AMD 4 - John Fuerst

Für diese AMD habe ich die erste Hälfte der deutschen Film "Untergang" gesehen. Es hat mir wirklich gefällt. Ich habe sie sehr interessant gefunden. Ich habe die ganze Filme nicht gesehen weil sie sehr lange ist. Watching the first half of "Downfall", a film recounting the final twelve days of Hitler's life in an underground bunker in Berlin, I was intrigued by the portrayal of how, in the last days when Nazi defeat was inevitable, some members of Hitler's entourage were just as delusional as the Führer himself while others were exhausting all efforts to convince him of the impending defeat. A part of history about which little is known, these last days are intricately described using the first-hand witness testimony of one of Hitler's secretaries. Her account gives a chilling view as to the morale, or lack thereof, in the Nazi leader's camp and additionally, the false perceptions widely accepted by them.

For example, one particular scene portraying a conversation between Himmler, Hitler's right hand, and an associate caught my attention. Himmler, who sees the folly of Hitler's determination to remain in Berlin, hopes to "negotiate" with Eisenhower, believing that "the Allies will need the Nazi government to govern this country after the war". Today, it seems preposterous that any member of the Nazi party could have conceived this outcome, but, at the time, it seems they were convinced that Germany would simply relinquish its occupied countries and return to its original borders following the war. Obviously, this did not come to pass. Himmler also went so far as to joke, "My only uncertainty is how to greet Eisenhower... Do I shake his hand? Or give him the Hitler salute?" Others, such as Eva Braun, Hitler's longtime mistress, whether they subconsciously knew of the impending defeat or not, was outwardly in denial of the grave situation. She is portrayed as full of life, trying to raise morale by throwing dance parties while the ceiling shook with the bombardment of the city by Soviet artillery.

Overall, I was really interested by this film and intend to finish watching it. Probably best known for the "Hitler hates..." videos on youtube that use the video and German audio with joking subtitles, this film nonetheless was excellent.