Reviews (312)

See this movie after you have read the book
If you are interested in the turning point of the Eastern Front in World War II, I would encourage you to see this movie after reading "Enemy at the Gates" by William Craig.

It would be very difficult to capture the full essence of the Battle of Stalingrad as detailed in the historic masterpiece by William Craig. Film director Arnaud did a great job of creating atmosphere with special effects in the introductory scenes.

Why the writers created a fictitious story about a love triangle is not quite clear. It really does not add to the story line and discredits the film by needlessly altering historical fact. The ending of the sniper duel is pure Hollywood fantasy and a bit stupid. The German Master Sniper Konig strolls out into the middle of the street, in the light of day and Vassili puts a bullet through his brain.

Hollywood Bolshevism rears its ugly head here and there in the film by downplaying the brutality of the NKVD Commissars to Soviet men, women, children and German prisoners. All one has to do is read the Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn to get the real story of the brutality of the Communists.

The bloodthirsty hero of Stalingrad, Nikita Khrushchev, later nearly plunged the world into a nuclear World War III.

Great War Film
Based on a true story, this movie attempts to bring the climatic battle of WWII to life--Stalingrad. 1942 was the make or break year for Russian resistance to Hitler. Defeatism was abundant in the Red Army, they felt they couldn't win. Being a maniac also, Stalin needed the enemy to be halted at the city bearing his name.

Jude Law plays Vassili, the Russian supersniper who claimed 242 kills at Stalingrad. Joseph Fiennes is Danilov, the political officer who makes him a star--it seems in real life Danilov really was not terribly involved. Rachel Weisz is Tani Chernova, another sharpshooter and Vassili's love. Like many other people, I too had a problem with these British Russians, particularly Weisz--I kept waiting for Brendan Fraser and a mummy to show up.

The love story between Tani and Vassili is out of place in this film. Perhaps we were shown to understand that even love can flourish in the worst of conditions. The sex scene does seem terribly out of place.

Ed Harris is Major Koning, sent from Berlin to hunt Vassili down. In many books I have never found a Major Koning, but rather an SS Colonel Heinz Thorwald who hunted him down. Take it for what it is, there was a German sniper hunting him so let's not worry about the name.

The cat and mouse game which many seem to dislike is the best part. It's a struggle between two men, told through their eyes. The backdrop is impressive, fighting among the ruins of a once great city. This was some of the most savage fighting of the war and it is accurately depicted.

Some complain about historical inaccuracies---movies will always have them. The Russians may have been outproducing the Germans, but the supplies weren't reaching the troops. Guns and ammunition were in short supply at the beginning of the battle, which in when the movie takes place.

The Russians suffered casulties of 750,000 at Stalingrad, the Germans were defeated soundly for the first time and began their march backwards. Excellent film---pick up a book on Stalingrad and get the full story.

ETMR - Enemy at the Gates
1. Humanity: Stalingrad, with its torn buildings, dismal skyscapes, and eternal battles of gunfire, is almost more important than the sniper Vassily, the main protagonist. What does the landscape of the city tell you about the passions of men?

2. Implications: This film tries to pay credence to both the Russians and the Germans, while trying to play at their faults as well. It appears, however, that the film is still in favor of the Allies, from the distasteful humor in Major Konig toward his work, the ominous rows of sleek black German battle tanks, and the hopeful dancing of the Russian soldiers who knew they were to die. How does this movie paint the German personality? Do you think it is a valid statement?

3. Evolution: Cinema has seen many, many WWII films. From the blood and dust of Saving Private Ryan, to the practical jokes and youthfulness of The Great Escape, WWII films showcase a museum of human feelings regarding the Second Great War. Where does Enemy at the Gates fit into this grand tradition? How does it compare?

4. Realism: It's obvious the film tries to be realistic. The bloody battles and lost friends and gloomy atmosphere only emphasize and accent this theme. Yet there is a certain glee in the gun-battles, as if it were a video-game being played out. This is perceived in the cycling of snarpshooters beside Vassily the inevitable conflict between Vassily and Konig, the kill count papers, and the soap-opera love triangle between Danilov, Vassily, and Tanya. Do these elements become shortcomings, or do they flourish the film in its cinematic quest?

