Downfall

Der Untergang

25 Jan 2006

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Germany, Italy, Austria

2004

156 min

Traudl Junge, Hitler’s personal secretary, witnesses the last days of Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich in a bunker in Berlin. In the claustrophobic atmosphere of the bunker, Hitler’s mood turns from unjustified optimism to defiance and then to rage at his subordinates. As the Russian advance continues and the realisation of defeat dawns, the Fuhrer and others start making preparations for the end. A powerful, disturbing and eye-opening account of Hitler’s last days, with an extraordinary performance by Bruno Ganz as Adolph Hitler. In German with English subtitles.