Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(May 2005)
An ex-Brit gives his views - (without
fear or favor) - of the American Scene
Film of
the week:
 I went to the movies during the
week and saw the German semi-documentary film, "Downfall
- Der Untergang".
This excellent film, lasting two hours and thirty-four minutes, gives a very
forceful and seemingly accurate account of the last days of Hitler’s
and his associates in the Berlin Bunker, including the time between his 56th
Birthday on April the 25th 1945 until his suicide on the 30th of April 1945.
This is an extremely well made and realistic film with excellent portrayals
by a marvellous cast of actors.
The film indicates how Hitler, during the final days
of the war, was completely out of touch with reality
and suffered from the delusion that Germany still had
a chance of stopping the Russian Troops entering Berlin,
even though his generals indicated that the Russians
were within a hundred meters of the bunker.
The film shows in great detail the fight for Berlin and
the plight of Hitler, Eva Braun, (who Hitler eventually
married a few days before they both committed suicide),
and also the life of Hitler’s twenty two-year-old
Private Secretary Fraulein Traudl Junge, and the many
members of Hitler’s general
staff and political associates located in the bunker.
One poignant scene depicts the dreadful action taken by Frau Goebbels when
administering cyanide to her five children just hours before Russian Forces
enter the area of the bunker.
Even with English subtitles, I would certainly recommend, for anyone interested
in that historic period, that this should be a "must see" film.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents of these
newsletters. Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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