Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring was the number two man in Nazi Germany and Reichsmarschall of the Luftwaffe, but in the film his existence symbolizes the themes of the collapse of power and betrayal. He attempts to seize national command in the face of the worsening war situation, but ultimately confronts and is frustrated by the collapse of the communications system and Hitler's fury. His story is a tragic record showing how individual ambition and belief are destroyed when a vast totalitarian regime collapses.
The Figure Who Symbolizes the Collapse of Power: Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring was one of the central figures of Nazi Germany, the Reichsmarschall of the Luftwaffe. His appearance in the film is very limited, but what he symbolizes is directly connected to the entire work's themes. He enjoyed his status as the Nazi number two, but as the war situation deteriorated sharply, the actions he demonstrated show the last struggle of power and the inevitable process of downfall.
Inside the Bunker: The Attempt to Seize Command
Göring publicly announces that he is prepared to remain in the Berlin fortress as Hitler's representative and exercise overall command of the nation. This shows he wanted to become not merely a military leader but the supreme decision-maker. He declares that if there is no response from Hitler by 22:00 he will act for nation and homeland. In this process, he attempts to justify his own actions as acting for 'nation and country.'
Göring's remarks come against the backdrop of a collapsing communications system. He argues that if the collapse becomes routine, they could be cut off from the world. But the narrator criticizes these actions as an attempt to seize power — smelling of 'coup' — pointedly noting his ambition. This clearly shows that the Nazi leadership class suffered not from the fear of the battlefield but from the psychological fear of losing their positions and power.
Crumbling in the Courtroom: The Failure of 'Dissociation'
In the latter part of the film, Göring appears at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal. In the trial process, he endlessly tries to sever any connection between himself and criminal acts. This is a kind of 'dissociation' — showing that he sought to evade legal responsibility by arguing that he was not a direct perpetrator.
He consistently maintains his logic, opposing Prosecutor Jackson and others, but his logic gradually crumbles. Ultimately, considering it a disgrace for a soldier, he chooses suicide by poison. This final fate symbolizes that, no matter how powerful the power he possessed, he was powerless before the judgment of history and truth.
What Göring's Existence Means
Göring is a living example of how the components of the vast Nazi machine operate when that machine stops. He felt greater fear at the disappearance of his own position and power than at military defeat. His life and final fate condensingly reveal the arrogance and tragic psychology of those who sought to survive within a vast ideology as it collapsed.
Why It Matters
Hermann Göring is portrayed beyond merely being one of the Nazi war criminals — as the character who most clearly embodies the film's core theme of 'the psychological collapse of power.' His character arc follows the typical trajectory of downfall: 'supreme power holder' → 'attempt to seize command' → 'failure of logical defense' → 'final suicide.' This symbolizes the psychological collapse experienced by the entire Nazi leadership class — not mere tactical defeat, but existential crisis. In particular, the scene where he makes claims to national command inside the bunker carrying the scent of 'coup,' and the process of deploying 'dissociation' in the courtroom before ultimately taking his own life, are the most powerful devices for conveying the film's theme of 'the psychological record of the eve of defeat.'
Other Character dives5
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Albert Speer
Albert Speer, as Nazi Germany's architect and Reich Minister of Armaments, was a central figure who designed the grand vision of the Third Reich. Yet the film probes the theme of the collapse of power and the individual's moral choice with great depth, through the process by which he — despite being Hitler's closest friend — refuses the inhumane Nero Decree on the eve of defeat and ultimately departs from Hitler's side.
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Adolf Hitler
In the film Downfall, Adolf Hitler was a dictator who spread terror across all of Europe, but the film focuses on the process of his collapse and his psychological disintegration on the eve of defeat. Hitler, trapped in Berlin's underground bunker in 1945, reveals the image of a helpless human issuing mad orders — not the terror of the battlefield but the terror of losing power — and his final fate, beyond being a mere historical event, symbolizes the hollowness of power.
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Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel was once among the most trusted confidants of Hitler, but is a tragic figure who falls due to the worsening war situation and Hitler's irrational orders. Initially showing loyalty by trying to persuade Hitler to escape, he is ultimately dismissed after communicating surrender intentions to the Western Allies, is captured by Allied forces, and takes his own life — symbolically showing the collapse of the Nazi regime and individual fate.
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Downfall
14 deep dives in total