Munich
A German film that portrays the human side of Hitler during the last 10 days of his life premiered this week to mixed reviews. Der Untergang (The Downfall), starring Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, depicts the Nazi leader as a regular person, speaking in a sorrowful voice to his mistress and underlings as he ponders Germany’s inevitable defeat and contemplates suicide. “These were people, not robots,” said the film’s producer, Bernd Eichinger. The audience at the Munich premiere gave the film a standing ovation; newspaper critics were more skeptical. “Should one do this?” asked the Berlin Taggespiegel. “Show Hitler as though in the end he were only a victim, a victim of the circumstances he created?”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The WaterboysFeature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
-
Are bonds worth investing in?the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
