2014-2015 Winston Churchill World War II Film Series
Presented by the St. Louis Public Library and the National Churchill Museum
On June 6, 1944, Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in what is now recognized as the turning point of World War II. Seventy years later, the St. Louis Public Library and the National Churchill Museum are collaborating on this series which will take you from the beginning of the war through 1945, viewing major films depicting WWII, and listening to commentary on the films while putting each in historical perspective. The series will run through May 3, 2015.
Downfall (German: Der Untergang)
This is a 2004 German war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's reign over Nazi Germany in 1945. Unlike many other films which use historical footage, this movie is based on a number of books and the memoirs of Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge, who was hired in 1942 and was in the bunker at the end. Critics debated whether the film humanizes Hitler too much or shows how a human being can do such things as he did.
August 17, 2014
The next film in this series, The Dambusters, will be shown on September 7.