Downfall (2002)
Written and produced by Bernd Eichinger and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, the film is based on the book Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich by Joachim Fest, and the writings of Traudi Junge, one of Hitler’s secretaries, and Melissa Müller: Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary. The primary focus is upon Hitler, the Führer, and those close to him during the last twelve days before the collapse of the regime.
Often in psychological examination, the psychologist will maintain that that which is seemingly absent is the most significant. While most films focus on the horror and tragedy of the Holocaust itself from the point of view of the victims, instead, Hirschbiegel’s film paints a perspective of the Nazis and resists rendering events as merely tragic. Stated in the DVD commentary: “Thomas Mann warned before that the Germans used the word ‘tragic’ too easily. You can mystify every bad behavior with that word. You can give it a positive image.”
Further, the director stresses the inherent danger in designating the perpetrators of such atrocities as pure evil or as monsters without recognizing the human, thus social, element involved. These individuals are absolutely contingent with a social mechanism. They do not exist in a vacuum, somehow separate from their social infrastructure or historical epoch. The director states, “[Hitler] only succeeded because he was a human being, and that’s why we have to show this.” It’s deceptively easy to blame one person or a regime or ideology. It is exceedingly difficult to elicit the recognition of a larger social responsibility. The film does this to a superb degree, neither glorifying nor belittling the signification of the events or the key players.
Jennifer Dawson
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Grading
- Story A
- Acting A
- Visuals A
- Originality/Innovation A
- Enjoyability A
- Overall A
- DVD Extras A-
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