Downfall review

A methodical and often-gripping portrayal of the last weeks in the life of Adolf Hitler, Oliver Hirschbiegel's new film caused a sensation on its release in its native Germany as it was the first homegrown depiction of an event that most of its countrymen would like to forget. Now, with an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in tow, the film receives a deserved international release.

Largely set inside the labyrinthine Berlin bunker that Hitler and his staff occupied during the last days of the Third Reich, the film is loosely based on the memoirs of Traudl Junge, a young German woman chosen personally by the Fuhrer to be his secretary. Her total access to the leader allows us to witness some extraordinary events, but perhaps the most unusual aspect is the relative normality of it all. Despite their entry into the catalogue of the twentieth century's greatest monsters, Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler et al go about their business as if they were running a large corporation.

The talking point of the film has been the depiction of Hitler, and German legend Bruno Ganz gives a mesmerising performance. Prone to furious outbursts of temper, he has clearly lost his mind by the end of the war and relentlessly orders his troops to continue their attacks, despite the pounding Berlin is receiving from the Allied forces. His commanders protest but are ultimately powerless against the despot's wishes, and the climate of fear surrounding their leader is very evident. But we also see Hitler as a human being, especially in his dealings with children, animals and his beloved Eva.

The film does have its flaws, notably in following several subplots outside the bunker, involving a desperate surgeon trying to help the wounded and a young boy simply trying to stay alive. While these stories are presumably meant to show the distress occurring in the city, they too often detract from the hypnotic goings-on in the HQ. Similarly, once the Fuhrer is dead, the film dwells a little too long before finishing.

Nevertheless the details are fascinating and memorable: drunken sergeants who have given up all hope occupying their own space in the shelter; Eva's relentless optimism and the parties she throws right up until the end, and most chilling of all, the deaths of many of the bunker's children, poisoned by their parents who realise the futility of the situation. As a result, the film serves as the next best thing to a historical testament of the downfall of a vicious regime, and deserves the credit it has received.

Paul Hurley