History YMMV / DownfallFilm

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Speer suggests to a bedridden Magda Goebbels that her plan to kill her children is rooted more in having personally crossed the DespairEventHorizon than a genuine belief that the world will not be worth living in once Nazism is gone. She goes through with it, but the question remains.
* {{Anvilicious}}: Hitler was a human. An evil human, but human regardless.
* AwardSnub:
** Creator/BrunoGanz was not nominated for his humanizing but still cruel portrayal of Hitler, very likely because that particular role is a controversy magnet no matter how much talent he displayed playing him.
** The film itself also didn't win the Oscar for best foreign-language film.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Given the subject matter, the score is sporadic and [[TearJerker woefully depressing]], but Stephan Zacharias' work is absolutely wonderful, setting and reflecting the mood of the film perfectly. ''Der Krieg Ist Aus'' and ''Hoffnung Am Ende Der Welt'' in particular may be capable of inducing ManlyTears.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Out of nowhere through a very dark and depressing movie comes an unexpected moment when one of the children is telling Traudl Junge how he likes it when it "[[ChildrenAreInnocent thunders]]", since [[DramaticIrony nothing can get them inside the bunker]]. Right at that moment, we hear the sound of Hitler shooting himself offscreen. The kid's gleeful response? "[[spoiler:[[MoodWhiplash Bullseye!]]]]" It's shockingly hilarious in context, not to mention strangely cathartic for everyone in the audience.
* CryForTheDevil: It is easy to pity Hitler's downfall with Bruno Ganz's incredibly emotional performance.
* DracoInLeatherPants: A number of viewers think that the Goebbels murdered their children to prevent them from being tortured to death by the Soviets, conveniently ignoring the fact that Albert Speer made two attempts to persuade them to let him take the children with him, only to be refused. They also more or less explicitly declare that they are doing so because they think a Germany that isn't ruled by Hitler (or one in which, [[SarcasmMode Heaven forbid]], "racially inferior subhumans" are treated as people) isn't worth living in.
** There's also the historical context to consider: both Josef and Magda declared, prior to their deaths, that their children "belonged to the Führer", and thus should follow him in death, with the former even crazily declaring that, were the children old enough to understand, they'd gladly take their own lives--which is destroyed by a Soviet autopsy report that indicates Helga regained consciousness and tried to resist her killer(s)--and the latter even asking a friend to help her carry out the deed should her resolve falter; the children of other high-ranking Nazis were spared after the war; and sparing the six children would have likely served as a big [=PR=] boost for the Soviets.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Fegelein, seeing how much he's used in the parody videos.
* FanDisservice: Several topless women appear in the brothel where Fegelein hides out, but the overall movie rather nullifies any potential sexiness.
* GeniusBonus: Hitler's ranting about how he conquered Europe "all by myself" and how his generals are "useless, incompetent cowards" makes a lot more sense if one knows about the decision-making in the early campaigns of World War II, where Hitler would often overrule Oberkommando and get great success as a result, while leaving High Command to their own devices handed him disasters like Kursk. The best example of this would be [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France#Fall_Gelb_(Case_Yellow) the Battle of France,]] where Oberkommando suggested a slow campaign that would (at the most optimistic projections) take two years and cost over a million casualties, which Hitler bypassed by approving Manstein's Plan for an aggressive breakthrough at Sedan which saw France conquered in six weeks with 160,000 casualties. This colored his perceptions for the rest of the war.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** During Traudl's typewriting test in her interview, Hitler reassures her by saying [[GeneralFailure he makes many mistakes]] [[DoubleEntendre when dictating]].
** Hermann Fegelein's MemeticBadass status becomes even more hilarious when Creator/ThomasKretschmann later portrayed the leader of the Nazi-descended organization ComicBook/{{HYDRA}}, Baron von Strucker, in TheStinger of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' and in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. Though this is par for the course, as Kretschmann is typecast as Nazis all the time. At least it's steady work...
*** In that same vein, Thomas Kretschmann would later play Major Otto Ernst Remer in ''Film/{{Valkyrie}}'' and one of his most prominent scenes is hearing the voice of Hitler from Goebbels' phone after presuming that the Führer is dead. Since Hitler and Fegelein barely interact with each other[[note]]The only time Fegelein directly speaks to Hitler is when Hitler was observing a model of Berlin with Speer, and it's a mere insistence for Hitler to leave Berlin for his safety. Hitler doesn't get his murderous hatred of Fegelein until after Himmler betrays him.