Downfall" (Movie)

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Rick the Librarian	Downfall" (Movie)	Lead	[-]
Posts: 4442 (12/13/07 10:54 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Tags : None I had a chance to borrow this in DVD from our local library. Apologies if it has been discussed before. "Downfall" was made by a German cast and crew in 2004. It shows the last 10 days to two weeks of life in Berlin. It is an effective movie with Bruno Ganz playing Hitler. Of the several actors I have seen impersonate Hitler, Ganz is far and away the best one. The movie is done in German with English subtitles. Although at first a little irritating, it somehow is more effective when heard in the original language. The movie is seen through the eyes of Traudl Junge, Hitler's last secretary. She joins his staff as a young woman of 22. As the story enfolds, the order and discipline of Hitler's inner circle starts to fall apart. Some try to escape, others commit suicide, as does Hitler, Goebbels and Eva Braun. A particularly poignent scene is when Goebbels and his wife poison their six small children. The battle scenes are very realistic and are just below "Saving Private Ryan" in realism. A sub-plot is a young boy, Peter, who as a member of the Hitler Youth, fights against the Russians in the last days and is decorated by Hitler. The gear and weapons all looked realistic and well-designed. The movie was filmed in St. Petersberg (ex-Leningrad) because many of the streets and houses still resembled 1940s Berlin and had no modern touches or advertisements. A very good movie, although not one that will leave you uplifted at the end. Be sure to watch some of the special features, which include interviews with the actors. They describe their own struggles with playing roles in which they felt ill-suited. One character, had a relative who was captured by the Russians; his mother's side was Jewish and most of her relatives died in concentration camps.
reddogge		#1	[-]
Posts: 4343 (12/13/07 07:39 PM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The movie is done in German with English subtitles. Although at first a little irritating, it somehow is more effective when heard in the original language Amen. I saw this a while back and thought it pretty good. I absolutely hate movies with high profile Americans portraying Germans speaking English with fake German accents (Tom Cruise).
ParallaxBill		#2	[-]
Posts: 15249 (12/13/07 09:05 PM) Owner/operator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I couldn't agree more about the subtitles. I prefer them since you do get to hear the words as they were meant to be. You may have to watch the movie twice for it to soak in but how many times have we watched 'The Winter War' or "Ambush". Think of how much better "Enemy at the Gates" would be with Russian language rather than Brits playing Russians and speaking with British accents. I prefer the original version of "Das Boot" for it's German language/English subtitles. And can anyone remember the German General ranting ( or was he?) in the early parts of "The Longest Day"? I need to check out "Dawnfall", sound very interesting. I remember growing up watching Traudl Junge being interviewed in "The World at War" with her soft but proper way of speaking. She struggled a bit but did a fine job telling what she knew. Parallax *Lee Enfield Collector's Society member #3* *Mauser Shooter's Association member #17* Forum administrator for the Carolina C&R Shooting & Collecting Club,
Rick the Librarian		#3	[-]
Posts: 4444 (12/14/07 10:44 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The movie was so good, I watched it a second time. The "special" features were mostly interviews with the cast and crew, and relatively little about how they made the movie. By "battle scenes" I wanted to qualify that they included some pretty graphic hospital scenes that left little to the imagination. I remember in the interview with Bruno Ganz, he said he set out to show all facets of Hitler's personality. That previous actors (Alec Guinness and Robert Hoskins) he felt showed just the "nut" side. I did feel, after watching the movie, that I probably saw the most accurate representation of this subject, short of someone hiding a camera in the bunker, or using a time machine. I do highly recommend the movie.
Cornfieldreenacting	Downfall	#4	[-]
Posts: 1288 (12/19/07 04:12 PM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I really liked that move. Took my wife's girlfriends father who is a WWII vet to see it, he told me that it was so realistic he really believed he was watching Hitler!
WVchuck		#5	[-]
Posts: 10158 (12/19/07 06:55 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I picked it up a few weeks ago at a local chain store for $9.99, it was well worth the money.
