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      The Bunker

      1981 2 hr. 30 min. History Drama List
      Reviews 54% 250+ Ratings Audience Score In the final days of World War II, Adolf Hitler (Anthony Hopkins) and his closest advisers are sequestered in an underground bunker in Berlin. As the Battle of Berlin rages above ground and Nazi forces are nearing certain defeat, Hitler nervously awaits his fate with his girlfriend, Eva Braun (Susan Blakely) ; his right-hand man, Joseph Goebbels (Cliff Gorman) ; and his chief architect, Albert Speer (Richard Jordan). In the final hours of his life, Hitler marries Braun, his longtime companion. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member This movie truly sucks. Shackled to a painfully ponderous, wayward script which some fine actors have tried most valiantly to enliven, one gets the distinct impression they are doing so only to keep this towering mess from haunting their careers forever after. Everyone in the cast has a confused look on their face, even the children, resulting likely from listless direction born from the doldrums of George Schaefer's late output. As for the sets, the doors in the bunker feature metal handles common to most office interiors from the late 1970s, and other slips beyond historical boundaries, such as hair styles and radio equipment, were too numerous to inventory. Anthony Hopkins seems most aggrieved to have signed onto this wooden monster, which still reflects Hollywood's infantile (1960s-ish) obsession with (utterly contrived) fashions of the 3rd Reich. Further, Hopkins looks like he must have dribbled strudel on his (polyester) lapel, a stain which distracted in almost every close-up. Alternatively, the German production of "Downfall" is a masterful presentaion of much the same material, and I would refer the viewer to look into that fim instead. Why did I even sit through "The Bunker" if all this was so apparent? I had insomnia and sought to be bored into a sound and restful slumber. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Now this is an odd film. The cast are all very English with very clipped English accents. Its like we are in an alternative universe where the English were in fact the Nazi's. I would have liked to have heard the cast use a German accent to at least try and highlight the correct location. Anthony Hopkins in my opinion does a pretty good job though. He has clearly spent time researching Hilters mannerisms and gestures and this can be seen throughout. Its just too English, and the emphasis seems to be in favour of the Nazis. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review kevin w what differentiates this 'Last days of the third reich' story from others is the the absence of the "they were all monsters" aesthetic so typical of ww2 dramas. We look at the losing side at their worst moment, as they are losing, and how they decide to face the loss of their dreams. Hopkins as hitler is awash in drugs, barely holding on to any moment, and wonderful to watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Probably one of my favorite performances by Anthony Hopkins, even though he played Hitler. "The Bunker" is probably number 4 on my favorite WW II movies list. Defiantly worth a once over for any WW II movie buff. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The Bunker is a 1981 made-for-TV movie of high calibre for its time. Anthony Hopkins acting carries the film. I believe too much of this plot is based around Albert Speer, who was largely a visitor to the dynamic and brief "community" of the bunker. Hopkins seems to largely portray Hitler as a caricature. Perhaps he was simply doing the job he was hired to do. There is a line by Goebbels in this film that really stood out for me: "The masses don't want to be burdened with problems. They desire only one thing, to be led by a great leader. That's what the intellectuals never understood. But I can assure you, Hitler knew it." This movie parallels the German film, Downfall, which is far superior. However, if you are a history buff fascinated by the events of that time, this may be additional perspective to Downfall to round out the eyewitness events that are the basis for both films. