"Downfall" - Tonight, RTE2, 9.30

aidan_walsh

As the Russians advance through Berlin in the spring of 1945, Adolf Hitler and his remaining military and secretarial staff shelter in his large bunker complex in the centre of the city. His mood swings between completely unjustified optimism that his forces will still break through, and rage against the incompetence and betrayal of his military commanders. Reality does finally start to break through and the Fuhrer and the others in the bunker start to make their final personal preparations for the inevitable.(In German with English subtitles).
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch
(Subtitles, 2004, 15, 3 Star)

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Been hearing good things about this, and came very close to buying it on DVD a couple of times. Hopefully its as good as I have heard.

tvnutz

Ye I rented it a while back,very good movie indeed. The guy who plays Hitler is very very good,and the way he descended into madness,deploying regiments that didn't exist was crazy.

Well worth a watch,if you don't mind reading subtitles.

tracert

Saw it on DVD and later in the cinema. One of the best films I've ever seen.

cgf

Yup - excellent movie - well worth a view.

godtabh

I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Recording it now. Will watch it later.

crosstownk

Great movie - great that its subtitled - gives a real "German" fell to the movie. I'd watch this again tbh.

Mind you the bit where the kids die was a bit much for me - kinda upsetting.

unreg1987

tvnutz wrote:

Ye I rented it a while back,very good movie indeed. The guy who plays Hitler is very very good,and the way he descended into madness,deploying regiments that didn't exist was crazy.

Well worth a watch,if you don't mind reading subtitles.

Armin Mueller-Stahl is his name Yeah a very good movie, esp. since they managed to keep it unbiased & objective.

supersheep

Hitler is actually played by Bruno Ganz... Armin Mueller-Stahl played Hitler in Conversation with the Beast, which is about a guy who claims to be the real 103 year old Hitler.

This film is definitely one of the best I've ever seen. Brave and brilliant, because it portrays Hitler as a human being. And the scene with the kids... Powerful. It's so gentle, yet it's damn near as brutal as the kerb-stomp in American History X.
Well worth the time.

aidan_walsh

Just finished a short time ago, and I have to agree. Brilliant film.

munkeehaven

Some brillaint german actors in that film...

the bit where the kids are crunching the cyanide tubes is quite shivery alright...

The Black Oil

Hard to watch in parts (e.g. the kids), perhaps a little too long but intense and brilliant with very good acting. You can see the man decline (probably camera angles) but it looks like he gets smaller towards the end.

I'll have to get the DVD.

munkeehaven

i watched it in my college theater which was absolutely freezing and i was tired and hungry but got totally absorbed by the film...