Downfall (2004 film)

Downfall
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOliver Hirschbiegel
Screenplay byBernd Eichinger
Based on
Produced byBernd Eichinger
Starring
CinematographyRainer Klausmann[1]
Edited byHans Funck[1]
Music byStephan Zacharias[1]
Production
company
Distributed byConstantin Film (Germany and Austria)
01 Distribution (Italy)
Release dates
  • 8 September 2004 (2004-09-08) (Germany)
  • 10 September 2004 (2004-09-10) (Austria)
Running time
155 minutes[2]
CountriesGermany
Italy
Austria[3]
LanguagesGerman
Italian[2]
Budget€13.5 million[4] (approx. US$16 million)
Box office$92.2 million[5]

Downfall (German: Der Untergang) is a 2004 German epic 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 in 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.

  1. ^ a b c d Elley, Derek (16 September 2004). "Downfall". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b "DOWNFALL (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 24 December 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Downfall (2004)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Eichinger-Film "Der Untergang": Bruno Ganz spielt späten Hitler". Spiegel Online (in German). 16 April 2003. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  5. ^ "DOWNFALL". Box Office Mojo.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne