Der Untergang

The 11th Calcutta(I still prefer calling it Calcutta) FIlm Festival is underway,and being a film student i have been given a delegate pass to allow me to watch the films that will be screened.I watched Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her on the big screen for the first time.It was bliss.More importantly i got to watch Downfall(Der Untergang) today.For those who have seen Das Experiment,they will know that this is the latest film to have been directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.This film basically documents the last few days of Hitler.Having seen Mr Hirschbiegel's work i was raring to see this film for a whole year.All this time i had refrained from reading any critic's review because i didnt want to become biased towards or against the film.Today morning a thought kept bothering me-the theme of this film is such that it sounds that it might be pro-German.Worse,it might even be pro-Nazi.I reached a point where i seriously considered not watching this film.We all know Hollywood has done a bang up job of showing tales of World War 2 where the story has allways been only about the bad Germans being taught a lesson by the Americans.We definitely do not need a movie praising people like Hitler,Himmler and Goebbels as good guys.
So it was with much doubt and scepticism that i rushed in to watch Downfall.How can i put into solid words what transpired on screen till the film ended??Although we may not like to see it that way(me included)but Hitler and his underlings were very much people of flesh and blood-they had a private life of their own.Let me start where the film deserves the praise most.Oliver Hirschbiegel was walking the tightrope when he was depicting the private life of people like Hitler,Goebbels.The fact that he managed to show it so well still surprises me.A little note on the side though-this film is not for people who draw a complete blank when they hear about WW2.The best thing about this film is it is NOT polarised,it is not choosing sides.The film is interested primarily in telling the tale of the last days of Hitler and his crumbling power.Althrough out the film Hitler only once claims very softly that he is proud to have had a part to play in the fate of the jewish people.For people who know what horrors lied in that one sentence,it is enough to creep us out.Hitler was a born leader,an immensely enigmatic character.The German people chose to follow him out of their own free will,but a lot of it was due to the seduction that Hitler offered to the people.This film manages to show Hitler as he was-an ultimate seduction of ideology.It showed Hitler as a catalyst,bringing forth from the masses the horrific acts they were allways capable of.Major credit goes to Bruno Ganz-the man who plays Hitler.Without a doubt,an earth shattering performance.Hitler's slow decline into near madness,his every step into obvious defeat and loss of face is shown to such an extent of realism that any praise i shower will fall short.A few days from now i will get to see The Sea Inside.The film that beat Downfall at the Oscars last year.It will have to pack in a lot of punch to be able to trounce this film.Then again,who knows??The oscars is allways famous for stupid decisions(like Russel Crowe's role in Gladiator beating Tom Hanks' role in Cast Away).A film about WW2 where America is not mentioned even once probably wont sit well with them,add to that this controversial subject makes it the black sheep.Nevertheless,i eagerly await my oppurtunity to add Downfall to my dvd collection.In a day and age when it is un-cool to know about history and where members of the royal family appear in a costume party wearing the Nazi insignia,it is great to see a film which doesnt treat the audience as stupid idiots but lets them draw their own conclusions.Some will definitely think that i am showering more praise on this film than it deserves but then agian, this is just my opinion.
There is a scene which has Goebbels' face in an extreme close up lit up by the flames in front of
him.Made my skin crawl.So dont waste your chance if you ever get an oppurtunity to see this film.I am off to get some rest and dream uneasy dreams.