"DownFall" Best WWII Fall of Berlin Movie (1 Viewer)

PanzerAce1944

PanzerAce1944

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Being a big history buff of the Berlin Battle in 1945, I compare this film covering Hitlers last days and the events leading up to his death as the best yet to date. The performance by Bruno Ganz portraying Hitler is the best ever attempted by an actor.Everything about the movie keeps your attention and exudes realism.I own 2 copies of this film on DVD....incase one gets damaged!!! I watched "The Bunker" with Anthony Hopkins recently and there is no comparison between the 2 films.
 
PanzerAce1944 said:
Being a big history buff of the Berlin Battle in 1945, I compare this film covering Hitlers last days and the events leading up to his death as the best yet to date. The performance by Bruno Ganz portraying Hitler is the best ever attempted by an actor.Everything about the movie keeps your attention and exudes realism.I own 2 copies of this film on DVD....incase one gets damaged!!! I watched "The Bunker" with Anthony Hopkins recently and there is no comparison between the 2 films.
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Don't think fair to compare downfall with the bunker as bunker was a low budget film . As your a big battle for Berlin buff are be interested in what books you read ?
 
the bunker was a really good film IMO and, Hopkins really played the part very very well. Made many many years before Down fall I also think its a bit unfair to address both in the same way. The bunker was a heavy film but, decent enough and, I like downfall but, again, the caveat is there not to believe everything in the film as accurate. Many of the parts where dialogue of some importance to history that are portrayed are from persons like Speer who was looking to avoid the rope.

Good film and one which sticks to the book it derives from quite closely in many aspects. not sure its good enough to have two copies in the house in case one breaks!!!!!
Mitch
 
PanzerAce1944 said:
Being a big history buff of the Berlin Battle in 1945, I compare this film covering Hitlers last days and the events leading up to his death as the best yet to date. The performance by Bruno Ganz portraying Hitler is the best ever attempted by an actor.Everything about the movie keeps your attention and exudes realism.I own 2 copies of this film on DVD....incase one gets damaged!!! I watched "The Bunker" with Anthony Hopkins recently and there is no comparison between the 2 films.
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I do not know enough about the final days of Hitler to make an historical assessment of the movie, but as a cinema experience, I rate it on a par with 'Das Boot', which is a big rap indeed. It is quite a magnificent film, particularly its portrayal of the insanity of the Third Reich, but also in its depiction of the claustrophobia of the bunker literally and at a figurative level, the claustrophobia of being part of Hitler's inner circle. This atmosphere seduced even intelligent men like Speer, although his moral compass was a bit askew!

I read a great assessment of David Irving - the holocaust denier (which was as sympathetic and as even handed as it was possible to be) in which the author made an interesting point about membership of the circle. Irving had got access to the survivors and rather than drawing them out in his interviews, it appears that they had drawn him into their world, the one so powerfully presented in this film.

As another aside, one of Hitler's rants in the film was parodied in Australia using Hitler as a stand in for one of our more unbalanced sports stars. Quite hilarious.

Thanks for the discussion - I love a good movie chat!
 
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To me its the best end of the Reich movie ever produced, and certainly amongst the best WWII movies in general. Certainly a WWII film that belongs in the "to watch more than once" category!
 
Yes, Downfall is a spectacular movie, I think, and the performance of Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler is one of the best acting possible.
Konrad
 
uksubs said:
Don't think fair to compare downfall with the bunker as bunker was a low budget film . As your a big battle for Berlin buff are be interested in what books you read ?
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Neil, not so much as comparing films based on their budget but the overall final quality. To me when they made "Downfall" they spared nothing. Look at the awards it received. Does anyone know of another such type film other than the 2 mentioned. ?
 
How about that! This photo in on eBay! Maybe my brother has the 1967 photos.

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PanzerAce1944 said:
Neil, not so much as comparing films based on their budget but the overall final quality. To me when they made "Downfall" they spared nothing. Look at the awards it received. Does anyone know of another such type film other than the 2 mentioned. ?
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There was a movie called "The Last Ten Days", done in 1973 and starring Alec Guiness as Hitler. It was so-so, nothing close to as good as "Downfall". -- Al
 
lancer said:
There was a movie called "The Last Ten Days", done in 1973 and starring Alec Guiness as Hitler. It was so-so, nothing close to as good as "Downfall". -- Al
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Thanks for the info,I'll have to try and track it down on DVD.
 
Just starting on TV now so going to watch for 2nd time. First time my wife saw it she was very upset with Mrs Goebels.
 
The Military Workshop said:
Just starting on TV now so going to watch for 2nd time. First time my wife saw it she was very upset with Mrs Goebels.
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Same thing happened with my wife when we saw the movie. Until today every now and then she remembers this fact and says she will never understand how a mother could do that... To me, its one of the the most macabre examples of selfish fanaticism {eek3}:redface2:
 
a Woman in Berlin.jpgAnother Film with a different perspective is a 2008 German movie called Anonyma-Eine Frau in Berlin. Anonymous-A Woman in Berlin. It is based on a diary published anonymously years after the war that did not sell very well. People did not want to be reminded of that time. It takes place a few miles from the bunker and shows what happened to the civilians in Berlin when the Soviets came.
 
Nooooo9 said:
View attachment 97478Another Film with a different perspective is a 2008 German movie called Anonyma-Eine Frau in Berlin. Anonymous-A Woman in Berlin. It is based on a diary published anonymously years after the war that did not sell very well. People did not want to be reminded of that time. It takes place a few miles from the bunker and shows what happened to the civilians in Berlin when the Soviets came.
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Thanks for the info,have to check it out.
 
Nooooo9 said:
View attachment 97478Another Film with a different perspective is a 2008 German movie called Anonyma-Eine Frau in Berlin. Anonymous-A Woman in Berlin. It is based on a diary published anonymously years after the war that did not sell very well. People did not want to be reminded of that time. It takes place a few miles from the bunker and shows what happened to the civilians in Berlin when the Soviets came.
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I've seen this film and it very good , there some good old black and white films out there as well about Berlin
 
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