Rick the Librarian		#6	[-]
Posts: 4456 (12/21/07 10:29 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I'll probably buy the movie, if I see it for a decent deal. It is one I'd like to study a few more times. I quite agree with Cornfieldreenacting that it was like watching the real Hitler.
jimski		#7	[-]
Posts: 456 (12/21/07 11:57 AM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Just rented it after reading Rick's review and agree it is "must see". Afterward read up on the subject at wikipedia.org which has a detailed review of the film plus details of all the lives of the real people depicted in the film. The film makers went out of their way to get it right. Except for one movie lie - the real life Traudl Junge did not escape Berlin being led by a boy, instead she was abused and made captive for a year. Netflix also has the documentary "Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary" which has that Junge interview, clips of which open and close Downfall. (Didn't Hilter's bulter also survive the bunker?) Jimski
StinkpotPete		#8	[-]
Posts: 14 (01/01/08 12:54 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I bought the movie at a gunshow and liked it, too. My german is kinda rusty, so it helps not having to read everything. I think I'll watch it again today, not much else to do.
beanstrung		#9	[-]
Posts: 4020 (01/01/08 12:58 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I snagged a copy on eBay, I'm still waiting for it to arrive... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10
ThePitbullofLove		#10	[-]
Posts: 6206 (01/01/08 02:24 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Downfall is a FANTASTIC movie. One of the best films of 2004. It's currently showing on the STARZ network, and I watched it again this past weekend. ***** Life is the crummiest book I ever read, there isn't a hook; Just a lot of cheap shots, pictures to shock, and characters an amateur would never dream up...
ParallaxBill		#11	[-]
Posts: 15267 (01/01/08 05:17 PM) Owner/operator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	STARZ? I got that and haven't noticed it. I must Tivo it! Parallax *Lee Enfield Collector's Society member #3* *Mauser Shooter's Association member #17* Forum administrator for the Carolina C&R Shooting & Collecting Club,
ThePitbullofLove		#12	[-]
Posts: 6209 (01/01/08 05:22 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	ParallaxBill wrote: STARZ? I got that and haven't noticed it. I must Tivo it! It was on Friday night. I don't see it on this week's guide, but keep looking. It premiered on STARZ last year, but it's one of the movies they keep playing every now and again. Life is the crummiest book I ever read, there isn't a hook; Just a lot of cheap shots, pictures to shock, and characters an amateur would never dream up...
Fritz1255		#13	[-]
Posts: 294 (01/07/08 09:44 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	If you want to see some sick but hilarious takeoffs on this film, people have posted some clips from the movie on YouTube with altered subtitles, taking advantage of the fact that most poeple watching these clips do not speak German. See "Hitler Gets Banned", and "Hitler's Car Gets Stolen".
EricOKC	Must See	#14	[-]
Posts: 4582 (03/19/08 09:54 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Definitely worth seeing. They went to great lengths to avoid the cliches that have been used since WW2 in portraying Hitler amd those in the bunker. Worth watching the special features section of the DVD in regards to interviewing the German actors.
tsellati		#15	[-]
Posts: 211 (03/26/08 10:37 PM) active member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I had seen this movie when it first came out and thought it was extremely well-done. With all this talk about it in this thread I just had to see it again and then went one step further and decided I had to add this one to my growing war movie collection . So, off I went to my local mom-n-pop video store and they sold me their only DVD copy for just $10 because no one had requested the movie in quite some time. Heh, heh, now that is luck ! Tim
support		#16	[-]
Posts: 5 (04/22/08 04:59 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Just got a copy yesterday....will be watching it tonight and will likely be sharing my opinions about it. I'm bad about that ya know.
ParallaxBill		#17	[-]
Posts: 15599 (04/22/08 08:51 PM) Owner/operator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Uh, that was me. I just finished the movie and found it to be EXCELLENT!! Bruno Ganz did an outstanding job as Hitler. I highly recommend it for any WWII history buff. It's an interesting perspective about Hitler's inner circle in the final days from the point of view of his then 24 year old personal secretary Traudle Junge. Parallax *Lee Enfield Collector's Society member #3* *Mauser Shooter's Association member #17* Forum administrator for the Carolina C&R Shooting & Collecting Club,
ParallaxBill		#18	[-]
Posts: 15600 (04/22/08 08:57 PM) Owner/operator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Oh, I about forgot one criticism I did have of the movie. The shelling explosions were not too impressive. Most looked like a grenade might look but there were only a few larger explosions. They could do better in that regard. Other movies we all seemed to like that also came up short on artillery or large morter shell burst was "Ambush", & "Band of Brothers". The shell burst from "The Longest Day" seemed far more realistic to me. Parallax *Lee Enfield Collector's Society member #3* *Mauser Shooter's Association member #17* Forum administrator for the Carolina C&R Shooting & Collecting Club,
Mosu		#19	[-]
Posts: 363 (04/22/08 11:33 PM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The same here, I liked it.
EricOKC		#20	[-]
Posts: 4609 (04/23/08 08:11 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I have "Blind Spot: Interview With Hitler's Secretary" next on my list from Netflix. Also, if you read Albert Speer's books, he goes into a lot of detail about his relationship with Hitler...especially when he was in prison for 20 years with nothing else to do but reflect. The German people really didn't need that much of a push to make them want to wage war and genocide.