[P_A_I]

"There are many lessons to be gleaned from "Downfall." Perhaps the most important is that absolute faith in one's own virtue is not a commitment to virtuous behavior but a commitment to one's own will."

Sounds interesting.. Anyone see it yet?

[Jeff Chandler]

On the chance that there are potential audience members who don't know what evil act the wife of Joseph Goebbels is famous for, I won't reveal it.

Retroactive abortion.

[samtheman]

here are many lessons to be gleaned from "Downfall." Perhaps the most important is that absolute faith in one's own virtue is not a commitment to virtuous behavior but a commitment to one's own will. It's a license to commit atrocities.

Or --- in the case of our own home-grown leftists --- it's a license to commit treason.

[Ragnorak]

Haven't seen it, but I would certainly be interested.

I have always believed in humanizing Hitler (and others) in their historical treatment. It has nothing to do with sympathy but rather truth and wisdom. Evil rarely shows up dressed like Darth Vader or with horns and pitchforks.

If people had a better understanding of the "human" side of Hitler, Dan Rather's sympathetic Saddam interview and CNN's Saddam birthday love-fest coverage wouldn't have been the effective propaganda tools that they were.

The face of evil can be handsome, charming and charismatic. Teaching that the Hitler's of the world will appear as ranting lunatics without some positive appeal does the future a diservice.

[FormerACLUmember]

I saw "Downfall" last night. Bruno Ganz was incredible as Hitler, as was whoever played Goebbells and Himmler. The movie however centered on the lower echelon staff of the FuhrerBunker and ordinary Berliners as doom approached.

The movie seem a little bit too long, but it was very informative and mesmerizing in most parts. The escape from Berlin by Hitler's pretty young secretary (whose autobiography was one of the main sources) was harrowing and apocalyptic, as was the street fighting by young 12 year old boys.

[William of Orange]

I saw it in Germany the first week it opened, and I went back to see it again the next day. I was very much impressed by the movie. Ganz IS Hitler in the movie, a softspoken southern German accented man with temper tantrums out of nowhere, just like the original (according to historians). But never over the top. Ian Kershaw, who wrote the 2 volume biography of Hitler (Hubris & Nemesis) said it was probably the most accurate portrayal that you could ever hope to find considering it's a movie.

Besides Hitler, the movie features Himmler, Goebbels, Speer and Bormann from the Party hierarchy, a few generals including #1 Hitler sycophant Keitel and briefly, Göring.

This movie was well researched, as history buffs and those who read and studied Hitler will recognize many events and quotes in the movie. I would rate it easily the best Hitler movie ever. No one will walk away from this movie feeling any sympathy for the man (that they didn't have before).