[[/note]] in the film despite the ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' videos giving them an SitcomArchNemesis relationship, this may be one of the rare instances that Hitler finally finds Fegelein.
** Constantin Film, the same company which brought us ''Downfall'' and tried in vain to delete all of its parody videos, has now released a new movie about Adolf Hitler titled ''Film/LookWhosBack'' -- which happens to be a satirical comedy in which the Führer [[FishOutOfTemporalWater somehow finds himself in the 21st century]], is treated as a [[AdolfHitlarious laughing stock]] instead of a terrible tyrant, and even becomes a [[MemeticMutation YouTube personality]]. Hell, there's even a few [[ShoutOut references]] to ''Downfall'', such as an image of Bruno Ganz's role as Adolf Hitler, and a spoof of the classic rant scene.
** Bruno Ganz (Adolf Hitler) was offered the role of [[Film/SchindlersList Oskar Schindler]]. He refused and the role went to Liam Neeson.
*** Even more hilarious is that both Bruno Ganz and Alexandra Maria Lara would later play Holocaust survivors in ''The Reader.''
** Hitler's exclamation, 'Ahh, Monhke!' becomes slightly funnier to those who are familiar with a [[https://youtu.be/2EKKMof_Ywg 2020 meme]] based on a line from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''.
* JerkassWoobie:
** Hitler, of all people. While a horrible monster, he's portrayed as a broken down man.
** Fegelein is also portrayed as this in the film. A Nazi, an opportunist, a deserter… and a young man who just wants to live, unlike his lunatic fellow men determined to die for a crazy ideology that has totally blown up in their faces.
* MemeticMutation:
** The scene where Hitler snaps upon hearing that there are no reinforcements to be mobilized to aid Berlin [[WebVideo/HitlerRants has been subject to many]] Website/YouTube videos where [[GagSub different subtitles are given to amusing effect]], including, but not limited to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkDxF2kn1I&feature=related Hitler getting banned from Xbox Live]], essentially turning Hitler into an all-out DramaQueen. It's become so popular that it got an entire [[WebVideo/HitlerRants page]] dedicated to his misadventures.
** It even got parodied in ''Film/LookWhosBack'', a movie about Hitler waking up in the 21st century, by filming a sequence about a network's tanking ratings as a shot-for-shot recreation of the bunker scene. While it's not Hitler who rants this time (rather the boss of the media company), Hitler is still nearby.
** To a lesser extent, the scene where Hitler declares Fegelein a traitor has undergone the same treatment.
** "Don't worry, Steiner will turn things around" has become a running joke amongst historian enthusiasts, often brought up in comment sections of videos discussing Germany's military losses and the impeding Soviet invasion.
* MoralEventHorizon:
** Just in case you were actually thinking of sympathizing with the poor, broken down old Hitler, he starts boasting about his genocide and treats the surviving Germans with contempt. In his case, he's very aware of this and admits right before killing himself that he would soon be hated the world over.
--->'''Hitler''': ''[rough English translation]'' [[FamousLastWords Tomorrow, I shall be damned by millions of people, but let them damn me, for it is my destiny.]]
** Herr and Frau Goebbels, of course, display some very unusual attitudes toward family values. Their love for their children is rendered null and void when they decide to ''murder'' them, against their will if Helga's reaction is any indication, rather than let them live in a world free from Hitler's tyranny.
* NauseaFuel: The Schenck[=/=]Hasse operating scene is this, NightmareFuel, and {{Squick}}.
* {{Narm}}:
** Hitler's over-the-top rants can be hard to take seriously, especially if anyone has seen the WebVideo/HitlerRants meme before watching the movie.
** Many, many, ''many'' of the movie's dubs. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edEk1J57QAs Here]]'s a sample from the French dub.
** The Fegelein rant also gets this in the Spanish dub, to some degree:
-->'''Hitler''': ''[rough English translation]'' What do you mean you can't find him? He's not invisible! Search for him conscientiously!
** During Hitler's cremation, there's an extreme close-up on Goebbels' creepy, sunken face with the flames reflected in his eyes as he stares into the fire with the most hysterically intense "[[DeathGlare tonight]], ''[[DeathGlare you die]]''" face imaginable. For some people, it's so [[ObviouslyEvil frighteningly over-the-top]] and insane-looking that it crosses the line from creepy into distractingly hilarious.
* NarmCharm: It is somewhat hard to take Hitler seriously in his rants after all the parodies, but Bruno Ganz's performance is still incredible at portraying Hitler as a mad yet broken man feeling betrayed by all of his men and facing the hopeless destruction of the German state that he worked so hard to build, despite the millions of deaths and ruined lives that he and his regime are responsible for.
* NeverLiveItDown: Due to being the source of the WebVideo/HitlerRants videos, many viewers' perception of Hitler and his cronies are often simplified based on the infamous rant scene along with a few other scenes. To name a few:
