Der Untergang Movie Analysis

Downfall (originally Der Untergang) is a historical drama film made in 2004 that set during the period of Nazi Germany in times of World War II, from the perspectives of Hitler and mostly other Nazi members. The film is based on the book "Der Untergang: Hitler und das Ende des Dritten Reiches". Produced by the Bernd Eichinger, the film stars are Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Rolf Kanies, Juliane Köhler, Corinna Harfouch, Heino Ferch, Thomas Kretschmann and directed by the Oliver Hierschbiegel.

Downfall (originally Der Untergang) is a historical drama film made in 2004 that set during the period of Nazi Germany in times of World War II, from the perspectives of Hitler and mostly other Nazi members. The film is based on the book "Der Untergang: Hitler und das Ende des Dritten Reiches". Produced by the Bernd Eichinger, the film stars are Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Rolf Kanies, Juliane Köhler, Corinna Harfouch, Heino Ferch, Thomas Kretschmann and directed by the Oliver Hierschbiegel.

Third Reich was in the wage of the cruel fight against both Allies and Soviet Russians during 1945, the last year of the bloody warfare. But looks like a decisive defeat was near for the fate of the Nazis.

After had been defeated on many fronts, Nazis were stuck in the defence of Berlin. Furthermore, Russians were advancing towards Berlin, where Hitler and his officials are located. So, the film's plot is historically and dramatically animating Hitler with a closer point of view in a broader sense, where their all hope is to be crushed and Nazi Germany will be defeated to end.

In those times, Hitler and his generals are hoping for further possible help, which can be derived from the armies in both the Eastern and Western front to rescue the Third Reich. Hitler was believed to his army and generals to make Third Reich stand up and conquer all Europe and Russia again. But it did not happen at all. Hitler was poisoned by the concept of power, which had to make him blind to political and military issues. His ideology that is based upon the ethnocentric point of view (rather we can call “racism”) has corrupted the politics of Germany in many ways. This corruption is revealing itself in film from child fighters that were brainwashed by Goebbel’s propaganda to lickspittle command structure of the Third Reich. 

In the film, there was a scene that Hitler is genuinely justifying himself and justifying his commanders to make them believe to they are much stronger than both Russians and Allies. To support this thesis; Hitler has said to his new Chief-of Airforce about new German fighter jets that are in the manufacturing process by the German engineers will crush enemies in the skies, soon. But, when Hitler is saying it, Russians were advancing towards Hitler’s bunker in Berlin. 

When we discuss the concept of ethnocentrism in Hitler’s ideological stand, Jews are still targeting by Hitler’s bloody ambition. In one scene, when Hitler becomes truly disappointed by the further developments and facts, He has motivating himself that still saying by “I killed enough Jews”. His ideological tendency upon addiction of anti-Jewish actions, still in his agenda, despite all those worst circumstances that Third Reich had been into it. 

Another point that can be discussed, in my view, is Hitler’s deterministic philosophy. In several scenes in the film, Hitler is mentioning about the principle of natural selection, the survival of the fittest in evolution. Hitler has believed this principle in political life, according to the film.  

“Our people need to die, throughout the natural law” (Hitler) 

The concept of natural law shall be referred to as the deterministic point of view, where all the events are determined by nature itself. So, Hitler is justifying his belief in crushing the weaknesses. Thus, the strong one can live. 

The next point to be discussed is Hitler’s traumatic actions about punishing everyone that he believed to deny his orders. He is considered several generals' “traitors” for his failures that make his whole country and people desperate. But he is quite blind to “facts” and the realities of the Third Reich. He is representing a model of tyranny that accuses everybody because of his own mistakes that worsened the situation. Because of inefficient decisions held by Hitler and under his weakened leadership, most of the commanders in his office and people who are closely working with him left him alone. Despite many abandonments in film, there were still several Nazi commanders who were obeying his rule. 

Next of all those things, in the film, Hitler’s image looks like some kind of “innocent” and “desperate” things that can be considered in the attitude of human beings. But it would not be logically true to consider Hitler in such a humanitarian context with desperate utopias and a leader with ruined dreams. That will be a mistake for all those killings, holocausts, and war crimes that Hitler caused intentionally or unintentionally himself. 

In conclusion, the Downfall is a significant film for a dramatically based history and developments that held in World War II Germany, Hitler’s bunker in Berlin. It will give us an emphatical point of view from the Nazi side of the war to understand the terms of period and atmosphere. I am recommending this film for people who have a curiosity about World War II Nazi Germany and European history. 

Kerem Cankılıç

European Studies Intern