| Downfall | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Der_Untergang_Downfall_poster.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Oliver Hirschbiegel |
| Screenplay by | Bernd Eichinger |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Bernd Eichinger |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rainer Klausmann[1] |
| Edited by | Hans Funck[1] |
| Music by | Stephan Zacharias[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Constantin Film (Germany and Austria) Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 20th Century Fox & Walt Disney Pictures (USA and United Kingdom) 01 Distribution (Italy) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 155 minutes[2] |
| Countries | Germany United Kingdom Italy Austria[3] |
| Languages | German Italian[2] |
| Budget | €13.5 million[4] (approx. US$16 million) |
| Box office | $92.2 million[5] |
Downfall (German: Der Untergang) is a 2004 historical war drama film written and produced by Bernd Eichinger and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. It is set during the Battle of Berlin in World War II, when Nazi Germany is on the verge of total defeat, and depicts the final days of Adolf Hitler (portrayed by Bruno Ganz). The cast includes Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch, Christian Berkel, Alexander Held, Matthias Habich, and Thomas Kretschmann. The film is a German-Austrian-Italian co-production.
Principal photography took place from September to November 2003, on location in Berlin, Munich, and Saint Petersburg, Russia. As the film is set in and around the Führerbunker, Hirschbiegel used eyewitness accounts, survivors' memoirs, and other historical sources during production to reconstruct the look and atmosphere of 1940s Berlin. The screenplay was based on the books Inside Hitler's Bunker by historian Joachim Fest and Until the Final Hour by Traudl Junge, one of Hitler's secretaries, among other accounts of the period.
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on 14 September 2004. It was controversial with audiences for showing a human side of Hitler, and for its portrayal of members of the Third Reich. It later received a wide theatrical release in Germany under its production company Constantin Film. The film grossed over $92 million. Critics gave favourable reviews, particularly for Ganz's performance as Adolf Hitler and Eichinger's screenplay. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards.
- ^ a b c d Elley, Derek (16 September 2004). "Downfall". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ a b "DOWNFALL (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 24 December 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Downfall (2004)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ "Eichinger-Film "Der Untergang": Bruno Ganz spielt späten Hitler". Spiegel Online (in German). 16 April 2003. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "DOWNFALL". Box Office Mojo.