Der Untergang/Downfall (2004)

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes

Der Untergang, or Downfall, is the first foreign-language film I have reviewed on this website. It catches the attention not with moments of melodrama but it is remarkably understated, the camera washed with grey, bleak overtones. A retelling of Hitler's final days in the bunker underneath Berlin, it is not as judgemental of the man as you might expect - Hirschbiegel subtly avoids much of the potential controversy surrounding the subject matter and gives a gripping account of the dictator.

Surprisingly, and perhaps wisely, Hitler himself is not the primary focus of this film - Alexandra Maria Lara, playing Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, is the storyteller, and, as such, is not forgotten. However, her subtle performance is overshadowed by the towering Bruno Ganz in a show-stopping turn as Hitler, a performance that could have so easily fallen into comic extravagance after so many parodies. Ganz has truly terrifying moments when he resembles the Hitler that the public see - the rage etched on his face, the similar tics that we see in grainy footage of his speeches. But this is matched with delicate subtlety as Hitler's front crumbles while the Russians march closer to his bunker - his imminent death is reflected in his shaking hands and sweat on his brow. Ganz portrays a man on the edge who has risked everything - this is not the devil-incarnate we expect Hitler to be, not the bellowing tyrant he appears.

The supporting cast is just as solid, and it is in the cast that the film finds its strength. Ulrich Matthes is an uncanny resemblance of Josef Goebbels, and captures the eerie efficiency of the man who embodies Nazism. Thomas Kretschmann, possibly the only actor familiar to most mainstream audiences, is strong as one of Hitler's betrayers. Juliane Kohler is frankly unnerving as Eva Braun, who practically worshipped Hitler.

Hirschbiegel's direction is bleak - the claustrophic atmosphere of the bunker is perfectly captured by the suffocating sets, with white and greyish walls. Only towards the end, after Hitler's death and the end of the battle for Berlin, do we see hints of sunshine and greenery breaking through the grey. The film is not a biopic of one man as you might expect, but a portrayal of innocents under the grip of a regime beginning to crumble.

A bold, powerful film, capped with outstanding performances and suitably gritty direction. Bruno Ganz was robbed of an Oscar - never have I seen an actor so transform an historical figure into life. Hitler becomes a human figure.

Rating: 9/10.