5. Stageplay: One of the first surprises of the film is that the Russian actors have British accents, while the Germans have German accents and speak English. How does this affect the atmosphere of the film?

visuals are fine - dialogue a crime
This film should have been great. Its clear that the director has a great eye for detail such as the the realistic Children's Fountain which matches the real life documentary footage of the battle. I can even overlook the fake CGI stukas which don't look quite real as well as the soldiers standing alongside the Panzerkampfwagen IV shooting their guns in a completely un-realistic fashion. At least the tank is not a Sherman with German markings which you so often see, so I was kind of impressed with that.

In fact I was pretty well captivated with this film ... until things started to descend into Buddy-Buddy-Movie hell where I was half expecting Zaitsev the sniper & his new chum the Political Commisar to start exchanging 'High Fives' & 'Home Alone' 'YES's. And add in a Hollywoodesque ubiquitous love triangle and I found the whole concept barely tolerable.

The dialogue is not the best I have heard, but the irritation factor is magnified by the Cockney accents which halted my suspension of disbelief.

The actors certainly try their best & if this film was the 'Rats of Tobruk' I'd be pretty pleased with their performance, but hampered by an appalling script & a clueless yet earnest director, they fall way short of expectations.

Its still worth checking out but to have repeated viewings is a asking a bit too much.

Love and Bullets
Wow! Who could have guessed that plucky little Vassili would get the drop on Hitler's top gun, spork the local hottie, make headlines, win medals, and even get a hug from Kruschev? Oh yeah, all the shots and explosions are because it happened during the Battle of Stalingrad. I give it three because there is a great deal of fabulous eye candy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Both epic and heartbreakingly intimate, Nowhere in Africa beginswith a Jewish woman named Jettel Redlich fleeing Nazi Germany with herdaughter Regina, to join her husband, Walter, on a farm in Kenya. Atfirst, Jettel refuses to adjust to her new circumstances (she broughtwith her a set of china dishes and an evening gown), while Regina adaptsreadily to this new world, forming a strong bond with her father's cook,an African named Owuor. But this is only the beginning of a series ofuprootings, and as the surface of their lives is torn away, Walter andJettel find they have little in common, and must--under tumultuouscircumstances--build their marriage anew. With incredible skill andpassion, Nowhere in Africa manages to bring you fully into everychange in this family's life; it richly deserves the Academy Award® itreceived in 2002. A powerful, deeply moving film. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Truly exceptional !
This was an absolutely incredible movie, about a subject of which I was largely unaware, that of German Jews who sought refuge in Africa in the early 1940s. It is based on a true story.

The cinematography of the breathtakingly beautiful African landscape was outstanding, and the extra section on the DVD that explored the logistics of filming in such a remote location in Africa was fascinating.

The Redlich family escapes from Germany and the movie details the varying reactions of each family member to their new environment. Walter, a lawyer in his native land, becomes a farm manager to survive. His wife, Jettel, misses her privileged life, and their daughter, Regina, adapts most easily to this place she comes to love.

The family is aided by Owuor, who is ostensibly their cook, but is really so much more. He is their protector, defender, savior, teacher, and lifeline.

The details explored in this movie are fascinating and compelling, as is the story of how these refugees come to identify with, and even love, their new homeland.

A German Jewish family's traumatic move to Africa.
"Nirgendwo in Afrika" ("Nowhere In Africa") is the compelling story of a German Jewish couple who relocate with their little girl to Africa in the early 1930's. When the Nazis begin their rise to power, Walter Redlich sees the handwriting on the wall. Fearing that he and his family will soon be unable to escape from Germany, he gives up his law practice to manage a farm in Africa. He later sends for his wife, Jettel and his little girl, Regina, who join him in Kenya.

