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Reviews
Der Untergang (2004)
See and feel this destruction and tragedy
Der Untergang is a realistic story of the last days of Hitler as seen through the (beautiful) eyes of his favourite secretary Fräulein Traudl Junge. The film shows us the slaughter and murders above the ground, the terrible blasts of the Soviet artillery fire on the governmental district of the capital Berlin. Under the ground life is peaceful and almost normal. The strength of the movie is that it shows us very acceptable, human and normal people around the broken Hitler. The most macabre scenes involve Magda Goebels murdering her beautiful children after she gives them a drink to sleep. The persons act very convincing, speak German as they did and also had the faces of Germans so typical for that period in history.
The only thing I missed was some more realistic pictures of Berlin as it was in those last days. Only (a model of) the heavily damaged chancellary and the Voss-strasse is shown and one big office building was used which is acceptable as a building which could have been located in Berlin, but other buildings or streets were NOT typical for builtup and ravaged Berlin. The Tiger I tank was a model used in Private Ryan. In reality there were a couple of the big Königstigers around. The same is true for the Flak gun which was a Soviet 85mm gun, where in reality there were German 88mm Flak guns. At the end the movie follows Traudl Junge and her flight out of Berlin. In the last scene she is a very old (but still beautiful) lady and tells us about her experience more than 55 years ago and how she felt pleased to join Hitler as his secretary and knew nothing of the crimes Hitler committed to the Jews. She was totally innocent and a victim of history. Most people around Hilter have died now, recently also: Traudl Junge and Hitlers personal adjutant: Otto Günsche and strong character Wilhelm Mohnke, which was also present in the battles in Normandy, in the Ardennes and Hungary as a divisional commander of the 1st SS Panzer division. The only one still living today is the man which also left the bunker as the last person to see it: Rochus Misch. The technical operator of the generators of the bunker.
Compared to "The Bunker" of 1981 this movie is less romantic, less clean and more realistic.
Der Untergang (2004)
See and feel this destruction and tragedy
Der Untergang is a realistic story of the last days of Hitler as seen through the (beautiful) eyes of his favourite secretary Fräulein Traudl Junge. The film shows us the slaughter and murders above the ground, the terrible blasts of the Soviet artillery fire on the governmental district of the capital Berlin. Under the ground life is peaceful and almost normal. The strength of the movie is that it shows us very acceptable, human and normal people around the broken Hitler. The most macabre scenes involve Magda Goebels murdering her beautiful children after she gives them a drink to sleep. The persons act very convincing, speak German as they did and also had the faces of Germans so typical for that period in history.
The only thing I missed was some more realistic pictures of Berlin as it was in those last days. Only (a model of) the heavily damaged chancellary and the Voss-strasse is shown and one big office building was used which is acceptable as a building which could have been located in Berlin, but other buildings or streets were NOT typical for builtup and ravaged Berlin. The Tiger I tank was a model used in Private Ryan. In reality there were a couple of the big Königstigers around. The same is true for the Flak gun which was a Soviet 85mm gun, where in reality there were German 88mm Flak guns. At the end the movie follows Traudl Junge and her flight out of Berlin. In the last scene she is a very old (but still beautiful) lady and tells us about her experience more than 55 years ago and how she felt pleased to join Hitler as his secretary and knew nothing of the crimes Hitler committed to the Jews. She was totally innocent and a victim of history. Most people around Hilter have died now, recently also: Traudl Junge and Hitlers personal adjutant: Otto Günsche and strong character Wilhelm Mohnke, which was also present in the battles in Normandy, in the Ardennes and Hungary as a divisional commander of the 1st SS Panzer division. The only one still living today is the man which also left the bunker as the last person to see it: Rochus Misch. The technical operator of the generators of the bunker.
Compared to "The Bunker" of 1981 this movie is less romantic, less clean and more realistic.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Excellent first part, rest is Hollywood bull s***!!
Apart from the first part, I was very disappointed by the rest. The morale: don't let an enemy go, because he will return and kill you. Strange hair-cut SS soldiers (more resembling US marines than German Waffen SS soldiers) even speaking English !!! Germans storming a town running around to be shot ! It just irritates me. All was more decently done in "Band of Brothers". Only the action of the German flak-crew and SP-gun was done well. Keep in mind that in reality the Waffen SS was a frightening fighting force with unparalleled commanders but didn't enter the battle in Cotentin so soon.
