8mm Forum: Downfall on blu-ray

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 02, 2017, 01:28 AM:

What an amazing German film production, filmed in Russia. "Downfall" retells the final days of the Second World War with Germany as recorded in the diaries of Adolf Hitler's private secretary, Traudi Junge. The film starts with a introduction by Traudi Junge herself which recounts, not just her life in those final days in Berlin, but also the the final Downfall of the murderous regime itself.

The Language is in German with English sub-titles.. highly recommend it.

Traudi Junge

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on February 02, 2017, 03:15 PM:

Hi Graham,

Did you know that the film is the basis for a YouTube phenomenon?

If you look in YouTube under "Hitler Rants Parodies" there are (approximately) 60 zillion short videos based on this film. Apparently there is some app available to select scenes from the film and add (fake) subtitles. (German speakers won't be fooled for a minute!)

I will grant you: comedy featuring Adolf himself is hanging it out at the edge of good taste, but some of them are really funny!

-it may be your only chance to see Hitler try to order a pizza!

I actually went through this in the opposite way: after I saw a bunch of these parodies I sought out the full feature!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 02, 2017, 04:34 PM:

Thanks Steve.. I never new that was on you-tube and will have a look.

The thing is, that this film unlike anything I have watched in the past, is that near the end this "frail old man" still had so much control, and the willingness of his regime to obey him, even if it meant the destruction of the German people themselves.

Its certainly a slice of history showing us even right to the end how he managed to ruthlessly manipulate people.

Its scary stuff....

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on February 02, 2017, 04:43 PM:

If you read biographies of a lot of the biggest tyrants in history, it's not at all unusual for them to say the people they ruled weren't worthy of them when they came close to death, and they deserved their own destruction as well.

Stalin said this too, and as he lay dying he kept fading away and then all of a sudden he'd open his eyes and stare and the people around his bedside would jump back in fear.

-it's all they'd ever known.

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on February 02, 2017, 07:04 PM:

Steve one of my favourites is the 'Kodachrome' downfall parody.

Great feature film as well. Very atmospheric.

Graham S

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on February 02, 2017, 09:12 PM:

Excellent, Graham!

Thanks!

Hitler can't get Kodachrome!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 02, 2017, 09:44 PM:

Well Graham..that was very well done [Smile]

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on February 02, 2017, 10:03 PM:

Graham Ritchie have you seen the pm I sent you? (Not referring to this topic)

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 02, 2017, 10:24 PM:

Thanks Bill I have sent you a reply [Smile]

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on February 02, 2017, 10:47 PM:

Got it! Thanks, and sorry for the interruption.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on February 02, 2017, 11:24 PM:

No problem Bill...thanks again [Smile]

Posted by Dave Groves (Member # 4685) on February 03, 2017, 10:49 AM:

Graham, Saw it some months ago and I have to agree that this is a brilliant film. Steve, I watched your Kodachrome link and not only did it make me laugh, but made me want to watch the film again. How I envy the clever people who think these things up!!!

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on February 03, 2017, 11:12 AM:

The Parodies range all the way from stupid to brilliant, because many different people make them. Some of the more interesting ones get very creative.

Some of my favorites are where Adolph contacts a call center because he's having trouble getting on the internet, and one particular one where he's upset because he found out he's actually been dead for 70 years.

There are a lot of interviews on YouTube from the people that created "Downfall" saying how hard it was to portray people who were war criminals who deserved no sympathy, but thought they were heroes (even martyrs) who did.

(It's complicated...)

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 26, 2018, 04:14 AM:

Well its been over a year since I last watched this movie, but tonight I watched it once again. Without a doubt its gripping stuff, so if anyone has yet to watch it, I would certainly recommend it.

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