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Friday, February 13, 2009

Der Untergang Review

Rating: 9.5/10

So, today I saw a movie called Der Untergang (Downfall for all you English speakers). The movie profiles the last days of the Third Reich, through the eyes of a woman named Traudl Junge (a real woman) who was Hitler's youngest personal secretary. I'll cut right to the chase. This movie is amazing. And as a person who understands both English and German, the translation in the subtitles is amazing. You will lose nothing from not knowing German.

The acting in Der Untergang is impeccable. Bruno Ganz plays a very good Adolf Hitler, and the makeup job is unbelievable. My mom, who was born and raised in Germany, couldn't finish watching the movie since Ganz reminded her too much of Hitler. He has everything down; the idiosyncrasies, the voice, the insanity...

Alexandra Maria Lara, as Frau Junge, is incredible as well, especially considering the fact that this is only her second major film. Though at times she is clearly not the strongest actor on the screen, this is due to the strength of others rather than her own weaknesses.

Other than the major two, my favourite actors were Christian Berkel as Ernst-Günther Schenck and Heino Ferch as Albert Speer. The last hour of the movie should make you cry. If it doesn't, you're not human. Let me give you a rundown. Everyone commits suicide. Everyone. Some, such as Magda Goebbels, go as far as wiping out their entire family with them. In Frau Goebbels case, this includes her six children, all of whom aren't even teens yet.

Overall, a simply impeccable movie. But very very depressing. If you have any interest in World War II, or just want a way to destroy all happiness in your life, watch this. Now.

~Setsanto

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"or just want a way to destroy all happiness in your life" -- lmao. I guess I will have to watch it, then!

It's comforting to hear that the subtitles are good. There are too many films out there with horrendous(ly funny) subtitles...

Anonymous said...

Personally not a big fan of depressing things, I get that a little too much from my own brain. On the other hand if it's really good than maybe i'll watch it. On the other hand not a big history fan, mostly because all you hear about is wars and that's just more depressing. On the other hand, I seem to have a lot of hands.