The Goebbels Rants Scene is a scene in Downfall that is quite commonly used due to the ranting in this scene, and is usually referred to as Goebbels Rants.
In Downfall[]
Joseph Goebbels yells that he will never surrender and that it would be a shameful act. He goes on to say that years ago, he conquered Berlin from the Reds (i.e. the Communist Party of Germany), and swears that he will defend it to the day he dies. Later, he goes on that in his short time as chancellor, he will never sign a surrender treaty.
An argument erupts between Helmuth Weidling, who states surrendering is for the better of the people, while Hans Krebs and Wilhelm Burgdorf counter by saying that the Führer's orders are final and they must fight to the end no matter what, which sparks a firestorm of debate. It ends with Walther Hewel stating again that they have to commence negotiations. As a result, Hans Fritzsche leaves. Goebbels repeats to everyone that he won't surrender, while Burgdorf follows Fritzsche in suspicion.
Fritzsche tells Rochus Misch to send a message to Marshal Georgy Zhukov, to which he responds with surprise. Burgdorf arrives and asks what's happening, to which Fritzsche declares that they must surrender Berlin to the Russians. This makes Burgdorf raise his gun, telling Fritzsche who now stares at the barrel of the gun nervously that he must shoot him, as the Führer forbade any surrender. Weidling arrives just in time to grab Burgdorf's arm and disturb his aim, shoving Krebs who is standing behind Burgdorf away, causing his shot to miss and hit the ceiling instead. Magda Goebbels and Ludwig Stumpfegger are startled to hear the gunshot while preparing the anesthesia for her children.
In Parodies[]
This scene sees large use in parodies, enough that it became regarded as an alternative to the Original Bunker Scene because Goebbels is the main ranter instead of Adolf Hitler. It is also used for two superweapon parodies: the first line "Kapitulieren? Niemals!" is used for Goebbels' Pencil of Rantmageddon, while the scene where Burgdorf shoots Fritzsche is used for Burgdorf's Pistol of Doom.
Like the Original Bunker Scene, Goebbels can also rant about a wide range of topics, ranging from:
- Hitler's suicide
- Just who is the world's most glamorous female tennis player or the world's best male player
- Fegelein's antics
- Goebbels having the same Zodiac star sign as Fegelein and his wife
- His generals' incompetence
- Being called Ulrich Matthes or Skeletor
- Parodies being uploaded or taken down
- Who would win this season's Formula One/Stanley Cup/Super Bowl
- Real Rochus Misch out living Downfall Misch
- For no reason
- His plastic surgery that went wrong
- In one parody, Goebbels rants in Hitler's voice, because he is actually Hitler stuck in a Goebbels costume due to yet another of Fegelein's antics.
- Another Unterganger joining the fray
- His ugliness
At several points in the scene, it sounds like he is saying "giggity" in English, a humorous point which has not gone unnoticed by countless untergangers.
FinalFantasyHQ included the rant as well in his popular 5 Tips With Adolf Hitler series.
The part where Magda Goebbels and Stumpfegger look up after hearing Burgdorf's gunshot is also frequently used on its own and added to parodies to show something drastic is happening nearby or within the bunker, comparable to the scene where Traudl, Gerda and Constanze wake up to artillery fire. An example of which is Adolf Hitler vs a Fly, where Hitler tries to defeat the eponymous creature with his pencil of doom, who's explosion causes the entire bunker to shake.
