Downfall | 
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Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Actors: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Koehler
Category: DVD
Buy New: $14.94
New (4) Used (2) from $14.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  355 reviews
Sales Rank: 100806
Format: Ntsc
Languages: German (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), English (Published)
Rating: R (Restricted)
UPC: 065935209669
EAN: 0065935209669
ASIN: B000AABEKA
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The riveting subject of Downfall is nothing less than the disintegration of Adolf Hitler in mind, body, and soul. A 2005 Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film, this German historical drama stars Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) as Hitler, whose psychic meltdown is depicted in sobering detail, suggesting a fallen, pathetic dictator on the verge on insanity, resorting to suicide (along with Eva Braun and Joseph and Magda Goebbels) as his Nazi empire burns amidst chaos in mid-1945. While staging most of the film in the claustrophobic bunker where Hitler spent his final days, director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment) dares to show the gentler human side of der Fuehrer, as opposed to the pure embodiment of evil so familiar from many other Nazi-era dramas. This balanced portrayal does not inspire sympathy, however: We simply see the complexity of Hitler's character in the greater context of his inevitable downfall, and a more realistic (and therefore more horrifying) biographical portrait of madness on both epic and intimate scales. By ending with a chilling clip from the 2002 documentary Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, this unforgettable film gains another dimension of sobering authenticity. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 350 more reviews...
 The best german movie of our times August 11, 2008
I saw this excellent german movie, here in Brazil.Since the times of Leni Reifensthal,decades ago, no other german movie was so good, as this amazing movie.
Superb Docudrama August 9, 2008
Downfall
This is a gripping depiction of the end of Hitler and the Third Reich; somewhat harrowing in places, but a great film.
Rarely Ever Give 5 Stars but this was Deserving August 7, 2008
I recorded this one night off of HBO (or was it Showtime). I saw the description and thought it sounded interesting. The movie started at 1:00am and I had planned to go to bed and watch it later. I saw the first few minutes and ending up being awake past 3:00am as I could not stop watching. Now to be fair I love movies of this genre but if this was half as good I would still have loved it. My wife hates these type of movies however and it took a lot of convincing to get her to watch the next night. She hates war moves and really hates movies with subtitles. With that being said she loved this move. I ended up purchasing this movie as well.
I think it was the human depiction of the characters that made it so good. I defiantly did not feel sorry for Hitler after watching this however the lower rank soldiers and civilians were much easier to have sympathy for. I believe the tone of the movie highlighted how easily normal people can fall in line behind a mad man who in better times might have seemed more like a savior and then suffer terrible consequences for their blindness.
Didn't mean to get long winded here and will cut it short as there really is so much more I could say about this movie. This really does deserve 5 stars.
One of the few DVD's I own August 6, 2008
This is one of the few DVDs I own. I know it is not one that I will put on all the time for a feel good experience but I didn't buy it for that reason. I own it because it is the highest of art. It is like having your own Matisse or Picasso. This is about as good as modern film making gets. I am not a fan of WWII films and the genre has been flooded with so many poor ones why watch another one right? That is what I thought...see this one it is one of the best ever made on the subject or any other subject.
One of the Great Ones August 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great movies are judged on many things. A few things I've noticed about the truly great ones are:
1. It stays with you hours after the movie is over.
2. It makes you more interested in the subject matter.
There have been so many movies that end at the credits and you don't give them a second thought. Downfall is not one of those movies, at least not for me. I felt like an eye-witness to the last days of Hitler.
And the criticisms for the movie are unwarranted and expected in a politically correct society. The movie portrays Hitler as a human. Really? What was he in reality, an alien? Of course he was human. But I felt no more sympathy for him after this movie than I did before. The same for Goebbels, etc. It made me aware that as humans, these people made grave mistakes in their decisions and paid for it. Let that be a lesson to those who are doomed to repeat it.
I've also heard some criticize the fact that it was not in English. I'm embarrassed that people make such silly claims. Would it really feel authentic if the actors had and English accent? Come on.
A truly great movie and in my top 10 of all time. Definitely top 5 of the WWII genre and should at least be viewed by any serious WWII enthusiast.
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