Many have praised Hopkins as Hitler, and I don't disagree. I thought Bruno Ganz did an even better job in "Downfall". But that's just my opinion.
This film suffers in comparison to "Downfall" by the lesser production values inevitable in a 1980s TV movie. But it also falls short of "Downfall" in not providing a larger picture of the situation in Berlin during the last days, or by having a fully realized narrative structure. It wasn't all Hilter's ranting and raving. The later film adopts the point of view of Traudl Humps Junge, Hitler's most important secretary, a simple young woman caught in the whirling chaos of the collapse of the Reich. The film begins and ends with her - like Ishmael in Moby Dick, a faithful observer all the way through. "Bunker" lacks such an organizing device, playing out more as a stage play on which the actors come and go. "Downfall" also wins in its depiction of the madness of the Goebbels. The fate of their children is the starkest possible condemnation of the entire Nazi worldview.
That's not to say "Bunker" isn't an excellent effort. It set new standards for TV films. There wouldn't be a Netflix or HBO Films today without it. Both are loaded with accurate details. I was particularly impressed with how this one got the uniforms just right. This and "Downfall" are not really competitors - both should be seen, they complement each other.
Highly recommended.
This film suffers in comparison to "Downfall" by the lesser production values inevitable in a 1980s TV movie. But it also falls short of "Downfall" in not providing a larger picture of the situation in Berlin during the last days, or by having a fully realized narrative structure. It wasn't all Hilter's ranting and raving. The later film adopts the point of view of Traudl Humps Junge, Hitler's most important secretary, a simple young woman caught in the whirling chaos of the collapse of the Reich. The film begins and ends with her - like Ishmael in Moby Dick, a faithful observer all the way through. "Bunker" lacks such an organizing device, playing out more as a stage play on which the actors come and go. "Downfall" also wins in its depiction of the madness of the Goebbels. The fate of their children is the starkest possible condemnation of the entire Nazi worldview.
That's not to say "Bunker" isn't an excellent effort. It set new standards for TV films. There wouldn't be a Netflix or HBO Films today without it. Both are loaded with accurate details. I was particularly impressed with how this one got the uniforms just right. This and "Downfall" are not really competitors - both should be seen, they complement each other.
Highly recommended.