Jettel moves to Africa not knowing what to expect. She brings a beautiful evening gown and exquisite china, which are useless in her new home, instead of the practical refrigerator that Walter requests. Jettel cannot believe that she is doomed to live a hardscrabble life as a farmer. Walter is unsympathetic, since he believes that Jettel should be grateful to have left Europe alive. Jettel misses the family that she left behind and she longs for the comforts and familiar routines of her former life in Germany. Walter and Jettel cannot communicate with one another and their marriage begins to disintegrate.

"Nowhere in Africa" is a richly textured film. The actors, including Juliane Kohler as Jettel Redlich, Merab Ninidze as Walter, Sidede Onyulo as the family's beloved cook and right hand man, Owuor, and Karoline Eckertz as Regina, all deliver heartfelt and nuanced performances. Caroline Link's direction and screenplay are first rate. Link sensitively depicts Regina's relationship with the wise and compassionate Owuor, who becomes her mentor as well as her cherished friend. Jettel, who at first looks down on Owuor and at Africans in general, gradually realizes that there is much beauty in this wild and exotic land, and she comes to love Africa. Gernot Roll's cinematography is exquisite and the background music is evocative and moving. "Nowhere in Africa" will touch you and I guarantee that you will not easily forget the physical and spiritual journey of the Redlich family. This movie subtly demonstrates the pain of being an outsider, the importance of trying to understand people who are different from us, and the advantages of approaching life with an open mind and a caring heart.

Excellent -- the best of this genre
At first glance, "Nowhere in Africa" might appear to be something we've seen on the screen before, i.e., "Out of Africa", "The Flame Trees of Thika" and the much inferior "I Dreamed of Africa" -- another installment in the European-in-East-Africa genre: Europeans newly arrived in Africa, cross-cultural conflict and confusion followed by acceptance, an "old Africa hand" lending support, a child growing up more African than European, the noble African servant, encounters with the local fauna, etc.

But "Nowhere in Africa", while definitely part of the genre, is better than the other films mentioned. Largely this is the result of the strong character development. We see husband and wife really changed by their experience. Adding depth to the story is the fact that these European ex-pats are escaping Nazi persecution. The fact that they can only do so by participating in colonial oppression is not lost on them.

The dialogue and acting are first rate, as are the cinematography, editing, and music. There are many memorable scenes, including some interesting ones where voices are layered over images in such a way that you can't tell whether the couple are speaking to each other or keeping their thoughts to themselves. Great work. Recommended!

An epic
NIA is an epic movie. The acting is great. Kudos to the actors for acting in English, German and Swahili. Even though the movie is 2 hours plus, it never gets boring.

a unique perspective on the holocaust
The German film "Nowhere in Africa" provides a fascinating glimpse into a little known chapter in World War II history. The film tells of a handful of Jews who, on the eve of the war, fled to the wilds of Kenya to escape the rising tide of anti-Semitism in their home country. The movie focuses on a lawyer named Walter, his wife, Jettel, and their daughter, Regina, who narrates the tale.

The foundation of the story rests on a series of interlocking ironies. First, these Jewish refugees find themselves being treated in a more humane fashion in this ostensibly "uncivilized" society than they were in the so-called "civilized" one they've been forced to flee. Second, the men in this dislocated community end up fighting against their own native country, eagerly joining the allied forces in their attempt to overthrow Hitler. Moreover, Jettel, although she and her family are themselves victims of prejudice and bigotry, still feels superior to and looks down upon a culture and a people she believes are clearly inferior to her own. Finally, as the war comes to a close, Walter and Jettel virtually trade places in their attitudes: he, once so eager to remain in Kenya, feeling the need to return to a post-Hitler Germany to help rebuild his native country and she, once so eager to leave it, wanting to remain in a land she has learned to love, a country she has come, in many ways, to think of as her own.

