SWG Tales

So, last night I decided to come home early...I've been working 60 hour weeks for the past month (which is why I haven't been around much in game and here) and the wife and I were able to get a baby sitter, so we decided to go see a movie. My wife, being the open minded person she is, agreed to go see a movie called Downfall.

I'm a WWII buff and a history buff in general, so I was really interested in seeing this movie. It's a German film, so if you go see it, be prepared to be reading for 2 1/2 hours straight, about the last six days of Adolph Hitler's life shown through the eyes of his personal secretary, Traudl Junge. The movie is based on the book, Until the Final Hour by Traudl Junge and pretty much follows the end of the book almost word for word.

In a word, the movie is fantastic. Rather than just giving you the story through Traudl Junge's eyes alone. It takes you out outside Hitler's bunker from time to time to give you an idea of what was going on in Berlin as the Russians surrounded the city and the generals and staff around Hitler tried to defend the city and save as many of the civilians as possible. The casting is terrific, if you're a WWII buff, you'll be able to pick out who is who in a room before they introduce the characters in most cases.

Now I know that a lot of you are asking how a movie about the last 6 days of Hitler's life be fantastic. Well, it's the way the story is woven. Rather than just giving the viewer a political or military representation of what was going on, it gives us more of a social and psychological picture of it. I would have to say the main focus of the film is to show the depth of the derrangement of Hitler and the people he surrounded himself with. It also focuses a lot of attention on the blind faith the German people had in Hitler and tries to show the average viewer how such a madman (and make no mistake, he and his buddy Goerbels were nuts) could take power and have an entire country follow him to his doom. It does a very good job of showing how Hitler and the leaders he surrounded himself with justified every horrific action without having a thread of remorse or conscience.

I highly recommend going to see this film. More than anything, it's a reminder to us all to never forget the political and humanitarian lessons learned during WWII.

Here's the trailer if you're interested:

http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808642134

Wow! Actually the final days of WWII Berlin are of particular interest to me, so I must say I will definitely want to see this movie at some point. I am curious if the ruthlessness of the SS is well depicted. From what I know they made cripples and children pick up guns and fight during the last day or two.

I think its a fascinating to uncover the psychology of a country, which is really what it seems to be about.

Jabe

Jabe Adaks wrote:I am curious if the ruthlessness of the SS is well depicted. From what I know they made cripples and children pick up guns and fight during the last day or two.

One of the side stories they give you is of a 12 year old boy that was conscripted into the SS to defend Berlin. They do a very good job of showing you what went on in Berlin through his eyes and they also touch on the Volkstrum, the old people and cripples given guns to defend Berlin, in a few scenes.

I should also note a couple things about the movie...

First off, when it's over you'll realize that only the Germans could make this movie. While the credit are rolling you get the feeling that you just watch some sort of confession. I have to say, I have a lot of respect for the makers of the film because of it. It it had been made in filmakers in any other country, it would just be another war movie, but because it was made by Germans, it feels more personal.

Secondly, if you have children there are parts of the film that will be very disturbing to you. It does a good job of making you feel sorry for the children of Germany who just didn't know any better and believed in their parents and their leaders. There are a lot of moments in the film that show you the extent and various ways that children became victims of the Nazi.

Very interesting. I've only recently started getting into WWII history, but I'll have to check this out if my wife is as kind as yours.

Wish it was playing in my area. Bet it will never get here, though...we get very few foreign/independent films as it is. Have to wait for it to come out on video.

I just looked it up and of course its not playing in my town, but its not too far from me - so I got the wife to agree to go see it tomorrow night.

Jabe

Dwilah wrote:Wish it was playing in my area. Bet it will never get here, though...we get very few foreign/independent films as it is. Have to wait for it to come out on video.

you mean down on Alabama they wouldn't show a film about nazi's??

you think they would make it mandatory viewing, but maybe since it's their downfall they won't show it...kinda like how they wouldn't show Fahrenheit 9/11 in Bush's town...

Hail hilter!!! I mean the empire! I mean....doh! j/k

I love germans! I love beer! I love war! I love movies! good combo ;)

OMG. I saw the title and the first sentance.

So, last night I decided to come home early...I've been working 60 hour weeks for the past month..

Caught a glimpse of "wife" futher down and I thought "Oh Crap!"

Then I read futher... *whew*

As another avid student of those times, I'm looking forward to seeing this.
It'll be 60 years this month since these events happenned.

Jokes aside.

Well, I sat through the german version of "Das Boat" at a film festival and didn't mind it.

I'm not too intrested in all the masive destruction. It's frightning really. But when a film about character relationships is placed in that setting and those surroundings it kinda brings that relationship into sharp focus.

There will someplace in DC showing it. I just have to catch it. If not, I'll order a DVD from amazon.com.

After Zannon's review and watching the linked trailers, I went to see this tonight and I actually just got home.

It was incredible. I could not have imagined a more realistic portrayal, not that I am by any means a historian. Movies like this are incredibly important. To be ignorant of what happened, to not understand the lessons of it or to simply forget would be a far greater tragedy than the war itself.

In the minutes after leaving the theater my wife and I barely spoke. I really can't explain why, we were either moved or disturbed - I haven't figured out which yet. Of all the events in history a person can study, I think everyone should be taught to understand what happened in Germany and why.

When you can understand how people who would otherwise be "normal" can be brought to such a level of pure madness - you can truly understand the dark side of the human condition. It would be wrong to deprive our children of these lessons, so again I stress the importance of films like this.

Thanks Zan, I would have missed this if you had not reviewed it.

Jabe