Early word on the German film “Downfall” was that it “humanized” Adolf Hitler, and thus had caused some controversy in Europe.
This turns out to be not entirely the case. “Downfall” does present Hitler as a human being – which, whether we like it or not, he was. It would be more comfortable if we could distance ourselves from Hitler by marking him down as an aberration from humankind, but unfortunately, he breathed the same air we did. It’s a matter of public record that he loved his dog and avoided eating meat or drinking alcohol, and was also a genocidal maniac.
The Oscar-nominated “Downfall” charts the final 10 days of Hitler’s life, as Russian bombs crashed into Berlin and Hitler, holed up in his bunker with the faithful, became more delusional. The movie itself is not trapped in the bunker; it follows dozens of characters, in the streets above ground and in the concrete rooms below.
The script is based primarily on two books: “Inside Hitler’s Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich,” by Joachim Fest, and “Until the Final Hour: Hitler’s Last Secretary,” a memoir by Traudl Junge. Frau Junge was also the subject of the extraordinary documentary “Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary,” in which she recalled a youth spent at the elbow of the dictator.
If there is a focal point for the film, it is Traudl Junge, played by Alexandra Maria Lara. Hitler is played by the fine Swiss-born actor Bruno Ganz – the lovelorn angel from “Wings of Desire.” Ganz never suggests Hitler is anything other than a psychopath; there’s no simpering or bid for audience sympathy. At times Ganz’s spastic mannerisms recall the silent-movie villains of Germany’s expressionist era, who seemed to predict the coming catastrophe.
The film shows Hitler’s gross sentimentality in a scene where he dandles a child singing an Aryan hymn on his knee … a child Hitler knows will soon die because of him. Ganz’s performance is powerful, although it’s hard for Hitler to be anything other than opaque to our eyes, since this level of evil is hard to comprehend.
If the movie risks humanizing the Nazi era, it’s in the large cast of supporting characters, almost all of whom supported Hitler for ideological or cynical reasons. There’s no danger of empathizing with Joseph and Magda Goebbels, however (scarily played by Ulrich Matthes and Corinna Harfouch). Hitler’s propaganda minister and his loyal wife killed their own children in the bunker before taking their own lives.
There’s also Eva Braun, well played by the delicate beauty Juliane Kohler (“Nowhere in Africa”). She captures the shared mood of every character in the movie: It’s over, death awaits, and the madness must be sustained until the end.
With a better director than Oliver Hirschbiegel, “Downfall” might have been more profound, but his style (as seen in the hit “Das Experiment”) is blunt and one-note. Still, he’s got a big subject here, and the fixed approach is enough to keep it engrossing for a full 155 minutes.
Bruno Ganz stars in “Downfall.”
“Downfall” HHH
Oscar nominee: German film looks at the last 10 days of Hitler’s life (as well as the people around him), in a blunt but engrossing way. Bruno Ganz gives a strong performance that never suggests Hitler is anything other than a psychopath. (In German, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for violence, subject matter.
Now showing: Meridian, Guikd 45th.
“Downfall” HHH
Oscar nominee: German film looks at the last 10 days of Hitler’s life (as well as the people around him), in a blunt but engrossing way. Bruno Ganz gives a strong performance that never suggests Hitler is anything other than a psychopath. (In German, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for violence, subject matter.
Now showing: Meridian, Guild 45th.
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