** Adolf Hitler is seen as a LargeHam dictator [[HairTriggerTemper who gets angry whenever he hears the slightest of bad news]] despite spending most of the film's runtime as a quiet, almost disturbingly affably person (which gives his outbursts a lot more impact).
** Alfred Jodl, the general who warns Hitler that moving the 12th Army would give an opening for the Allies in the Western Front, is ultimately a loyal YesMan who sticks with Hitler despite knowing he's a madman. But since his one prominent scene is him getting on Hitler's nerve for questioning his plan, he's largely seen as a CommanderContrarian and the OnlySaneMan in Hitler's inner circle.
** Hermann Fegelein is a SmugSnake who cowardly went AWOL, only to be caught and unceremoniously executed by Hitler's goons. He's not even important to Hitler as he initially wanted to punish Heinrich Himmler, Fegelein's boss, instead. But ever since Hitler pounded his table shouting Fegelein's name, [[MemeticBadass Fegelein is remembered to as the man that Hitler cannot find and thus the subject of all the dictator's ire]].
** The [[TheGhost unseen]] Felix Steiner is just one of many generals that Hitler pins his delusional hopes on to turn the tide and he isn't even the last HopeSpot in the film; that honor goes to Walther Wenck and his 12th Army. But Steiner's failure to launch a counterattack is what drove Hitler into his iconic VillainousBreakdown whereas Wenck's failure is only discussed by the bunker staff in private (and Hitler had no more energy to get angry at Wenck). As such, Steiner is largely remembered as the only man whom Hitler greatly depends on to win the war... [[MemeticLoser and failing miserably]].
* NightmareFuel:
** The most obvious examples are when the viewer first sees ''children'' trying to hold back the Soviets and the notorious scene when Hitler snaps.
** Towards the end of the film there's a string of suicides, most of them are off-screen but we have a close-up of Franz Schädle who shoots himself ''very suddenly'' in the face in the middle of a makeshift hospital.
** Also, Ernst-Robert Grawitz uses ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill grenades]]'' to kill himself [[spoiler:and his family during an otherwise serene dinner. And that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as cruelty to kids in this film goes.]]
** Goebbels' face. Those cheekbones and wide, sunken-in eyes can look pretty creepy.
** The infamous rant is pretty frightening (if one ignores all the parodies). Hitler becomes a tornado of fury, ready to lash out at everyone.
** The German soldier who is in the middle of having his leg amputated in the makeshift hospital.
** The fate of Goebbels' children. The very [[PaterFamilicide people]] who brought them to the world chose to also take their life, incapable of putting them higher than the ideals for which they willingly also lived and died.
* NightmareRetardant: The Hitler Parodies have made Hitler's rants considerably less terrifying.
* SignatureScene: The scene of Hitler's VillainousBreakdown upon hearing of Steiner's failure to launch a counterattack on the Soviets; particularly because it's known for being the moment that launched a million memes. In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll (in which critics from around the world get together and list their top 10 films), UK critic Kaleem Aftab chose this scene for his top 10, saying, "Bruno Ganz's performance as Hitler is so brilliant in showing his disgust at the failure of Steiner to attack the allies that the scene has been used and abused by legions of Internet users around the world, replacing the original subtitles to comment on current affairs –- it's the gift that won't stop giving."
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: [[WordOfGod Hirschbiegel]] said that the purpose of the film is to make the Nazis feel human and not just monsters one can dismiss as nothing like oneself. Also, WarIsHell.
* ToughActToFollow: For Oliver Hirschbiegel. None of his later films were as successful as this film, even attempting to do a ''Downfall''-esque movie called ''13 Minutes'' (about German worker Georg Elser who attempted to assassinate Hitler through a bomb) with little fanfare.
* TrueArtIsAngsty: ''Hoo boy''. This movie is about as angtsy as a WWII film can get short of falling into parody.
* WatchItForTheMeme: It must be something of a PeripheryDemographic of the Hitler Bunker clips who thinks, "Wow, a subtitled German film about the last days of World War II -- I gotta see this!" A parody clip is fairly popular in Greece, due to a satirical TV show.
* WeirdAlEffect: It's hard to take the original "Hitler rant" scene seriously once you've seen the numerous GagSub spoofs of the scene.
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** The [[TheGhost unseen]] Felix Steiner is just one of many generals that Hitler pins his delusional hopes on to turn the tide and he isn't even the last HopeSpot in the film; that honor goes to Walter Wenck and his 12th Army. But Steiner's failure to launch a counterattack is what drove Hitler into his iconic VillainousBreakdown whereas Wenck's failure is only discussed by the bunker staff in private (and Hitler had no more energy to get angry at Wenck). As such, Steiner is largely remembered as the only man whom Hitler greatly depends on to win the war... [[MemeticLoser and failing miserably]].

