I watched the movie Downfall last night. It was made in Germany in 2004 not too long after the fall of the Soviet Union and reunification of East and West Germany. I am sure that everyone on here has seen the multitude of you-tube parodies of the scene in the movie, where AH finds out that Steiner is not coming. Is the movie historically accurate? I believe it is as accurate as any depiction of the last days of Germany's experiment with socialism in one nation / people could be.
The children of the Goebbels in the bunker is in my mind the most tragic. To be killed by their mother while their father waits outside the room (there is very little doubt of the historical accuracy of this event, there were surviving witnesses to just about everything that took place in that couple of weeks in that location which have been studied, evaluated and recorded) is especially evil.
The big complaint I read from critics regarding the movie was that they thought it 'humanized' Adolf Hitler. Well, he was human. Interestingly though, the character displaying his wife (based on the memories of Frau Traudl Junge) stated that no one really knew him. Funny, that is also something that is noted about Josef Stalin, Mao, Franco etc etc etc. Does the movie depict him as 'far too human'?
I don't know, evil? without a doubt, but too human? IDK. The scene when he finds out that "the true Heinrich" (H. Himmler - the head of the Gestapo, SS etc) had betrayed him, is completely understandable, anyone would be outraged. If anyone should have 'stayed' loyal (of course the fact that almost 90% of Germany was occupied by various Allied forces by this time period speaks wonders) to Adolph; he probably expected his co-conspirator to eliminate Europe's Jews to be the one. They both, with Goering on occasion had been hand in glove in evil for decades by this point. The completely out of touch statement that Himmler (depicted in the movie) makes to General H. Fegelein (conveniently married to Eva Braun's sister) about how Eisenhower will need to negotiate with him to maintain order in Germany after the surrender... Evil. Clueless evil.
It depicts the grifter leadership of a nation that made a pact with the devil. Weimar Germany gave overwhelming power and control to a clique of ideological thieves. You knew that Adolf was rich beyond all measure didn't you? Yep, he would be equivalent of our current flock of billionaires. His supporters at the highest level dived right in to taking anything they could get their hands on. His estate even made money on his picture being depicted on German stamps. Everyone that got married in NAZI Germany was given a free (paid for by the state) copy of his book Mein Kampf (with the resulting royalties going to him). All this controlled by Martin Bormann.
Goring is the most famous of the thieves with the recent movie and book "Monuments Men" recording. Was the Goebbels family immune from the greed? No, Frau Goebbels it is well recorded that she loved being considered "the first lady of the Reich", and they both became quite wealthy. The movie shows a little of the leaders trying to escape however they can. Showing up for the Fuhrers birthday and skedaddling as soon as the cake was cut.
Were they (the NAZI party leadership throughout the country) suiciding because they feared the reprisal of an angry world or because they didn't want to live out their lives in pauperdom, in disgrace? Who knows, everyone is an individual. A lot of them ended their lives and took their families with them. Many left their families behind, a mercy, but a qualified one. There are books you can find depicting the surviving lives of children of those leaders. A shameful heritage to leave on someone's shoulders.
The German military establishment is depicted in their alliance with the foul political structure. Did they fight on because they didn't want a repeat of the "stab in the back" theory of the end of the first war? Or more in likely their well founded fear that the winners would quickly find out about their connivance and active participation in the slaughter of people and theft of their property to maintain the always on the edge of crumbling NAZI state (Margaret Thatcher was right, socialism only works until you run out of other peoples money). There are none that can be found with clean hands. A great shame on the once quite proud Prussian/German military heritage.
It is easy to see their 'heroics' (those who later claimed to be standing up to Hitler) at the end as a positive statement. Until you do a little digging about their personal histories. Not in this movie, but one of the clearest examples is General von Choltitz the commander of Paris in 1944. Yes, he disobeyed and didn't destroy the city (would he have been able to with his limited resources is another question). A hero? Well until you read the transcript of him talking to other generals in the prison facility in England where he talks of his successful completion of Hitlers order to eradicate all of the Jews in the Crimea a few years prior...
We now know that many of the higher German officers were paid, and paid very well, for their active participation in the defending of the NAZI state. Guderian? Brauchitsch? Rundstedt? Rommell? Halder? The list is only now coming to light.
Kind of undermines the picture they tried to paint with their memoirs written after the war, with in most cases active American approval (the yanks were staring down the great unknown of the Red Menace and needed all the advice they could get so there is that in their defence weak though it is). Memoirs written with the intent of sealing their place in history. Survivors complaints about Hitlers leadership need to be reviewed in a new
light when you find how they were being paid off in bribes to keep with
the program.
The movie clearly depicts what happens when you put your faith in men, and not in God. Would I watch it again? No.
My hands feel dirty.
Not to say you shouldn't watch it once.
Have a great day, On Purpose!
