Theme We had the privilege of watching Oliver Hirschbiegel’s movie Der Untergang (Downfall) which features Germany in the heat of World War II between 1942 and 1945. A theme that I felt was very present throughout the movie and directly affected Hitler’s decisions were Hitler’s declining mental and physical state of mind. Either as a result from diseases or due to the stress of establishing the Third Reich, there is a definitive change in Hitler’s state of being up until his end displayed in this movie. Early in the movie, it portrays a very calm and collected Hitler as he greets the applicants for a secretarial position (03:30-04:40). Next you see the kind side of the Fuhrer as the movie displays a patient and understanding individual who…show more content… Even when Fraulein Humps becomes overwhelmed when typing, he calmly and kindly suggests that maybe they should restart (05:00-06:23). A shift in Hitler’s mental and physical state can be seen in the movie two and one half years later at Hitler’s birthday party. You see a shaken Hitler from Russian artillery fire in central Berlin. He is furious that the Russians are so close and he has not received word from any of his commands (07:41-09:00). A crack can be observed in his mental state which seems to fuel his paranoid schizophrenic thoughts about other Nazi officers. A noticeable shaking of Hitler’s hand can first be seen during the movie when head Nazi officers are attempting to convince him to leave Berlin ahead of the Russian attack (12:26-13:23). I believe this reflects Hitler’s mental and physical state of being at the time demonstrating his declining health. Another scene that Hitler’s deteriorating mental and physical health can be viewed in the movie is while he is in a meeting with the remaining Nazi officers. His hand can be seen shaking, once again, while he declares that the military has been lying to him along with everyone else. He calls his generals “traitors and disloyal cowards” and even blames them for “hindering” his plans and “putting obstacles in his way”…show more content… The first scene that stood out is when the movie shows civilians getting mixed up in the attacks along with the German soldiers. There’s a small boy about my daughter’s age dodging attacks and barely avoids getting killed (37:21-38:22). The next scene you see civilians fleeing their homes at night as bombs pour from the skies overhead (47:49-48:11). These two scenes showed how civilians as well as soldiers were at risk of being killed from attacks. It also reflected what we learned in class about the method used to bomb at night. Another scene shows a group of Germans taking refuge. The area is packed beyond capacity with soldiers and civilians alike missing various limbs and suffering from various injuries; many of whom look like they’ve been left to die (50:44-52:00). This was an effective way to display the Total War aspect of World War II. It wasn’t just money and possessions given to assist the fight. Life and limb were donated from each side’s effort to win the war. The scene where Ernst sits down with his family for a meal after Hitler denied his request to leave Berlin with his family was particularly gruesome (01:22:45-01:23:39). I couldn’t imagine making the decision to take my family’s life, especially via grenade. I guess Ernst didn’t rate high enough to get the poison like others had gotten from Hitler to kill themselves. You get a good
