that there's anything terribly morbid about interest in the darker aspects of our history. I think it's sociologically fascinating, makes for terrific drama, and yet we should (but strangely, do not truly) learn from it.

 

[Haggai]

Excellent review, Scott. I definitely agree on the sound design, very powerful stuff.

Regarding Das Boot--I thought it wasn't released on German TV until '85, about 3-4 years after it first appeared in theaters. My understanding was that it was primarily intended for theatrical release, with a TV series also in mind as they worked on it.

 

[Scott_MacD]

Haggai - I take your point, I was referring to the DVD liner notes for the Das Boot miniseries, in which Petersen states that when writing the screenplay, his intent was to do both a major motion picture and television serial simultaneously.

What am I saying!? I didn't see Das Boot until the 1997 release of the director's cut, and only then did I learn it was a serial. One of the most awesome movies ever made, and probably the film which made me start taking the art of movies more seriously.

 

[Haggai]

Gotcha, Scott. I think we're on the same page there. I've also seen an indication somewhere that Downfall is going to be on German TV in longer form later this year.

Agreed on Das Boot, certainly one of the gold standards of war films. I was in college at the time the Director's Cut was in theaters, and I remember a friend who, having claimed that he had little interest in/like of foreign films, came out of Das Boot proclaiming it the best movie he had ever seen.

 

[Scott_MacD]

Good story.. It's remarkable how trascendent and universal the medium of film can be, when handled so masterly. I rejoice in it.

 

[Lars Larsen]

Hi,

I just saw this film tonight for the first time. My overall reaction was that it was well-played, intriguing, strange and confusing especially if you don't know your Nazi history (mainly the persons belonging to Hitler's inner circle). It is also confusing in the sense that the film generally lacks focus. Is it a film about Hitler? Is it about the last days of the 3rd Reich? Is it about Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge? Is it about Dr. Schenck? I just don't know. The movie strays now and then and I think they could easily have reduced the number of characters and focused more on Hitler. I don't know how historically correct this film is, but if it is an attempt to recreate the exact line of events taking place in the reich chancellory in the last days of the war, I suppose this is the way to do it.

Any other thoughts?

 

[Michael Reuben]

Now that your post has been merged into the existing thread, please see above.

M.

 

[Lars Larsen]

Mr. Reuben,

Thanks! I did several searches before I posted, but didn't find this thread.

 

[glen_esq]

Kobayashi's epic The Human Condition I, II, III gives an account of Japan's occupation in Manchuria from (if I remember correctly) 1943 through the Soviet victory and imprisonment of Japanese troops.

It's a clear condemnation of Japanese fascism through its brutality / enslavement of the Chinese people, intolerence to opposition within the state, treatment of its own troops, and martial failings due to fascism's rigidity in all things including military strategy.

Stars the great Tatsuya Nakadai.

 

[Holadem]

I wanna say something constructive and profound about this movie... but Alexandra Maria Lara is so distractingly and achingly beautiful... What a sweetheart :b.

--
H - the movie was good too, top 5 material.

 

[ThomasC]

In honor of Holadem's post, I rolled back my sig.

 

[Haggai]

Ah, very nice, Thomas! Glad you liked the movie, Holadem. Alexandra's definitely great, very hot and very talented.

 

[Armin Jager]

Quote:



I wanna say something constructive and profound about this movie... but Alexandra Maria Lara is so distractingly and achingly beautiful... What a sweetheart





Would you folks like a nice little gallery

? I can post more if you want ...

 

[Citizen87645]

Holy crap!

 

[Holadem]

That's what I said. That and "Jager for president".

--
H - and thx Thomas.

 

[ThomasC]

Many, many thanks, Armin. Please post everything you've got.

I sure wouldn't mind seeing a movie with Teri Polo and Alexandra about two long-lost twins.