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April 26th, 1945. The Russian Army has encircled Berlin and now draws the noose tight, marching towards the Reichstag and destroying the German's last lines of defence, tank by tank, man by man as the city falls into Soviet hands. It is also on this day that a woman begins a most extraordinary fight for survival against the city's new occupiers that reveals the shocking realities faced by civilians during the explosive last days of war. Special Features: Making of The Fall of Berlin - revealing how war torn Berlin was recreated; Behind the Scenes featurette; Interview with director Max Farberbock.
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52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Yes, it was a little heavy-going, but one can't expect anything less when the movie is all about portraying the lives of Berlin's women (and one woman in particular) in April/May 1945. I read the book "A Woman in Berlin" (Anonymous) A Woman in Berlin: Diary 20 April 1945 to 22 June 1945a year or two ago - after reading Anthony Beevor's great work "Berlin" Berlin: The Downfall 1945. I must say in both reading the book, and watching the movie, I was amazed at the resilience of the main character (anonymous) - how she accepted the situation and ensured she did what was required to reduce her exposure to being assaulted/raped any further. The movie is excellent ... very "authentic" with great attention to detail - I put it in the same class as "Downfall" - "hats off" to German film-making!
For those with an interest in WWII the DVD is definitely worth purchasing - it's a quality film!
For those with an interest in WWII the DVD is definitely worth purchasing - it's a quality film!
85 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is not your typical all-action war film; if that's what you like, then look elsewhere.
What this film depicts is the fall of Berlin to the invading Russian forces in April, 1945. The story is told from the perspective of a group of Berlin women, who are left largely isolated in the city, together with Berlin's young and elderly residents. Their husbands and sons are either away, losing the war somewhere else, or were killed trying to protect their City.
The film shows what seems to be an honest portrayal of the suffering of many women, subjected to rape and murder by the invading forces, with no-one to protect them. The women, however, do find various ways of surviving and coping with this awful situation and the collapse of their own country. There are definitely some heroines in this movie.
The scenes of Berlin, reduced to a pile of rubble, look very realistic and the acting is of a high standard throughout. The film is in Russian/German but very well sub-titled.
I would recommend this film, as it's different to see a war film based on sex from the female perspective, as opposed to masculine fighting and violence.
This film doesn't venerate war or rape, but shows what the non-military (largely female) populations also had to cope with. This is why films like this are important, as are films about the Holocaust. They don't glorify these historical events, but raise awareness about their horror, in the hope that they never happen again.
What this film depicts is the fall of Berlin to the invading Russian forces in April, 1945. The story is told from the perspective of a group of Berlin women, who are left largely isolated in the city, together with Berlin's young and elderly residents. Their husbands and sons are either away, losing the war somewhere else, or were killed trying to protect their City.
The film shows what seems to be an honest portrayal of the suffering of many women, subjected to rape and murder by the invading forces, with no-one to protect them. The women, however, do find various ways of surviving and coping with this awful situation and the collapse of their own country. There are definitely some heroines in this movie.
The scenes of Berlin, reduced to a pile of rubble, look very realistic and the acting is of a high standard throughout. The film is in Russian/German but very well sub-titled.
I would recommend this film, as it's different to see a war film based on sex from the female perspective, as opposed to masculine fighting and violence.
This film doesn't venerate war or rape, but shows what the non-military (largely female) populations also had to cope with. This is why films like this are important, as are films about the Holocaust. They don't glorify these historical events, but raise awareness about their horror, in the hope that they never happen again.
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The film is based on the 1945 memoirs of a Berlin woman (published 1959) and her survival in the ruins of Berlin together with other women. Anonyma turned out to be journalist Marta Hillers. She had started her diary in a cellar on April 20 1945, 10 days before Hitler's suicide. In the film she is played by Nina Hoss.
The phrase "How Often?" (Wie oft?) became common currency among women when counting being raped by Russian soliders. The film stands for the estimated two million German women who were raped by Russian soldiers and also stirs up a lot of old wounds with the older generation. When Anonyma: A Woman in Berlin was first published in West Germany it was seen as a slight to the honour of the German nation - while in East Germany it was comsidered critical of the Soviet "heroes". The fact is, and I can count on stories from my own family, that such rapes occurred (btw. also on men but that went unreported so as not to sully the virility of the glorious troops). One of my aunts was hidden underneath a heap of coals in a cellar in Dresden and escaped whereas another aunt wasn't so lucky and got raped a dozen times until she was rescued by chance. The shadows of those experiences still cast their shadows into the 21st century. The facts are also that an estimated 2 million German women fell victim to the troops, 100,000 of them in Berlin. An estimated 10% of rape victims died, mostly from suicide. In 1946 almost 4% of Berlin-born children were estimated to have Russian fathers. BTW a forgotten aspect is the pillaging and rapes perpetrated by US, French and Canadian troops which also did occur, but this is subject of another review. Some of our family silver is now somewhere in the US.
Berlin in April 1945: women in a building become victims of rape. One of them is Anonyma (Hiller). She, however, refuses to see herself as a victim. With an unconditional will to defend her dignity, she decides to look for a "wolf", a Russian officer who will protect her from the soldier hords. In return, she will sleep with him - voluntarily. What she had least expected happens: ...