In fact, it is the transition Jettel undergoes throughout the course of the story that makes "Nowhere in Africa" such a fascinating film. For Jettel is clearly the most interesting and complex character in the movie. Haughty and coldly superior at the outset, she eventually comes to see the beauty of "differences" that exist between peoples and cultures, an appreciation that, paradoxically, brings home for her the universal nature of human beings. Despite the grim reality of what is happening to her family and friends back home, Jettel is at first unable to shake the sense of pampered privilege she has long taken for granted as a result of her upper middle class upbringing and background. But both the land and the people of Kenya soon transform her into a woman who is able to see and understand the truly important things in life - tolerance, acceptance, love, family. The relationship between Walter and Jettel is a truly complex one; they are not a conventionally happily married couple, but rather one torn apart by their different, often-conflicting views of the world and their somewhat shaky love for one another. There are times in the movie when we simply do not know where one or the other partner is coming from - and that ambiguity heightens both the reality and the drama of the characters and their situation. As the ever-observant daughter, Regina is a more conventional, less well-rounded personality, more a plot device than a fully developed character in her own right. Still, she provides a great deal of the emotional depth needed to fully engage the audience in the story.

All the actors are superb, with Juliane Kohler as Jettel proving a particular standout. In addition, the wide screen photography captures, with crystal clear clarity, the haunting beauty of the African countryside, bringing an almost epic quality to this otherwise intimate family drama. For, indeed, despite the personal nature of the story, there is lurking ever present in the background - mainly through letters received from desperate and increasingly endangered relatives back home - the larger picture of a world gone suddenly, inexplicably mad, a world that feels strangely remote yet which is all too real in its menace and influence. This isolated community may provide for these dislocated people a refuge for the body, but it can't provide a refuge for the mind and soul.

"Nowhere in Africa" offers a unique, eye-opening perspective on the holocaust. ... Read more

Description

Acclaimed by critics and audiences everywhere, BEYOND SILENCE is the powerful Academy Award(R)-nominated story of a young woman's battle for independence and her deaf parents' struggle to understand her gift for music. Given a clarinet by her free-spirited aunt, Lara is immediately consumed by a new passion her parents cannot begin to fully comprehend. Determined to follow her dreams, Lara's ongoing pursuit of music creates an ever-widening rift that eventually threatens to tear apart her once close-knit family. An inspirational and highly entertaining motion picture offering from Miramax Home Entertainment -- you'll be riveted as this family must somehow learn to reach beyond differences, expectations ... and beyond silence ... to bring their two worlds together once again! ... Read more

Reviews (22)

wholesome enjoyment and good example of family problems
Many R-rated films have diturbing scenes and vulgar language mixed in with a good plot. This has neither. There is one scene with her boyfriend where you want to send the children out of the room,but the rest is very good. It shows family struggles that are familiar to us all. Pround Grandparents, flighty aunt, parents who dont understand the childs interest in music. It has a slow pace but the characters develop realistically. This movie also deals with the not so common problem, the relationships between deaf and hearing people. I would recommend this film to anyone who doesnt get upset by the one scene.

Maturing Collision of Two Worlds
This is exquisite and delightful film of a hearing daughter of deaf parents whose father hasn't fully matured in his deafness nor reconciled with previous family issues, nor has daughter fully matured in understanding the deaf as well as family who hasn't fully matured in the integration of hearing world with the deaf world.

Catalyst of this daughter whose musical gift on clarinet causes reaction of brother-sister and daughter-father as she matures into a young adult musician.

Even with the English subcaptions this movie is a grabber and romancer. It is very well done from its cinematography to its soundtrack. The acting is excellent. I think the father resembles closely a Boris Becker add a few extra pounds.

This film dramatizes the Deaf and hearing worlds in an entertaining and provocative way that touches deep.

Reaction to "Representation of Pure Silence"
I haven't seen this film yet, was interested because of the director's excellent recent film Nowhere in Africa, and came to Amazon to check it out. I wish Amazon would remove "reviews" from people who feel a review consists of revealing the entire plot--such as the author of "Representation of Pure Silence" (who did not realize Germany even makes films?!). I stopped reading when I realized where the review was headed--too late, unfortunately, to keep from spoiling some of the pleasure I'm sure I'd have watching this film.