Transcript[]
| German transcript and English translation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speaker | German | English |
| GOEBBELS | Kapitulieren? | Capitulate? |
| Niemals! | No way! | |
| Das ist empörend! | It is outrageous! | |
| Ich habe Berlin von Jahren gegen die Roten erobert, und werde die Stadt bis zum letzten Atemzug gegen die Roten verteidigen! | I have conquered Berlin against the Reds for years and will defend the city against the Reds until my last breath! | |
| Die wenigen Stunden, die ich noch als deutscher Reichskanzler zu leben habe werde ich nicht dazu benutzen meine Unterschrift unter eine Kapitulationsurkunde zu setzen! | I will not use the few hours that I still have to live as the German Chancellor to put my signature under a capitulation document! | |
| WEIDLING | Wir müssen die Zivilvölkerung schützen! | We have to protect the civilian population! |
| KREBS | Der Befehl des Führers ist unumstößlich! | The Führer's order is irrefutable! |
| BURGDORF[1] | Egal, was passiert! Wir werden durchhalten bis zum Ende! | No matter what happens! We will hold on until the end! |
| KREBS[1] | Wir können nicht kapitulieren. | We cannot surrender. |
|
HEWEL [1] |
Wir müssen Verhandlungen aufnehmen. | We have to start negotiations. |
| GOEBBELS | Ich wiederhole, meine Herren: | I repeat, gentlemen, |
| Eine Kapitulation unterschreibe ich niemals! | I never sign a capitulation! | |
| FRITZSCHE | Setzen Sie sofort ein schreiben an Marschall Schukow auf! | Immediately write a letter to Marshal Zhukov! |
| MISCH | An Marschall Schukow? | To Marshal Zhukov? |
| BURGDORF | Was geht hier vor? | What's going on here? |
| FRITZSCHE | Das ist doch alles Wahnsinn, wir müssen die Stadt den Russen übergeben! | It's all insane, we have to hand the city over to the Russians! |
| BURGDORF | Dann muss ich Sie erschießen. | Then I have to shoot you. |
| Der Führerbefehl verbietet jede Kapitulation! | The Führer's order prohibits any surrender! | |
- [1] The three are speaking simultaneously, so non-native speakers and subtitles couldn't cope in understanding and translating the dialogues.
Trivia[]
- This is the most popular scene with somebody else other than Hitler ranting.
- This is the only scene where Hewel gets angry.
- In the theatrical version of the movie, Rochus Misch speaks his only line in this scene.
- This scene is also notable for Burgdorf almost shooting Fritzsche.
- Martin Bormann appears in this scene but has no lines.
- This is one of the most dramatic scenes used for parody making because it features somebody ranting, a large debate, and another somebody firing a gun.
- The three major characters in the Hitler Parodies Hitler, Otto Günsche, and Hermann Fegelein all do not appear in this scene, because Fegelein was executed earlier in the movie, Hitler committed suicide, and Günsche doesn't appear after he burned Hitler's body until near the end of the movie.
- This is the last major scene from Downfall used for parody making. The last scenes (Krebs and Burgdorf committing suicide, Weidling announcing the German military to cease fire, Traudl Junge escaping, etc.) are sometimes used for parody making, but much less frequently.
- A YouTuber known as AngryGermanKid82 had this scene in one parody inserted partway through the Original Bunker Scene when Goebbles defends the subject Hitler is ranting about[1].
In Other Media[]
In the book "The Nuremberg Trials", by Joe Heydecker and Johannes Leeb, the scene with Fritzsche is presented slightly different:
- He [Fritzsche] informs several military hospitals, command bunkers and several Wehrmacht units of the decision [Berlin capitulation]. He then writes a letter to the Soviet Marshall [Zhukov]. Junius, a translator from the Bureau of Informations translates the letter into Russian.
- At that moment the door opens.
- General Wilhelm Burgdorf bursts in the basement and his eyes seem to shoot flames.
- "You want to capitulate?", he shouts at Fritzsche.
- "Yes", Fritzsche's cold reply.
- "Then I have to shoot you!", Burgdorf shouts. "In his will, the Führer has forbidden any form of capitulation. We must fight until the last man!"
- "And woman?", Fritzsche asks.
- The general pulls his gun. But Fritzsche and a radio-telephone operator [possibly Misch] are swifter. They throw themselves on Burgdorf. A gunshot is heard, the bullet ricochets from the ceiling, whizzing. By joining forces, the two push the adjutant out the door.
- Burgdorf will return again to the Reich Chancellery. This time he'll point the gun at himself, ending his life.
Gallery[]
