Downfall

Bought the 2-DVD version with extra material a week ago. Guess where the film was shot...In St Petersburg...

Anyway, great film.

http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/dvd.php?043396115453

"Downfall" is the first German film to broach the subject of Hitler straight-on since G.W. Pabst's 1956 "Der Letste Akt" ("The Last Act") which was told from the point of view of an ordinary German soldier, played by Oskar Werner.

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I don´t think though they´ll be making Downfall II later on...or maybe a name for a comedy to follow?

 

It's still the best film I've seen this year by a mile - there hasn't been much competition

 

Oh, I had entirely forgot about this!

Thanks to Jeff I got to see the film on DVD just before it was released in Mexico, and I loved the film.

However, I still went to the cinema and saw it there. WOW! The power of a cinema, the big screen and loud sound, the reaction of the people, it was astonishing.

A supperb film, historically accurate, immensely dramatic and well-done.

Supperb!

 

If you get the chance to get the 2-DVD with extras do buy/rent it. Especially I liked the actors telling how they were concentrating to play their characters.

 

This film cannot be recommended highly enough and there is very little artistic license taken by the director in making this. I have read a number of books on this subject and Downfall remains true to the story. The scene were Eva Braun is writing to her Sister and talking about Jewellery whilst you can see the suffering of ordinary Berliners is truly harrowing and an excellent example of the escapism that people resorted to in times like this. A must see film indeed

 

Wonder if anyone got this for Christmas present?

 

I have just ordered the DVD from Amazon.UK, to my Irish address. I suppose I will be watching it in 2 weeks time.

In order to show you how quick I can be, I took the chance to order at the same time David Glantz's "Kursk" (the book, 1999).

 

I was looking at HQ catalog, also known as sportsmansguide.com. They had a dvd in there titled 50 War Classics, located here.... http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=205169. i was wondering if anyone has bought this, it sounds good to me but im not sure.

 

DOWNFALL

Yet another great film the Germans have done it again brilliant from start to finish if you want to know about the last days of Germany during the battle of Berlin this is a must see film.

Bruno Ganz is in my view gives the best performance of Hitler in the last days with out going over the top well done.

Well done to all those involved in making this film the Germans may have lost the war but they know how to do great films like Das Boot (The Boat) and Stalingrad and now Downfall.

 

Just saw that and it was good. similar details and events but also some differences. Guess that happens when you get viewpoints from different people. Good flick nevertheless.

 

From "In Hitler´s bunker" by Armin Lehmann

On the boys/men presented to Hitler on his birthday 20th April 1945:

"We were one of three delegations of highly decorated Hitler Youth, Army and Waffen-SS who had been hand-picked to be presented to the Führer. There were nine of us Hitler Youth. To the right of us there was the Frundsberg delegation of Waffen-SS. The Frundsberg group had been chosen for their commander´s refusal to give in to the Red Army advance to the south-east of Berlin. To the left were around 12 representatives from the Kurland army group, which was holding out on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea entirely encircled. I was also told that Hitler had wanted a delegation from Fortress Breslau but it had not been possible to fly anyone out of the city."

 

Yes, you need to know who these people are and also have a grasp of the situation going on around the government center during the Battle for Berlin. I couldn't figure out who the SS-Obergruppenfuhrer was who was trying to be released by Hilter. He went home dressed in his Sunday uniform with medals and grenades and blew his family up. Any ideas? He had something to do with medical experiments. Also a little disappointing was not having a scene showing Bormann and the SS doctor he escaped with killing themselves during the breakout attempt. Since I collect uniforms I was most impressed with them in the movie... just a few things: Fegelein's rank was SS-Gruppenfuhrer but he was wearing the rank of a Brigadefuhrer (one rank down), most of the officers with nice tailor-made tunics were wearing slip on shoulder boards. These should have been sewn in. Mohnke's greatcoat should have had silver-gray lapels of an SS general. Otherwise, first class on the uniforms -- best movie I've ever seen as far as that was concerned.

Bob

 

Bob,

The man who blew his family was the commanding medical SS-officer of Berlin. Unfortunately don´t remember his name right now but I´ll check my books on that.

 

Ok,

I think it was Ernst-Robert Grawitz, Reichsarzt-SS.



http://www.answers.com/topic/ernst-robert-grawitz

 

Yes Kai, you are right. When watching the movie again the other night I looked at the credits and there he was. The pictures you show are of him as an SS-Gruppenfuhrer wearing his Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon in the buttonhole denoting the 1914 award and the 1939 Clasp over it denoting the award again in WWII. The medal on his pocket is the War Merit Cross with Swords First Class. On his left sleeve is the Old Campaigner's Chevron meaning he was a member of the Nazi Party before 30 January 1933, when Hitler took office as Chancellor.

Bob