Der Untergang

Der Untergang (Downfall in English) is a 2004 German-Italian-Austrian historical war drama film depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's rule over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was based on several histories of the period. The film was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, and written and produced by Bernd Eichinger. The film received critical acclaim upon release and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot
In April of 1945, Germany stands on the brink of defeat with Allied forces closing in from all sides. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. Downfall explores these final days of the Reich, where senior German leaders (such as Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring) begin defecting from their beloved Führer in an effort to save their own lives, while others (such as Joseph Goebbels and Hans Krebs) pledge to die with Hitler. Hitler himself degenerates into a paranoid shell of a man, full of optimism one moment and suicidal depression the next. When the end finally does come and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It faithfully retells the final days of the Third Reich.
 * 2) Unlike many other movies that featured Hitler. The movie did not protrayed him as a one-sided magalomaniac villian who only exists to cause suffering, but instead explores his mentality and more human aspect that were usually ignored.
 * 3) The film gives an insight of a contrast between how Hitler thinks of the German people and how the German people were ready to follow his orders regardless of situlation. Which is a stark warning for dictatorship regime.
 * 4) Excellent casting choices, with Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler and Thomas Kretschmann as Hermann Fegelein being especially notable.
 * 5) Many iconic scenes, such as:
 * 6) * Hitler's explosive rant when he finds out that Felix Steiner was unable to muster enough men for a counter-attack.
 * 7) * Hitler learning from Otto Günsche that Fegelein has fled the bunker.
 * 8) * Alfred Jodl objecting to Hitler's plan involving the 9th and 12 Armies making an almost-certainly suicidal attack on the Soviet front-lines.
 * 9) * Hitler flipping his lid after being informed that Himmler has secretly been negotiating with the Soviets.
 * 10) * Wilhelm Burgdorf getting drunk and singing a rude song about Hitler.
 * 11) Beautiful soundtrack.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) While it faithfully retells the final days of Adolf Hitler's life for the most part, the film still contains a few historical inaccuracies:
 * 2) * Dr. Ernst-Günther Schenck goes to a hospital taken over by the Soviets in order to retrieve medical supplies and medicines, with penicillin among them. Penicillin, despite having already been discovered in 1927, was not introduced in hospitals until 1947.
 * 3) * Otto Günsche listen to Hitler's last orders without standing at attention. Given that Hitler was the highest authority in the German army, this is highly unlikely.
 * 4) * Joseph Goebbels did not actually kill his wife Magda and then commit suicide as seen in the movie. He ordered a soldier to kill both him and his wife.

Trivia

 * This film spawned the "Downfall Parodies" meme (also known as "Hitler Rants"), a parody series made by numerous YouTubers (called "Untergangers") that edits the film's English subtitles to re-imagine Fegelein as a serial prankster who seeks to make Hitler's life utterly miserable. It has become one of the most popular internet memes on YouTube, and is still growing strong to this day.

Box Office
The film grossed over $92.2 million against a budget of €13.5 million (approximately $15 million).

Critical Response
Downfall received critical acclaim, with a "fresh" rating of 91% and an average rating of 8/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus states "Downfall is an illuminating, thoughtful and detailed account of Hitler's last days".