"Downfall" Values and Limitations (HW 10)

"Downfall" is a German film about the last days of fighting in Europe during World War II. It was created in 2004, and was one of the first films from Germany to reflect on the actions of the Nazis. Its purpose was to inform people in Germany and in other parts of the world of what actually happened in and around Hitler's bunker, using accounts from surviving Nazis to tell the story as accurately as possible.
This film is valuable for historians studying Hitler's Nazi Germany for a number of reasons. Firstly, "Downfall" attempts to humanize the Nazis, making them seem less like monsters and more like believable people. Because of this, we are able to more easily identify things such as opposition to Hitler within his own government and the impact of propaganda on the people of Germany. The movie also gives an interesting and very possibly accurate portrayal of Hitler, who constantly reminds viewers of his aims and ideology.
However, there are also limitations to "Downfall." The humanization of the Nazis may have been dramatically exaggerated in the creation of the movie. The film's accuracy is subject to doubt in large part because of the limited number of accounts by first-hand witnesses used for research by the creators. The people who provided these accounts seemed to be trying to distance themselves from Hitler's regime, although there is evidence that suggests they had been involved more deeply in Nazism than they say.