Principal cast
Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes and Juliane Köhler
Film 471 of 498 on the Screen Path
Downfall
April 1945, a nation awaits its... Downfall
About the film
Downfall at a glance.
Screen Path places this 2004 film at stop 471 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.
Key craft credits
Rainer Klausmann (director of photography), Hans Funck (editor), Stephan Zacharias (original music composer), Bernd Eichinger (screenplay) and Bernd Lepel (production design)
- Director
- Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Release
- 2004-09-16
- Runtime
- 155 minutes
- Genres
- Drama, History and War
- Country
- Germany
- Quiz
- 20 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 20 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
20 questions in this journeyCitizen Kane is the complete public example: both learning videos and a five-question sample quiz are available below.
Start the example →Full cast
Full cast
- Bruno GanzCharacter: Adolf Hitler
- Alexandra Maria LaraCharacter: Traudl Junge
- Corinna HarfouchCharacter: Magda Goebbels
- Ulrich MatthesCharacter: Joseph Goebbels
- Juliane KöhlerCharacter: Eva Braun
- Heino FerchCharacter: Albert Speer
- Christian BerkelCharacter: Prof. Dr. Ernst-Günter Schenck
- Thomas KretschmannCharacter: SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein
- Ulrich NoethenCharacter: Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler
- Birgit MinichmayrCharacter: Gerda Christian
- Rolf KaniesCharacter: General der Infanterie Hans Krebs
- Justus von DohnányiCharacter: General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf
Full crew
Full crew
- Oliver HirschbiegelCredits: Director
- Bernd EichingerCredits: Producer, Screenplay
- Christine RotheCredits: Executive Producer
- Rainer KlausmannCredits: Director of Photography
- Stephan ZachariasCredits: Original Music Composer
- An Dorthe BrakerCredits: Casting
- Bernd LepelCredits: Production Design
- Claudia BobsinCredits: Costume Design
- Nico KrebsCredits: Sound Designer
- Lisa Geffcken-ReinhardCredits: Sound Effects Editor
- Joachim FestCredits: Author
- Traudl JungeCredits: Author
- Melissa MüllerCredits: Author
- Hans FunckCredits: Editor
- Margrit NeufinkCredits: Makeup Artist
- Waldemar PokromskiCredits: Makeup Artist
- Elena ZhukovaCredits: Art Direction
- Aleksey FilatovCredits: Assistant Art Director
- Sergey FukalovCredits: Assistant Art Director
- Norbert ZichCredits: Dolby Consultant
- Carsten RichterCredits: Foley
- Jörn PoetzlCredits: Foley
- Abi SchneiderCredits: Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Natasha GrachovaCredits: Special Effects Coordinator
- Stefanie StalfCredits: Visual Effects Producer
- Thomas ZaunerCredits: Visual Effects Supervisor
- Oleg KorytinCredits: Stunt Coordinator
- Konstantin KostinCredits: Gaffer
- Marcus PohlusCredits: Steadicam Operator
- Sebastian MeuschelCredits: Steadicam Operator
- Tilman BüttnerCredits: Steadicam Operator
- Jürgen OlczykCredits: Still Photographer
- Natalya ZamakhinaCredits: Costume Supervisor
- Mila KoudriashovaCredits: Publicist
- Bettina BartlCredits: Publicist
- Kerstin BöckCredits: Publicist
- Yakov GordinCredits: Location Manager
- Svetlana LukashCredits: Location Manager
- Vladimir PlyatskovskyCredits: Location Manager
- Oksana RusalinovaCredits: Location Manager
- Maxim VolodinCredits: Location Manager
- Nonna VelikayaCredits: Translator
- Philipp SellierCredits: Foley
- Wolf-Dietrich BrückerCredits: Co-Producer
- Doris J. HeinzeCredits: Co-Producer
- Jörn KlamrothCredits: Co-Producer
- Christine JahnCredits: Post Production Supervisor
- Bohdan GraczykCredits: Assistant Director
- Sergey GolovkinCredits: Stunts
- Tom TykwerCredits: Thanks
- Oskar RoehlerCredits: Thanks
- Dirk EichlerCredits: Lighting Technician
- Andrew MolloCredits: Other
- Carol Burandt von KamekeCredits: First Assistant Camera
- Hanuš Polak jr.Credits: Assistant Director
- Ekaterina OmakhanovaCredits: Property Master
- Irina MelnikovaCredits: Property Master
- Alessandro CioffiCredits: Compositing Artist
- Michael RallaCredits: Compositing Artist
- Fabian SchmidtCredits: Dialogue Editor
- Galina ZaigraevaCredits: Property Master
Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.