In 2004 an incredible drama about the last days of Nazi Germany was released called Downfall. This German language film seemed to receive good reviews, but I had never seen it. I had seen plenty of angry Hitler memes using footage from the movie but never actually seen it. So with it releasing in a new 4K edition, I figured it was the time to correct that error in my back catalog, and I am glad to have done that now.
What is the movie about?
As mentioned, it is about the lead-up to the end of the war. Downfall mostly focuses on the German side of things, spending a lot of time with Hitler and his inner circle. It starts with an introduction by the real Traudl Junge, who was a secretary to Hitler. She speaks briefly about her regret and naivety in the situation. The movie then kicks off with a bunch of women applying for the job and Traudi managing to get it.
The movie then proceeds to tell the story of the final days of the Nazi regime. It tells a few different stories, like Traudi’s, as she, and others are charmed by the monster that was her boss. We see a lot of moments, like how he manages to charm and build loyalty with the troops and youth, through to his determination to win even as Berlin is circled, and through to the moments when the Russians are only a few blocks away.
As Hitler becomes more brutal, showing a disregard for German civilians and troops, we see his council starting to become less confident and wanting to undermine Hitler’s strategies. Then alongside that we see the Goebbels family’s sycophantic dedication to Hitler’s plan, and how it took them to their dark and twisted end. Don’t get me wrong, the adults dying isn’t so tough; it was how they took their kids down with them so they didn’t have to live in a world without their government being brutal.
Early on there is a lot to take in with all of the different characters. Jumping between the different stories, especially reading it all as the movie is in German, can be a lot. But as the story goes on and these stories overlap, it becomes a cohesive whole. A terrifying, yet cohesive whole.
The movie is loaded with fantastic acting performances that add a lot to the story. It’s tough to watch the moments where Hitler doesn’t seem like a total bastard, but with such strong performances we do get to see the softer side to the bastard and how that allowed him to charm so many people. But then you watch how he flips over to his brutal bastard side, where he ruthlessly sends lives to the slaughter as he tries to desperately seek out a win. We see him make his suicide plans, clearly showing he expects to lose, but then again he’s sending his people to the slaughter to the end to try to win.
Bonuses in this edition
One of the Blu-ray discs includes an extended TV edition of the movie, which adds another half an hour to the movie. This includes a bunch of extra scenes, including more time with the Goebbels family. More specifically, there is a bunch more time for the kids playing and singing which only makes their fate that much darker. Given the movie already made that scene messed up enough, this one hurts more, which, you know, is kind of the point.
Then there are a bunch of special features. These include an interesting behind-the-scenes movie where we get to see the actor who took on the role of one of the world’s worst people and the creators who tried to bring this to the screen. There are other features as well, including an interesting one with the co-writer of Traudl Junge’s biography, which adds some interesting insight.
The whole package comes in a hardcover box that holds the case and a hardcover book. This little book includes a bunch of interesting reads. The best of which is an essay titled Humanizing a Monster, which digs into the problems with depicting Nazis on the big screen.
Should you buy this edition of Downfall?
Downfall is a movie that is incredibly well shot and well built to tell an interesting story of the end of an awful human and the last of his empire collapsing around him. The incredibly well-shot aspect makes getting it in 4K well worth it, and when you add the additional features, this makes the package a sweet addition to the collection, worth revisiting time and time again.
