Der Untergang (Downfall)

Tuesday night F. and I went out and saw the new German film Downfall. In many ways this is the film I love – it makes you a fly on the wall of history. The film thrusts you into the last days of the Third Reich, witnessing the regimes military, psychological and spiritual collapse. The film uses the books Inside Hitler’s Bunker: The Last Ten Days of the Third Reich [Joachim Fest] and Until the Last Hour [Traudl Junge and Melissa Muller] as its source material.

It is all to easy to look at Hitler and see a monster, a madman, or the face of evil, but Hitler in reality is a complex personality, and though he was incredibly brutal, at the same time he was also capable of kindness. To me there is a certain arrogance that we seem to have as we look at the Nazi’s; the unspoken view that it couldn’t happen here; we are different. The naïve idealism that the German’s felt in the 1920s would easily transfer across cultures and history; renewal, and rebirth are themes that appeal universally.

Bruno Ganz (from Wings of Desire, another of my favourite films), was phenomenal as Adolf Hitler, he clearly got into his role, capturing the voice and mannerisms of Hitler. The other characters in the drama were also played beautifully. The film was like my high school Modern History textbook coming to life, albeit with both a touch of humanity, and more chillingly. Chilling as we became witnesses, as Magda Goebells drugged and poisoned her five children, because they were “too good to grow up in a world without National Socialism”; and the “loyalty” of officers who would shoot themselves before being captured, or would burn the bodies of their Fuhrer (and his wife – Eva Braun).

I found it quite interesting as entwined with the military collapse of the German Army, was the collapse of the moral virtue prized by the Nazi state – those in the bunker plunged in decadence as military defeat became inevitable. The decadence and decay of the German society made me think of the fall of the Roman Empire wondering if there were similarities and if the United States is likely to suffer a similar fate.

While it does present Hitler in a slightly different light; the lasting image is not of the kindness or humanity of Hitler, but rather of how Hitler saw himself and the German people, to which Hitler responded – "there are no civilians in war". The film is bookended by a voice-over from Traudl Junge, who speaks of in the beginning of her naivety and curiosity getting the better of her as she accepted the position of Hitler’s secretary, the film then closes with her saying the she was not naïve, she was not an unwilling participant nor could she claim innocence.

In summary, the best film of 2005 to date. (And being honest, I can’t see this changing in the short term at least). It’s filled with what I love about film: I was challenged, it brought history to life, and was filled with great dialogue and in Bruno Ganz one of the more masterful performances from a leading actor. It is a tragedy that this film only has a limited release.