Three Dutch film buffs drove to Kleve, Germany, to watch the fall of the dictator. We (Robbert, Maarten and I) arrived two hours before the start of the movie so we could enjoy large German beers and a perfect Schnitzel in the restaurant (annex Bierhaus) next door. Der Untergang tells the story of the last days of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) in his hide-out, a bunker in Berlin. It is told from the perspective of Hitler’s secretary Traudl Junge (1920-2002).
Der Untergang (The Downfall, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel) is based on elaborate historical research and recent interviews with survivors. The facts are all there in the movie: the Russians pounding on Berlin, the last minute marriage of Hitler to Eva Braun (1912-1945), his officers afraid to tell him it’s hopeless, and of course his suicide.
I was very impressed by the performance of German actor Bruno Ganz (1941-) who plays Hitler. Although Ganz looks (and is) slightly older than Hitler was at that time, he managed to virtually be the waning Fuhrer for more than two hours (150 minutes). The way he moves, the occasional trembling hand (attributed to Parkinson’s disease) behind his back, his facial expressions, the emotional outbursts and even the tone of his voice: the resemblance is uncanny.
Der Untergang shows Hitler in growing distress and the reactions of the “loyals” around him as he desperately tries to hold on to his old dreams. He does find odd peace though in the self-proclaimed excuse that the German people have brought the sufferings of war onto themselves cf. the crowd’s affirmative answer to Joseph Goebbels question “Ich frage euch: Wollt Ihr den totalen Krieg?” at the 1943 Neurenberg talk.
One gets a clear picture of the atmosphere in the bunker during those last days and the absurdity of it all. For example, Magda Goebbels who believes that there is no future for her children in a world without National Socialism and therefore decides to put them to sleep.
Der Untergang not only is the first German movie that has Hitler impersonated by an actor, but also gives Hitler a believable personality, which is a brave thing to do. Furthermore, Der Untergang gives a detailed account of the historical events unfolding during the last stage of the Second World War, therefore it is an important movie with high educational value.
I found Der Untergang a very realistic and impressive movie. And … all through the movie, the German public did not make any sound at all, nor did they talk to each other when leaving the cinema, they were obviously very much impressed too.
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