Jenseits der Stille
This was an absolutely beautiful movie. It tells the story of Lara, a child with normal hearing who has two deaf parents. Although her parents can function without Lara, her parents have come to depend on her as a link to the 'hearing' world, even though she is very, very young.

Needless to say, the deafness of her parents has created interesting personality dynamics in Lara's world. One of the most strained relationships is between Lara's father and his sister Clarissa. When Clarissa introduces Lara to the clarinet, this is something that Lara latches on to, even though her parents can't comprehend the music she's playing. Because of this, and because it is Clarissa who wants her to keep at it, her parents are less than overjoyed. The film revolves around Lara growing up and excelling at playing the clarinet, and the decisions she has to make if she wants to pursue her music at a higher level. None of the characters are transparent or superficial; one gets the idea of their thoughts and their reasonings by the way they act and interact with one another.

The DVD is in German, with options for English subtitles or English for the hearing impared (It would be sad if they didn't; after all, this is a film about deaf people.) The only other "extra" is basically an advertisement for "other films you might like". However, this shouldn't deter one from enjoying this absolutely exquisite film.

Representation of Pure Silence
I have no idea that Germany actually made movies. Anyways, here's a little girl named Laura, and her two hearing impaired parents, Martin and Kai. Laura gets a clarinet from her aunt on Christmas. Martin doesn't approve, but Laura learns anyways. She gets REAL good at it, even though she's only 8 maybe? We find her at a concert a year later, and the scene magically changes from Laura being a little girl, to being a grown up woman. The baby that we see earlier (cute part when she blows the clarinet in her ear) is about 9. Her aunt Clarrisa tells her of a school that Laura could go to learn the Clarinet, but personally, I don't see why she needs to go. The big audtition comes up, along with a sad moment that we learn that, while riding a bike, Kai was hit by a car or something. She dies, and Uncle Gregor has the sad part to tell her. Marie (her little sister) rides all the way to Laura, to bring her back. Clarrisa takes her home, and Laura meets a guy named Tom. As we get torwards the end, Tom leaves and Laura goes to the audition. Martin walks in, and explains that he'll try to 'understand' what music is. It's a freeze frame to a beautiful ending. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Passion and politics collide with tragically bleak results in Le Coup de Grace. Dedicating his film to French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, director Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum) emulates Melville's fascination with themes of war, adapting (with his wife and star, Margarethe von Trotta) the novel Der Fangschuß by Marguerite Yourcenar, set in Latvia in 1919 after the end of World War I. While sporadic fighting continues in the Baltic states, naive countess Sophie (von Trotta) seals her fate by falling in love with Erich (Matthias Habich), a Prussian soldier who secretly desires Sophie's brother (in one of several vaguely handled subplots). She retaliates by supporting the Communists and, when captured, demands that Erich be her executioner. Like the repressed emotions of its characters, the drama's power is nearly subdued by Schlondorff's murky ambiguity; it helps to be familiar with the film's historical context, but Le Coup de Grace is still a worthy companion to Schlöndorff's The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, and a hauntingly atmospheric tale of wartime self-destruction. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Complex tale of love and war
Le Coup de Grace takes us to Latvia after World War I. A small force of German soldiers is attempting to hold a village against partisans of the Russian Revolution. At the center of the story is a German countess, Sophie, and her family. Sophie is deeply in love with a German officer, Erich, who spurns her advances. Erich appears conflicted sexually, but we must make inferences about his deepseated confusion about who he is and what he wants.

Sophie's frustration over her inability to interest Erich in her as a lover prompts her to develop casual sexual relationships with other members of the German officer corps. Erich has contempt for Sophie and actually slaps her at a Christmas party when she becomes too familiar with a fellow officer. Viewers are unlikely to see a more complicated love story than Le Coup de Grace. Without giving away the ending, the title of the film describes well both the end of the war for the Germans and the end of the affair of Sophie and Erich.

