Post Published on June 9, 2011.
Last Updated on April 24, 2016 by davemackey.
Downfall is one of those beautiful and disturbing historical epics that foreigners seem to do so much better than us Americans. It tells the story of Hitler and his closest compatriots during the last days of the Second World War as they hid out in an underground bunker. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film it opened in theaters in February 2005. Yes, you’ll have to live with subtitles – but the passion and energy of the film make the subtitles fade into the background.
In addition to the films historical and cinematic merits it is also well-known for creating a meme surrounding the imagined outraged reactions of various famous personages or companies to disappoints. Many of these short films are quite memorable in and of themselves – in spite of occasional censorship by the implicit stars of said videos.
You can visit the official website here. Or if you are ready to buy the film, here is an Amazon link.
Ahh, did I forget to mention that the able Bruno Ganz plays the deteriorating Hitler? Ganz is one of those actors I don’t recognize by name but whom I always enjoy when I see in a film. In addition to his turn as Hitler he has played Luther‘s mentor in the remarkable film of the same name.