Film review: Der Untergang.
I saw this film just now, and I simply could not resist to sit down and write a review about it, it was that good.
This is one of those very rare films that proves to us that the blackest pages in our world history easily surpass the fictional tales of the most imaginative playwright. This future landmark in cinema portrays the final days of Hitler's reign at the bunker in Berlin. In the opening sequences, we see how Der Führer hires Traudl Junge as his personal secretary and we largely witness the rest of the story from her viewpoint.
The bulk of the praise for Der Untergang must go to Bruno Ganz for his astonishing portrayal of Der Führer himself. He seems to have become Adolf Hitler for the role; his left hand, left utterly useless by Parkinson's, shakes and flutters nervously behind his back. It's an extraordinary transformation for this Swiss-born actor. However, this physical recreation of Hitler's mannerisms is only half the story.
It's the depiction of Hitler as a kindly, human, flawed character which has attracted controversy in Germany and the rest of the world. There are moments where the viewer might even feel sympathy for this poor old man. One of the accusations levelled at the film is the idea that 'humanising' this character somehow lessen the severity his atrocities - a ridiculous notion.
Der Untergang gives us a fully-rounded, completely believable portrait of Adolf Hitler, and surely the fact that he was only one man, and not a monster, makes his crimes all the more terrible. Oliver Hirschbiegel's direction is determinedly non-judgemental - he simply shows us how events unfolded, documentary style, and allows us to draw our own conclusions.
As for the rest of the cast: Alexandra Maria Lara gives a subtle performance as Traudl Junge, the young secretary. She saw plenty inside the bunker and lived to tell it to the world - short clips from a recent interview with the actual Traudl Junge bookend the film. Another excellent performance is given by Corinna Harfouch, who as Mrs. Goebbels makes us cringe in horror because of what her fanaticism makes her do. Juliane Kohler, presents Eva Braun as the enigma she was; to this day we don't know what made this Eva Braun tick.
Der Untergang is an awesome achievement, a relentlessly intense, unflinchingly honest film which sheds light on a world we've never seen before - it is a masterpiece of historical accuracy and an intelligent, powerful drama. It is impossible to do justice to people who created hell on earth. But it is possible to show them to new generation in a completely honest and accurate way. Oliver Hirschbiegel and his crew did just that, and for that they should be commended. A brave and formidable attempt.
An 83 out of 100.
This is one of those very rare films that proves to us that the blackest pages in our world history easily surpass the fictional tales of the most imaginative playwright. This future landmark in cinema portrays the final days of Hitler's reign at the bunker in Berlin. In the opening sequences, we see how Der Führer hires Traudl Junge as his personal secretary and we largely witness the rest of the story from her viewpoint.
The bulk of the praise for Der Untergang must go to Bruno Ganz for his astonishing portrayal of Der Führer himself. He seems to have become Adolf Hitler for the role; his left hand, left utterly useless by Parkinson's, shakes and flutters nervously behind his back. It's an extraordinary transformation for this Swiss-born actor. However, this physical recreation of Hitler's mannerisms is only half the story.
It's the depiction of Hitler as a kindly, human, flawed character which has attracted controversy in Germany and the rest of the world. There are moments where the viewer might even feel sympathy for this poor old man. One of the accusations levelled at the film is the idea that 'humanising' this character somehow lessen the severity his atrocities - a ridiculous notion.
Der Untergang gives us a fully-rounded, completely believable portrait of Adolf Hitler, and surely the fact that he was only one man, and not a monster, makes his crimes all the more terrible. Oliver Hirschbiegel's direction is determinedly non-judgemental - he simply shows us how events unfolded, documentary style, and allows us to draw our own conclusions.
As for the rest of the cast: Alexandra Maria Lara gives a subtle performance as Traudl Junge, the young secretary. She saw plenty inside the bunker and lived to tell it to the world - short clips from a recent interview with the actual Traudl Junge bookend the film. Another excellent performance is given by Corinna Harfouch, who as Mrs. Goebbels makes us cringe in horror because of what her fanaticism makes her do. Juliane Kohler, presents Eva Braun as the enigma she was; to this day we don't know what made this Eva Braun tick.
Der Untergang is an awesome achievement, a relentlessly intense, unflinchingly honest film which sheds light on a world we've never seen before - it is a masterpiece of historical accuracy and an intelligent, powerful drama. It is impossible to do justice to people who created hell on earth. But it is possible to show them to new generation in a completely honest and accurate way. Oliver Hirschbiegel and his crew did just that, and for that they should be commended. A brave and formidable attempt.
An 83 out of 100.
3 Comments:
I'd heard it was well received in Germany.
Great review, lad.
:)
I'd try to read this but it looks like it is written in a foreign language...skip!
Your loss.
Cheers
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