I just watched Downfall for the first time. I've seen the "Hitler reacts to..." meme many times, and my most recent viewing of it led me to watch the rest of the movie to see what it's all about.If you've never seen this movie, watch it. If you're into history, watch it. If you're not into history, watch it.I was blown away. The acting performances were phenomenal. Bruno Ganz did an incredible job portraying Hitler. He portrayed him as something that few people remember him being... human. I expected a stereotypical portrayal of Hitler, yelling and being loud and complaining about inferior races. But that wasn't what I saw at all, at least for most of the film. I saw Hitler as a human being, full of emotion and actually caring for others (those who were on his side, of course). It was such a unique approach, and a bold one. Because of his evil, we often only hear about that side of him. But the creators of Downfall chose to show the other side, which was refreshing. As the movie progresses, he becomes more and more unstable and desperate to strike back at the Allies. Ganz really showed that well. Even as we see him as human, we also see the monster that he was. Interlaced in his perfectly normal day to day conversation there are lies, anti-semitic statements, hatred for those that oppose him. We are constantly reminded that he was not only human, but a monster also.Juliane Kohler as Eva Braun gave an exceptional performance. She showed Braun exactly as I would imagine her to be. Crazy, worshipping her leader Hitler, always looking forward to the new world that Hitler has promised her. I always wondered who in their right mind would marry Hitler... Braun was not in her right mind and Kohler showcased that perfectly.Alexandria Maria Lara as Junge was one of the best casting choices I've ever seen. As far as I know, she has not been in any other big films. I'd never even heard of her or seen her. But she nailed it. She conveyed so well the secretary's timidness and shy nature, her fear, her regret. At the beginning of the film, an interview with the real Traudl Junge is shown, where she talks about her experience and how if she had known what she was getting into, she wouldn't have done it. Lara captured that sentiment perfectly I think.Other notable actors in this film were Ulrich Matthes as Goebbels and Ulrich Noethen as Himmler. Matthes actually gave me chills. He seemed so cold, so cruel, the very embodiment of evil. I actually felt real fear watching his performance. If you've ever seen the photo of the real Goebbels staring angrily at the cameraman after finding out he was Jewish, you will know the coldness and cruelty to which I refer. Matthes captured that feeling, that evil perfectly. Noethen as Himmler had a lot less screen time, but his similarity to the real Himmler was uncanny in my opinion, and he did a great job acting.Downfall was one of those movies that sucks you in, makes you feel like you're there. I felt the tension and fear in the room and the sense of impending doom anytime explosives from the Russians hit near the bunker and shook the whole thing. I felt the heartbreak when the Goebbels killed their children. I felt the fear of the Nazi leaders when Hitler was yelling at them... once you get past that scene being a meme and realize what it was actually about, it is fantastic. It's a shame that such a good scene has been made into a joke, but there's nothing that can be done about that really. I even felt the heartbreak when Hitler and Braun killed themselves.The filmmakers somehow made me feel bad for Hitler, almost. They portrayed his humanity and I very nearly forgot how evil he was at times. What a masterpiece. They nailed his humanity so well, I nearly grew attached to the character. Yet somehow, I always had a bone chilling fear of Hitler the whole time as well. There were constant reminders of his evil. I don't even know how to describe it but there was a balance.There were several disturbing scenes in the film, which served to make me emotional and remind me of the evil of Hitler. The death of the Goebbels children was gut wrenching. I am a grown man but I cried. It was heartbreaking and depressing to watch. And I won't lie, it was difficult. I'm very thankful my wife was not home while I watched this film, because I think she would have really been bothered by it.Another disturbing scene is any of the scenes involving Hitler's youth. Towards the end, they are shown as child soldiers. I remember my jaw dropping when watching them in combat. Seeing grown men storm a beach at Normandy or Iwojima is one thing. Seeing child soldiers is a whole other ballgame. That was disturbing to me, and I was reminded how far Hitler was willing to go to bring about his conquest.I'm no movie critic or master reviewer. I don't even watch a lot of movies like most people on here probably do. But in my opinion, this film is a masterpiece. It has all the elements: a great plot, accuracy to history (as far as my limited knowledge can tell), emotion. If you want to see a truly great drama about one of the most evil men in history, watch this movie. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2M6GAaE
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