The film, made by director Max Faerberboeck and producer Guenter Rohrbach, is extremely well executed and powerfully realistic in its portrayal of the death throws of Nazi-Germany in the streets of Berlin and the people who had to act out their lives in it. One had to survive and did all things necessary to do so and gain a degree of control over one's personal life. The actors fill their roles with great reality. It is a sympathetic view to those who had to live through these abhorrent times.
Hoss, who plays the role of Hillers, working alongside Russian actors for whom the Russian liberation of Nazi Germany is still central to national pride said: "I had the feeling that many were split on the issue, you mustn't forget that the victory over the Germans is central to the Russians' self-consciousness."
Highly recommended.
See also:Namen, die keiner mehr nennt: Ostpreußen - Menschen und Geschichte or When I Was a German, 1934-1945: An Englishwoman in Nazi Germany / The Past is Myself or Ivan's War: The Red Army at War 1939-45: Inside The Red Army, 1939-45
The phrase "How Often?" (Wie oft?) became common currency among women when counting being raped by Russian soliders. The film stands for the estimated two million German women who were raped by Russian soldiers and also stirs up a lot of old wounds with the older generation. When Anonyma: A Woman in Berlin was first published in West Germany it was seen as a slight to the honour of the German nation - while in East Germany it was comsidered critical of the Soviet "heroes". The fact is, and I can count on stories from my own family, that such rapes occurred (btw. also on men but that went unreported so as not to sully the virility of the glorious troops). One of my aunts was hidden underneath a heap of coals in a cellar in Dresden and escaped whereas another aunt wasn't so lucky and got raped a dozen times until she was rescued by chance. The shadows of those experiences still cast their shadows into the 21st century. The facts are also that an estimated 2 million German women fell victim to the troops, 100,000 of them in Berlin. An estimated 10% of rape victims died, mostly from suicide. In 1946 almost 4% of Berlin-born children were estimated to have Russian fathers. BTW a forgotten aspect is the pillaging and rapes perpetrated by US, French and Canadian troops which also did occur, but this is subject of another review. Some of our family silver is now somewhere in the US.
Berlin in April 1945: women in a building become victims of rape. One of them is Anonyma (Hiller). She, however, refuses to see herself as a victim. With an unconditional will to defend her dignity, she decides to look for a "wolf", a Russian officer who will protect her from the soldier hords. In return, she will sleep with him - voluntarily. What she had least expected happens: ...
The film, made by director Max Faerberboeck and producer Guenter Rohrbach, is extremely well executed and powerfully realistic in its portrayal of the death throws of Nazi-Germany in the streets of Berlin and the people who had to act out their lives in it. One had to survive and did all things necessary to do so and gain a degree of control over one's personal life. The actors fill their roles with great reality. It is a sympathetic view to those who had to live through these abhorrent times.
Hoss, who plays the role of Hillers, working alongside Russian actors for whom the Russian liberation of Nazi Germany is still central to national pride said: "I had the feeling that many were split on the issue, you mustn't forget that the victory over the Germans is central to the Russians' self-consciousness."
Highly recommended.
See also:Namen, die keiner mehr nennt: Ostpreußen - Menschen und Geschichte or When I Was a German, 1934-1945: An Englishwoman in Nazi Germany / The Past is Myself or Ivan's War: The Red Army at War 1939-45: Inside The Red Army, 1939-45
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting Perspective...
This is a very interesting WWII movie, as its not commong to watch something about how the average German citizen struggled under the occupation of the Allies. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris
It is a Good Film
Good presentation of a difficult subject. I like how they got some real Russians to play the Russian soldiers. Seems like a good and faithful telling of a true story.
Published 3 months ago by Robert A. H. Smith
Bad movie
Its not worth to buy. The movie is just not interesting enough. I own over 1000 dvds about WWII and this is by far the most boring movie of em all!
Published 4 months ago by WWIIfan
did not watch the end
Unfortuatlly we did not like that movie. I am a native german speaker and was looking forward to see something in german. Read more
Published 13 months ago by ml
As good a story as they come
This is a movie that ranks among the best. It is a story of woman living in the hardest times.
Based on the memoirs of a woman who wished to remain nameless it is... Read more
Based on the memoirs of a woman who wished to remain nameless it is... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Gisli Jokull Gislason
sorry to disagree with everyone but let me explain why
I am sorry to disagree with all previous reviewers on Amazon in giving this film only two stars, and also for doing what I would never normally do and review a film without having... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Legal Vampire
The Downfall of Berlin
Excellent film. Good value for money. Very good service from the seller.The Downfall Of Berlin - Anonyma [DVD] [2008]
Published 15 months ago
Good World War II movie touches delicate subject
A well made German movie that touches frankly (though not very graphically) a very delicate historical subject: the mass rape of German women by Soviet soldiers during and after... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Andres C. Salama
An Amazing Film........how stong women are!!!
So true to the book although it misses out much of the detail of day to day living and the struggle to find food and the essentials for survival....
Published 19 months ago by G. Mckerrow
realistic but over long
Just finished watching this film, and I have to say it's well made if a little too long. It's a realistic portrayal of what happened all over Berlin, and indeed Germany at the end... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. Rdl Carrick
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