The movie Downfall directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel is considered to be the historical reflection of the Third Reich epoch and disclosing the Hitler’s last days. The aspects of morality and responsibility described in the movie can be perceived as the kind of link between German history and present days. The movie reflects horrible images of human murders where the monsters are not abstract or artificial but they are true people being involved in the horrible war of lifetime.
It is necessary to underline the fact that the movie is quite symbolic; the image of Adolf Hitler is compared to the illustration of the darkness. His complete domination over the state and the nation is interacted with the downfall of the Reich; Hitler as the main character of the movie provides the ideas being the basis of the whole story. The conflicts are connected with the contradictions in characters’ ideas as to the German course of action. The theme of the Third Reich collapse is tragically demonstrated through realism of Hitler’s strategies and his impact on the German nation.
The main characters of the movie are considered to be Eva Braun, Hitler’s girlfriend and then wife, and Albert Speer, the architect of Berlin; their lives are always interacted with the actions and plans of Hitler who is presented as a kind of egomaniac being unable to contact with reality and having no pity and soul.
One of the most impressive characters of the movie appeared to be the secretary of Hitler, Traudl Humps of Munich. She is presented as the assistant of the main maniac of Germany who just came to his bunker because she wanted to work with Hitler. It is interesting to note that her attitude to the plans and chaotic strategies developed for German safety is strongly aimed at Hitler’s ideas development. The movie shows the Secretary’s gradual moral transformation; at the end of the movie, she managed to see the other side of Adolf Hitler realizing his horrible nature and changing her perception of this personality.
It is necessary to underline the fact that the Secretary, who is the actual narrator of the flow of events (because everything is expressed through her Hitler’s perception and vision of the situation), feels that she knows Hitler’s sensitiveness to young helpless women though the true features of this person appeared to be vividly expressed and ruined initial positive opinion of Traudl who observes the most horrible actions performed by Hitler. One should stress that the movie discloses the theme of gradual inner formation shown in the example of Hitler’s secretary who strived to be close to this leader but faced real disappointment. Frankly speaking the illustration of Hitler’s image in the movie is quite close to life; this aspect makes the movie realistically historic.
The downfall of Hitler, Reich and even movies explain the title of the work. All events and characters, their thoughts, and ideas have closely interacted during the whole movie. It should be noted that the characters of Downfall are realistically reflected from the true history of the German Reich’s existence. The subjects of Hitler and the Nazi Party showed in the story allow feeling the true atmosphere of the 50s experienced by the nation. The downfall can be considered the real bestseller of the epoch.