Rob Veenenberg
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Imaginative but historical nonsense
Saw the "guns" dozens of times. Did read the book twice and in my youth rebuilt the island and the fortress in miniature. Playing with Airfix soldiers and tanks.... to recreate my own Guns of Navarone!!! The island is called Navarone, but the size and the place of the action, fall 1943 and the route to Leros (Kheros) it can only be Rhodes. Yes Rhodes did have a strong German garrison, yes on Rhodes were German Panzers (still not very logical on an island). But to line the panzers with guns along the coastal facing Turkey is stupid defensive measure, because invading ships supported by aircraft easily can shoot them to pieces!!! There were however no guns on Rhodes of the size showed in the movie (21 to 28 cm caliber), but on the north east coast is a rock which can be compared to the rock hiding the guns. The site were most was filmed is actually Lindos. The huge gates are of the big walls surrounding Rhodes town. The walled city of Navarone (showed very short) is a model in miniature. All other things: studio artwork. Still the whole movie and their characters was full of action and beautiful pictures of the deep blue sea, the white Greek houses, the threatening and still powerful German Army. The later "Force 10 from Navarone" tries to do it all over again and has also many attractive scenes. Together with "Were Eagles Dare" the trio is complete. Americans consistently show their admiration for the German Army: in all 3 movies they feel comfortable and proud wearing German uniforms (so far more sophisticated compared to their own uniforms devoid of anything of regalia and militarism).
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
War romance on Cephallonia: place of an Italian massacre
This movie is about a war romance between captain Corelli, an Italian artillery officer and a Greek local beauty called Pelagia during the summer and fall of 1943 on the Greek island of Cephallonia. The occupying Italian garrison behaves as friendly as possible to the local population, while the superior feeling Germans keep distance. Corelli is instantly charmed by Pelagia and tries to win her heart by playing on his mandoline.
The movie portrays quite historical the way to disaster of the 12.000 strong Italian Acqui Division and its East-front battle hardened commander general Gandin. In September 1943 Italy surrendered. Contradictionary orders from Rome and Athens to lay down arms and hostile reactions by the Germans, made the confused Italians to decide to took up their arms against their former allies. They sank a German landing ship with reinforcements for the small German garrison. Supported by Stuka's and Jagdpanzer the "elite" 1st Gebirgsjäger Division is transferred to the island and in a few days killed 1300 Italian troops, loosing only 200 men of their own. On 21 September the Italians were forced to surrendered and 5300 were instantly shot, including Gandin. Hitler himself personally ordered the "destruction" of the "traitors". The tragedy for the remaining Italians was not over because of the captured remaining Italians another 3000 lost their lives when their transports were sunk. The movie shows us a glance of this immense tragedy and proceeds with the escape of captain Corelli and his return to the island after the war. He meets Pelagia in the ruins of their house, destroyed by an earthquake. The movie starts and ends with showing us the simple local people and their daily problems. The war and the tragedy of the Italians seems to be totally forgotten.
(note: ironically most survivors of the surrendered 1st Mountain Division were shot themselves by the Yugoslav Army in 1945).
Misa mi (2003)
Beautiful romantic film about a nice young girl and a wolf
The film has been shot in northern Sweden. So there is few sunlight.
Kim is a young girl of 10 years and lives with her grandma after her mother has died. The wolf lives in the woods and is also lonely because her male partner has been shot. The relation between Kim Jansson and the female wolf is very well filmed and the camera often zooms in on Kim's face and particular her beautiful eyes. The film shows good and evil. Kim and some of her friends are the good ones, helping the wolves. The male hunters are the bad ones, shooting animals for money. After the wolf saves Kim, when she is lost in the woods, she visits the wolf once more to detect that she has two puppies. The hunters eventually kill the female wolf. Kim tries to save the puppies of the wolf and delivers them to ...... another wolf. This is a weak part, because that is not quite realistic. It may be also fiction here. The good thing of this film is that it shows the intrinsic warm love for nature of men.
The Haunting of M. (1979)
Very emotional and thrilling
I saw this movie over 20 years ago, but with a few others still haunts me. The music of Chopin and Janacek, together with the sepia dark images works very effective on your emotions and mood. Years after I can still feel the effects of this movie with the final epitome when the ghost tries to take the haunted M with him (to the world of ghosts?). A soft wind can be heard blowing through the trees, the music quite soft, sombre and romantic, the light is almost absent: all is set for this final important moment in the movie.
Together with the earlier movies of Ingmar Bergman, Antonioni and the also forgotten masterpiece of Schlöndorff "Die Fällschung" (destruction of Beirut), I rank this movie to the highest order of the art.