Review of Downfall (1997) by Adam S — 30 Jun 2012
A rare film in that Hitler, although mad, is not a cartoonishly evil man. This is a more realistic view of him, as he spends his last days in the bunker, ranting about treachery and convinced that troop movements that he demonstrates on the maps will result in the saving of Berlin from the fast approaching Russians.
The fact that the troops he envisions are fragmented, unable to fight, decimated by other battles and entirely ineffective, does not occur to him. Instead, he see's their failure as traitorous actions of his generals.
By this time, Hitler is paranoid, and determined to win, or die before being captured. It is a claustrophobic film, set for the most part in the bland and stark concrete bunker, where it is apparent that the end is coming for everyone there, and that there is very little choice in what they do next.
It's a tense film, probably as close to the actual events that we will get (it was partly based on Hitler secretary Trudl Junge's book) and gives a different view of Hitler and his generals than we are generally used to seeing.
This review of Downfall (1997) was written by Adam S on 30 Jun 2012.
Downfall has generally received very positive reviews.
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