** The [[TheGhost unseen]] Felix Steiner is just one of many generals that Hitler pins his delusional hopes on to turn the tide and he isn't even the last HopeSpot in the film; that honor goes to Walter Wenck and his 12th Army. But Steiner's failure to launch a counterattack is what drove Hitler into his iconic VillainBreakdown whereas Wenck's failure is only discussed by the bunker staff in private (and Hitler had no more energy to get angry at Wenck). As such, Steiner is largely remembered as the only man whom Hitler greatly depends on to win the war... [[MemeticLoser and failing miserably]].

** Felix Steiner being Hitler's only hope has become a running joke amongst historian enthusiasts, often brought up in comment sections of videos discussing Germany's military losses and the impeding Soviet invasion.

*** In that same vein, Thomas Kretschmann would later play Major Otto Ernst Remer in ''Film/{{Valkyrie}}'' and one of his most prominent scenes is hearing the voice of Hitler from Goebbels' phone after presuming that the Führer is dead. Since Hitler and Fegelein never personally interacted in the film despite the ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' videos giving them an SitcomArchNemesis relationship, this may be one of the rare instances that Hitler finally finds Fegelein.

** Felix Steiner being Hitler's only hope has become a running joke amongst historian fans, often brought up in comment sections of videos discussing Germany's military losses and the impeding Soviet invasion.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Speer suggests to a bedridden Magda Goebbels that her plan to kill her children is rooted more in having personally crossed the DespairEventHorizon than a genuine belief that the world will not be worth living in once National Socialism is gone. She goes through with it, but the question remains.

** Creator/BrunoGanz was un-nominated for his humanizing but still sociopathic portrayal of Hitler, very likely because that particular role is a controversy magnet no matter how much talent he displayed playing him.

** It even got parodied in ''Film/ErIstWiederDa'' (''Look Who's Back''), a movie about Hitler waking up in the 21st century, by filming a sequence about a network's tanking ratings as a shot-for-shot recreation of the bunker scene. While it's not Hitler who rants this time (rather the boss of the media company), Hitler is still nearby.

** Constantin Film, the same company which brought us ''Downfall'' and tried in vain to delete all of its parody videos, has now released a new movie about Adolf Hitler titled ''[[Film/ErIstWiederDa Look Who's Back]]'' -- which happens to be a satirical comedy in which the Führer [[FishOutOfTemporalWater somehow finds himself in the 21st century]], is treated as a [[AdolfHitlarious laughing stock]] instead of a terrible tyrant, and even becomes a [[MemeticMutation YouTube personality]]. Hell, there's even a few [[ShoutOut references]] to ''Downfall'', such as an image of Bruno Ganz's role as Adolf Hitler, and a spoof of the classic rant scene.