Nominated for an Academy Award, this German film with subtitles tells of the last days of Hitler and the fall of Berlin.  

This is a subject that has been done quite a bit and since it was with subtitles, I didn't expect much.  To my surprise, it was exceptionally done with a slightly different format.  

Most to the attempts at this in the past has been from the perspective of one witness that survived giving the reader or in the case of the movies, documentaries glimpses of this or that.  This movie on the other hand combined testimony from about every witness.  It not only concentrated on those in bunker but those outside the bunker that directly effected those in bunker.  Accounts from Spears autobiography were apparent as well as the secretary probably the number one source of most documentaries as well as the other secretary to even the story of the boy who had his face pinched on the last known films of Hitler.

The movie neither humanizes Hitler nor demonizes him but sticks to the facts allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions giving it an almost spooky feeling of watching history as it transpired.  Watching it one realizes that this is one story that has never needed embellishment for what was said and what was done stands on it’s own from Hitler’s disregard for the German people, cold calculating statements concerning the Final Solution, to the fanatical support of the Goebels.  Unique to this film is how they tie what was happening on the outside of the bunker to the inside with about one third of the film in this area.  

Unlike most European films which lack choreography and realism, this one went into great details to show Berlin under siege.  The detail from uniforms to weapons was amazing.   Unexpectedly the movie did not concentrate on how it suffered due to the Russians but how both the military and civilians suffered as the direct result of the bunker orders from misguided execution orders to the killing of civilians for refusing to serve.  Not made for subtitles in mind, the subtitles often move pretty fast,  however German is pretty close to English so you find yourself following much of  the dialog.  The casting went to great lengths to select actors that looked like the people from history and the direction distinctly European/German added to the realism.  

If you are a history nut there are no surprises in this film but a unique presentation combining the sources of information available into one work.  The film lists it’s sources at the end and what happened and when each died after the war.

I found the movie exceptional and though hearing the same things I had read or seen in other movies on the topic found myself feeling and reacting like I had heard it for the first time.  I really enjoyed this almost analytical presentation and though fascinated as I watched, the facts speak for themselves.  If you are history buff especially WWII, this is a must see.  

If you are looking for an action flick or emotional drama, you had better pass.  The action and drama is the facts and the horror not in madness but the cold approach of history.

Tj

Quoted: Nice review, TJ. I saw it but hesitated, being suspicious of revisionism so prevalent in movies today. Now I'll go check it out.

That was a lot of my misgivings as well.  I literaly expected a nice coat of whitewash.  Instead, I came off with the opinion previous films were a tad tainted or embelished to make a point.  I mean it's impossible to imagine someone following a raving lunatic.  

This movie on the otherhand shows Hitler for he was at the end a broken down dilusional man with periods of both lucid thoughts and irrational emotional outbursts.  It didn't focus on all those opposed to Hitler and did a decent job of showing those fanatical enough to follow Hitler into suicide even not in the bunker.  It in no means shows Hitler or Nazis in a postitive light and the German people almost in a cold looking out to in perspective.    

Totally not what I would have expected out of a European film on this topic.

Tj

Quoted: I tried to watch it last night and could not get the directors comments feature to turn off!!! Now, after reading your review, I'll be heading back to Blockbuster for another copy. For excellent further reading on the final days of the Reich, from the many volumes available, I can recommend: "The Fall of Berlin" by Anthony Read & David Fisher "The Fall of Berlin 1945" by Anthony Beevor "The Last 100 Days" by John Toland

Read two of the three.  You will see obvous parts taken from the books.

Tj