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Riveting account of the end. TV film has Emmy winning Anthony Hopkins (Adolf). Even as Adolf Hitler lived months in his deep underground bunker he insisted Germany would be victorious to Eva Braun (his bride to be). There is so much disbelief by the war's end by the Generals and staff surrounding Adolf (even an assisnation plot) we can hardly believe the near insubordination by everyone were it not for the credible book the movie is based upon. SEE a clip from the early part of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bHFO19dVbE [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/16/The_Bunker_1981.jpg/220px-The_Bunker_1981.jpg[/img] Stars Richard Jordan as confrontational Albert Speers. Jordan appeared in many U.S. Western films and usually if not always as a villain in any of John Wayne's latter career films. "The Bunker is a 1981 CBS television film, Time/Life production based on the book The Bunker. The film makes significant deviations from James O'Donnell's book, published in 1975. The deviations are mainly due to an effort to clarify the events and allow the actors license to interpret some of the dialogue he recorded." wikipedia [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTe64DmYUAMc1CSGbyW9EKPd7k-kBcwvcmfAJB1v8BNhPrNR_zgjA[/img] Hopkins Early on, Albert Speer (of the highest officers who report to the Der Fuhrer) goes to battle with Adolf over his scorched Earth idea. This was a policy to deprive the Allies of any value in Germany. Adolf is not used to being reprimanded by anyone so the early confrontation is engrossing to say the least. Most of the cast is either British or American so that comes off a bit weird. Being a television film does not detract from the film as much as we might suspect. SEE the entire film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIFdkPh7IdQ [img]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQYVLy2vUCQ1CMiMSmr_Mv4N-4oXLlI_PMJe-Lw1FbXL-TNZTlPxA[/img] Inside the bunker tempers flair REVIEWS by those like us: 90% This is one of the best films made on Adolf Hitler, after Der Untergang (The Downfall). It shows the last few days Hitler spent in the bunker when Red... [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJdmv2uBvMQXgkCLSI2vwdoMFSKntcJASF7Y9i4nzaqeIaDnNb[/img] NOTES: 1 The most noteworthy legacy of the film was Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Adolf Hitler, for which he won an Emmy. Actors on the set claimed his performance was so convincing that those playing German soldiers snapped to attention whenever Hopkins came onto the set, even if he wasn't in character. 2 Albert Speer, German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office. As "the Nazi who said sorry", he accepted moral responsibility at the Nuremberg trials and in his memoirs for complicity in crimes of the Nazi regime. 3 What's a bit annoying is the constant bombardment of Berlin in the background of every scene, inside or out of buildings. All we hear is bombs dropping in the distance, lots of them. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146II-277%2C_Albert_Speer.jpg/200px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146II-277%2C_Albert_Speer.jpg[/img] Speer Anthony Hopkins as Adolf Hitler Richard Jordan as Albert Speer Cliff Gorman as Joseph Goebbels James Naughton as James P. O'Donnell Michel Lonsdale as Martin Bormann Piper Laurie as Magda Goebbels Susan Blakely as Eva Braun Martin Jarvis as Johannes Hentschel Michael Kitchen as Rochus Misch Robert Austin as Walter Wagner Andrew Ray as Otto Günsche Yves Brainville as Heinz Guderian Michael Culver as Wilhelm Mohnke Julian Fellowes as Nicolaus von Below Frank Gatliff as Ernst-Günther Schenck Terrence Hardiman as Hermann Fegelein Edward Hardwicke as Dieter Stahl Karl Held as Hans Baur David King as Hermann Göring Sarah Marshall as Traudl Junge John Paul as Wilhelm Keitel Morris Perry as Werner Haase Pam St. Clement as Constanze Manziarly John Sharp as Theodor Morell Michael Sheard as Heinrich Himmler Tony Steedman as Alfred Jodl Peggy Frankston as Margarete Speer [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBr1dv8wrfYUwr6tTiURwnpAYxOR8EPBNF24hkZ4JOPqZM7aXc[/img] An Emmy Award for Anthony Hopkins as Adolf Hitler Directed by George Schaefer Produced by David Susskind Diana Kerew Screenplay by John Gay Based on The Bunker by James P. O'Donnell Country United States Language English Original channel CBS Time-Life Productions Release date January 27, 1981 Running time 154 minutes [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQz-QTum2i9Yc2eiq6L_Aryp7Cd_DL7G9WQJv95h-ImWG6nwG6ALw[/img] Hitler and Eva in better times (a flashback in the film) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis In the final days of World War II, Adolf Hitler (Anthony Hopkins) and his closest advisers are sequestered in an underground bunker in Berlin. As the Battle of Berlin rages above ground and Nazi forces are nearing certain defeat, Hitler nervously awaits his fate with his girlfriend, Eva Braun (Susan Blakely) ; his right-hand man, Joseph Goebbels (Cliff Gorman) ; and his chief architect, Albert Speer (Richard Jordan). In the final hours of his life, Hitler marries Braun, his longtime companion.
      Director
      George Schaefer
      Screenwriter
      John Gay
      Production Co
      Société Française de Production, France 2
      Genre
      History, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      May 30, 2006