What was it like in Hitler’s bunker during the final days of the Third Reich? How did he and his cohorts behave when they knew the end was near? Downfall, a 2004 Oscar-nominated German film, provides answers to these questions with its spellbinding dramatization based on the memories of Hitler’s personal secretary.

A naïve and starstruck Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) was only 22 years old when Adolph Hitler selected her as his stenographer. Three years later, in 1945, as Berlin crumbled under the Allies’ attack, Junge observed Hitler, his colleagues and confidantes as they hid inside a bunker underneath the German Chancellery. She continued to take Hitler’s dictation and even became friendly with his vivacious mistress, Eva Braun (Juliane Kohler). Junge found it hard to reconcile Der Fuerher’s hate-filled official statements with his compassionate treatment of her as an employee. And later, even though she thought he was "the best boss one could have," she wondered how she got so caught up in his world.

The seductive nature of being around someone as powerful as Hitler comes through loud and clear in Downfall. Bruno Ganz portrays the infamous dictator with an eye for detail instead of as the usual caricature we’ve come to expect in the movies. Gone is the posture-perfect Leader. Ganz’s Hitler hunches over and walks with a palsied hand behind his back. Yes, this Hitler lets his paranoia get the best of him; he shouts and makes unreasonable demands; but he’s also polite, quiet and pensive at times. He’s a human being, not a monster, and that’s what makes him even more frightening. The same goes for his loyal followers, especially Magda Goebbels (Corinna Harfouch) who must have had ice water running through her veins instead of blood. The horrifying final scene between Mrs. Goebbels and her six little children will haunt me for a long time to come.          

Watching Downfall evokes the same cramped feeling of Das Boot, another terrific German film. It’s very crowded in Hitler’s bunker -- and people start to shrink with their surroundings. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment), cinematographer Rainer Klausman (also Das Experiment) and production designer Bernd Lepel (Bear’s Kiss) deserve kudos for achieving such a realistic atmosphere inside the bunker. Outside, the battle scenes are equally impressive. They rival Saving Private Ryan for showing the bloody horrors of war.

Included among the DVD special features are: director Hirschbiegel’s thoughtful commentary; enlightening interviews with cast members; “The Making of Downfall,” an in-depth featurette; and detailed information about the shooting of the film. Although some of the material in the special features is repetitive, it’s important to view these items in order to gain an understanding of how important making Downfall was to the people involved. 

(Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and rated “R” for strong violence, disturbing images and some nudity.)