Downfall film review - Radio Times

Review

Cast & crew

Downfall

(2004)

The final days of the Third Reich are claustrophobically re-created in this acutely observed, Oscar-nominated drama. Made by German director Oliver Hirschbiegel, it's a ground-breaking attempt to confront the ghosts of his country's Nazi past. Using a script that combines details from the memoirs of Adolf Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, and historian Joachim Fest's book, Inside Hitler's Bunker, Hirschbiegel meticulously depicts the Führer's last gasp of power, as observed by Junge herself (Alexandra Maria Lara). It's grotesquely surreal, as key personnel — among them Hitler's mistress Eva Braun (Juliane Köhler) — plot and party underground, while outside ordinary Berliners face the Allied advance. Such chilling matter-of-factness makes for a gripping experience, with Bruno Ganz's uncomfortably humanised Hitler particularly riveting. Rich period detail complements the superb acting, adding extra depth to a feature that's ultimately so eerily realistic, it's like watching history being replayed. Though many English-language projects have tackled these events, this is probably as close as you'll get to a definitive version. SF

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Running time

149min

Country of origin

Ger / Austria / It

Genre

Second World War Historical Drama

Alternate title

Der Untergang, The Downfall: Hitler and the End of the Third Reich

Original language

German

Screenplay

Bernd Eichinger, from the non-fiction book Inside Hitler's Bunker: the Last Days of the Third Reich by Joachim Fest and from the memoirs Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary by Traudl Junge, Melissa Müller

Theatrical distributor

Momentum Pictures

UK cinema certificate

UK cinema release date

April 2005

Subtitling information

In German with subtitles