Oliver Hirschbiegel
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Oliver Hirschbiegel is a German film director. His works include Das Experiment and the Oscar-nominated Downfall.
Hirschbiegel at the Berlinale 2017
Downfall (2004 film)
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Downfall is a 2004 historical war drama film written and produced by Bernd Eichinger and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. It is set during the Battle of Berlin in World War II, when Nazi Germany is on the verge of total defeat, and depicts the final days of Adolf Hitler. The cast includes Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch, Christian Berkel, Alexander Held, Matthias Habich, and Thomas Kretschmann. The film is a German-Austrian-Italian co-production.
Bruno Ganz studied the Hitler and Mannerheim recording for four months to prepare for his role.
Filming took place near the Obvodny Canal in Saint Petersburg in a run-down industrial district to imitate the setting for Berlin.
The scene depicting Hitler's angry tirade, after his orders were not carried out, became a viral video after numerous parodies were posted to the internet.