The war between the Germans and Russian partisans is as confusing as the love story of Sophie and Erich. We are never told why the Germans are in this small village in Latvia and we are never certain who the enemy is, other than Russian communist partisans. The actual battle sequences are confusing, as is perhaps appropriate in a partisan operation. We do know that the Germans are finally ordered to leave Latvia and it is at the end of the film that the most graphic battle sequences take place.

Le Coup de Grace was filmed in black and white and this seems appropriate for this dark and somber tragedy. The performances are uniformly excellent, particulary Sophie, played by Margarethe von Trotta. The director, Volker Schlondorff seemed unable to coordinate the action in this complex story. Additionally, the pace is often painfully slow. If that was Schlondorff's intention, he has succeeded. I recommend this film with the reservations noted. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The riveting subject of Downfall is nothing less than the disintegration of Adolph 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 ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Right to the point
Ill keep this review short and the point. Excellent film, great acting, amazing drama between characters. GO SEE IT, OR BUY THE DVD. IT IS WORTH THE $9.00 ADMISSION AND THE $25.00 POPCORN.

"Your Little Throats Are Being Cut"
"Downfall" is one of the most astonishing movies I have seen this year.I am a little baffled that it hasn't received more attention in the United States.Bruno Ganz should have gotten an Oscar nomination for best actor. But it did get a nomination for best foreign film."Downfall" is easily as good and gripping as the renowned hit "Das Boot".It's probably the case that foreign movies don't get as much attention now as they did in the 1980's.Nevertheless, this fine film should have a long life on DVD.

"Downfall" has caused some controversy because it depicts Adolf Hitler not as a demon, but as a human being who was kind to his young secretaries and his dogs.In fact this makes his evil all the more insidious and monstrous."Downfall" can be seen as an attempt by Germans to come to terms with their part in Hitler's crimes.How could a not-entirely-bad man like Albert Speer or an innocent like Traudl Junge retain their loyalty and admiration for such a diseased figure?We see the terrible events of April 1945 through German eyes.This involves acknowledging the horrible suffering of the German people as they were bombed and smashed into surrender.(Definitely, however, without letting them off the hook for their moral responsibility for the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity.)

We see Berlin turned into an apocalyptic landscape that would not seem out of place in the Book of Revelation.Gangs of murdering Nazis roam the rubble, looking for final victims to lynch.The Volkssturm, the army of old men and little boys recruited for the last defense of the city, is slaughtered by the advancing Russians.Officials of the regime are committing suicide right and left.(Some historians say there were more suicides among the Germans during the end than among the Japanese.) Down in the fuehrer's bunker Hitler's young secretary Traudl Junge (the wide-eyed, pretty, sweet Alexandra Maria Lara) witnesses the death throes of the Reich.Bruno Ganz is amazing as Hitler.The warm, human angel of "Wings of Desire" is entirely gone, replaced by this occasionally lucid, frequently rabid being.For long stretches of the movie, I swear, I entirely forgot there was an actor working up on the screen and it seemed as if I was watching Hitler himself in all his malignancy.

The movie turns the screws of suspense as things get worse and worse, and you get a solemn sense of justice being done at last.(Although there are still crimes that can be committed, like the diabolical murder of Goebbels' small children by their mother, shown in graphic detail.)The key to the movie perhaps can be had in a little speech by Goebbels.An army General protests the wanton slaughter of civilians and the Volkssturm.Goebbels replies, "I have no sympathy.No sympathy!The German people gave us the mandate.And now you cry because your little throats are being cut."It's a chilling moment.And a sobering reminder that politicians must be held accountable, and the people of a nation have to be responsible in their choice of leaders.

A Powerful, Disturbing Movie
This is a recreation of the last days in the Hitler bunker before Germany surrendered. It features a powerhouse performance by Bruno Ganz as Adolph Hitler, ranging from frustrated paranoia, self-delusion, rage and acts of kindness toward some on his staff. Ganz avoids haminess and bulging eyes to give a very unsettling portrait of a rational monster, so charismatic he could still command the loyalty of the Army, the SS and his personal staff, but who also was an increasingly broken, delusional leader subject to almost incoherent rages.

