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| Downfall |
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List Price: $19.94
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $9.95 (50%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 216 reviews)
Sales Rank: 379
Category: DVD
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Studio: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Label: Sony Pictures
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: German (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 155 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1404987606
UPC: 043396115453
EAN: 0043396115453
ASIN: B0009RCPUC
Release Date: August 2, 2005
Theatrical Release Date: November 30, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The riveting subject of Downfall is nothing less than the disintegration of Adolf Hitler in mind, body, and soul. A 2005 Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film, this German historical drama stars Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) as Hitler, whose psychic meltdown is depicted in sobering detail, suggesting a fallen, pathetic dictator on the verge on insanity, resorting to suicide (along with Eva Braun and Joseph and Magda Goebbels) as his Nazi empire burns amidst chaos in mid-1945. While staging most of the film in the claustrophobic bunker where Hitler spent his final days, director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment) dares to show the gentler human side of der Fuehrer, as opposed to the pure embodiment of evil so familiar from many other Nazi-era dramas. This balanced portrayal does not inspire sympathy, however: We simply see the complexity of Hitler's character in the greater context of his inevitable downfall, and a more realistic (and therefore more horrifying) biographical portrait of madness on both epic and intimate scales. By ending with a chilling clip from the 2002 documentary Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, this unforgettable film gains another dimension of sobering authenticity. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews: Read 211 more reviews...
 Outstanding! June 28, 2006
Filmed in Germany in German by Germans - it stands with the best easily.
The film portrays Hitler and his associates/sycophants during the last days of the Reich, as told by his surviving personal secretary. The portrayal of Hitler is fascinating - you get a sense of a man gone completely mad, and yet isn't - and the people who surrounded him were equally mad, and yet fanatical in their beliefs.
For those considering showing this to teens and others as a historical document - know this - take the R rating VERY seriously. The blood and gore of war is shown graphically, as are several of the suicides.
An incredible movie June 24, 2006
If you want to get a better understanding of the last days of the Third Reich and you want to see an incredible move then "Downfall" is the movie you need to rent or buy.
It is a German movie (with English subtitles) that covers the last weeks of the Third Reich and the acting and characters are outstanding. The special effects, the uniforms, the intensity of the plot make for an incredible movie. The movie is difficult to watch at times (especially the Magda Goebbels scene with her children which will tear you apart as you watch the scene).
I can't recommend this movie highly enough for anyone who wants to watch an incredible movie based on the actual historical events.
Hitler's final days... June 15, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I was still living in NYC, I was lucky enough to see a 35mm print of this film... and it had me in awe. Perhaps the best movie about the war that is out there now... "The Pianist" a very close second. "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" not on the list... sorry, Speilberg.
Like "The Pianist", This movie has less action, more humanity. I am convinced that Bruno Ganz WAS Hitler in this film. But dare I say... I was actually pulling for Hitler and the Nazi's? This film shows that though they were monsters, they were humans as well. Hitler was still a madman up until the end, but still seemed to have a sliver of humanity for the people closest to him. One can imagine how frightening it would be to have to live in a depressing bunker such as that. As the allies grow closer and closer, there is less and less hope. You almost hope they re-write history and make it out okay. All the performances are stellar and convincing, the cinematography is beautiful, and I tip my hat to the director (Oliver Hirschbiegel)
Is this portrayal accurate? It is based the book "Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich" by Joachim Fest and the memoir "Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary" by Traudl Junge and Melissa Muller. (Junge was Hitler's bunker secretary, she is the lead female character in the film) Who knows for certain if everything is completely accurate, but it is quite a gripping and emotional story. A definite reccomendation.
Very Good, Chilling Portrayal June 6, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"You Are There!" In the bunker in the final days with Hitler and his cronies. Utterly awful, chilling, brilliant. Bruno Ganz should have received the Best Actor Oscar, but we know what those -- usually -- are all about (i.e., anything BUT acting). This is a fascination portrayal, well worth more than a few bucks.
The Last Days of the Third Reich. June 6, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
_Downfall_ is a film which depicts the last days of the Third Reich as Hitler and his cronies await their imminent doom in their bunker as the Russians invade Berlin. Hitler is depicted by Bruno Ganz as suffering from Parkinsonianism and slowly losing his grip on reality, ranting and raving about the failure of the German people and the German generals and military as it becomes more and more apparent that he has lost the war. The film is interesting in that it also shows a more personable side to Hitler, an ambiguous figure in the film, capable at once of kindness towards his secretaries and his dog but also great cruelty. However, one also becomes aware of the ultimate failure of the Third Reich, as one sees how the cult of personality surrounding Hitler fails to serve the German people as innocent German civilians are slaughtered by the Red army. Many of the most loyal in Hitler's regime choose to fight to the end and ultimately commit suicide (serving as would be martyrs of the National Socialist political religion). Goring, Speer, and Himmler all ultimately opt to attempt to save their own lives by betraying Hitler. Goebbels remains loyal to the end and he and his wife murder their own children, in the most sickening of manners, and then commit suicide because they cannot bear a world without National Socialism. Eva Braun too remains loyal to Der Furher, opting to commit suicide with him by cyanide capsule after their marriage in the bunker. (According to the film, Hitler's body was burned following his suicide so as to never be found by the invading Russians. The film does not give credit to many of the various survival myths or alternative accounts of Hitler's last days.) The movie speaks to the horrors of war, and also the cruelty of men, showing the insane cruelty of the Nazi regime and the SS, but also hinting at the equal cruelty of the Soviet army. The movie also speaks to the dangers of fanaticism, showing the way in which many of Hitler's own men obediently followed his every order unto their very death. It should be noted that Hitler had a lifelong fascination with suicide and that several of his former mistresses had committed suicide over him. The unquestioning nature of Hitler's associates is particularly shocking to see depicted on film, although many would break with him and betray him, it becomes clear in the film who constituted the opportunists in the Nazi regime and who constituted the true believers. Also, the conflict between Hitler and his generals and the military became very pronounced as Hitler ultimately turned his back on them and the German people but insisted at the same time that they never surrender. I found this movie to be very disturbing, although no doubt a more accurate depiction of Hitler's ambiguous nature than much of the over-the-top pro-Allied propaganda. While Hitler is depicted as clearly insane (or becoming insane) he is also clearly depicted as a human being and not merely a demon spawn conjured up from the pits of hell. Ultimately however, while the Third Reich regime was a failure, its memory has lived on due both to its insane cruelty and to the role of war in shaping the Twentieth century. This film provides an interesting account of those final days.
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Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006
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