What struck me in this movie was the degree to which the people around Hitler continued to serve him. Increasingly among themselves they questioned his judgment and even his sanity, and certainly worried about their own safety, but they did his bidding. If any case could be made about the evil such concepts as patriotism, honor and loyalty can be put to, this movie is one to study. One of the most disturbing scenes is Magda Goebels with the assistance of an SS doctor giving her children sleeping drafts. She returns later and while her husband waits outside the children's room, she places a cyanide capsule in each mouth and forces her children's jaws shut to crunch open the ampules. She kills each child. She couldn't conceive of a world without National Socialism and didn't want her children to live in a world without it.

Most of the movie takes place in the bunker, to some extent from the vantage point of one of Hitler's secretaries, Traudle Junge. Enough takes place above ground amid the fighting and wreckage of what Berlin had become to give a clear idea of the horrors Hitler visited among Germans. One has to remember the millions who died by Hitler's orders, and that they died largely at the hands of other Germans. Still, pointless deaths of boys and girls scarcely in their teens, lynchings of frightened deserters and grandfathers by Nazi vigilantes is not pleasant viewing.

The Hitler bunker was a situation where fact was far stranger than fiction could ever be. I thought this was a compelling movie.

Scenes from a nightmare
"Downfall" tells the story of the last days of Adolf Hitler's life. The film begins in 1942, when Traudl Junge became Hitler's secretary. Then the scene quickly shifts to April 20 1945 in Berlin, for Hitler's 56th birthday and his final days. Much of the movie is based on Junge's memories, and what she saw and felt as a member of Hitler's immediate entourage. There is a nightmarish quality to this film, but everything shown here is true and really happened. The performances by all of the actors are superb, with an especially powerful performance being given by Bruno Ganz as Hitler. This movie is in German with subtitles, and that aspect gives it an added quality of realism. By April 1945, Nazi Germany was on the verge of total collapse. Hitler and his support staff were staying in a specially constructed bunker beneath Berlin, while above them the city was being pounded into rubble by the advancing Soviet Army. Every day the Russians were coming ever closer to Hitler and his bunker. Despite these facts, Hitler refused to leave Berlin. He continued to try and fight with armies that no longer existed or were in the process of being destroyed. All around him in the bunker there was an air of disintegration and ever growing fear. For Hitler and those that had always followed him, it was finally clear that all was lost. They had come to the time of Hitler's downfall, and faced a dreadful reckoning.There are parts of this movie that are very hard to watch as that reckoning takes place. Joseph and Magda Goebbels were two of Hitler's most ardent and fanatical followers. When it became clear that Hitler would not live, they decided to murder their six children by placing poison capsules in the children's mouths as they slept. They did not want to live; or to let their children live,in a world without Hitler. This is shown in the movie, and it is almost unbearable to see. At the same time, it is an important glimpse into the mind of madness and fanatical belief.There is also the feeling that there is something of immense value within this film; something to learn that might help prevent similar horrors from happening again. That is the hope to be found in a movie like "Downfall". There is a very strong 'you are there' feel to this brutally realistic film, combined with a sense of understanding about the most destructive time in human history.

Der Untergang { Downfall }
Billed as probebley the best war movie ever { a big call } i went and saw Downfall at the cinema.Historically i couldn't fault it and the production was nothing less than awsome. Without a doubt the most realistic war movie i've ever seen.The sound quality was unbelievable - people in the cinema actually were ducking as the russians shelled Berlin !!!Bruno Gantz as Hitler is superb - you could actually believe that you are watching a documentary it's so real.Any WW2 buff needs to see this movie - i can't rate it highly enough - in fact i'll probebly go and see it again next weekend.5 stars isn't enough - i'd give it 10 !!! Absolutely brilliant !!!! ... Read more