Hitler Parody Wiki
Register
Hitler Parody Wiki

“Nein.”
“Ach, Unsinn!”

The Hitler Phone Scene is a scene in Downfall that is often used in parodies.

In Downfall

Hitler emerges from his private study asking where the artillery fire is coming from. Wilhelm Burgdorf, feeling reserved, wishes him a happy birthday first, before breaking the news that the city center of Berlin is under fire, elaborating that the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag are being shelled. Hitler demands to know where the shells are coming from. Burgdorf didn't have the answer, but he suggests that Hitler talk to Karl Koller, who is on the phone. Upon being asked of the origin of the artillery firing, Koller responded that he doesn't know, explaining that he's in Wildpark Werder. Hitler speculates that the Soviets might have captured the railway bridge over the Oder.

Koller, however, denied that there is one. He explains that the artillery isn't long-range, and the shells' caliber are only 10 and 12 cm, so the enemy is closer and would have positions near Marzahn, which Hitler noted is a mere 12 km from the city center. Hitler is furious about the situation, of the utter lack of air support, and rants that the entire Luftwaffe leadership should be hung. He slams the telephone handset.

Recovering from his temperamental burst, he describes the 'unheard-of' situation to the generals. As he is making his way back to his study, Hans Krebs admits to the possibility that the artillery might be long-range after all, however, Hitler brushes it off, calling it "nonsense".

In Parodies

This scene is frequently used by parody makers as a means of providing bizarre crossovers with other films and providing Hitler with a means of interacting with people outside of the movie Downfall. In order to do this, a lot of Untergangers edit out the scenes with Koller and replace them with a piece of footage, a music video, a clip from a movie, or something else. The result is that Hitler calls (or in some cases gets phoned by) all kinds of strange people, among them:

However, on quite a few occasions, the scenes with Koller are kept in, such as in Hitler Phones an ISP Center.

At the end of the scene, Hitler usually ends up saying "Piss off".

Hitler on vacation

Hitler talks to Fegelein while being on vacation.

TheSilverUniverse included a green screen version of the scene in one of his greenscreen packs. This made it easier for Untergangers to change the background, making it possible to have Hitler make calls from all kinds of places. One such example can be found in JennieParker87's Urgent business in the bunker parody.

Other uses of the scene include Hitler making phone orders (e.g. to the Krusty Krab) or taking an oral exam.

This scene is also used for conversations between Hitler and other characters from Downfall, where different phone scenes from the movie are combined.

Some video game parodies have Koller calling Hitler in the midst of playing a game, usually to inform that he's going to lose or received complains that he plays awfully, much to Hitler's annoyance.

Transcript

German transcript and English translation
Speaker German English
HITLER Burgdorf, was ist los?! Burgdorf, what's going on?!
Woher kommt die Schießerei?! Where's that gunfire coming from?!
BURGDORF Mein Führer, darf ich Ihnen zum Geburtstag gratulieren. My Führer, may I wish you happy birthday.
Mein Führer, das Zentrum von Berlin steht unter Artilleriebeschuss. My Führer, the center of Berlin is under artillery fire.
Granaten sind in dichter Folge am Brandenburger Tor, am Reichstag und bis hin zum Bahnhof Friedrichstraße eingeschlagen. Grenades have hit in tight succession at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag and right up to Friedrich street Station.
HITLER Von wo kommt der Beschuss?! Where's the gunfire coming from?!
BURGDORF Mein Führer, wir haben noch keine Meldung! My Führer, we don't have any reports yet.
Ich spreche grad mit Koller. I'm speaking with Koller just now.
HITLER Koller! Geben Sie mir Koller. Koller! Put me through to Koller.
Koller. Koller.
Sie wissen, dass Berlin unter Artilleriefeuer liegt? Do you know that Berlin is under artillery fire?
KOLLER Nein. No.
HITLER Das sagen Sie... So you say...
Hören Sie den Beschluss nicht? Do not you hear the shelling?
KOLLER Nein, ich bin in Wildpark Werder. No, I am in Wildpark Werder.
HITLER Riesige Aufregung in der Stadt... Huge excitement in the city...
Die Russen sollen eine Eisenbahnbrücke über die Oder haben! The Russians should have a railway bridge over the Oder!
KOLLER Der Feind hat keine Eisenbahnbatterie an der Oder. The enemy has no rail battery on the Oder.
Es handelt sich hier nicht um Fernfeuer. This is not long-range gunfire.
Der Divisionsgefechtsstand der Flak am Zoo Bunker meldet, dass es sich hier... um Geschütze nur des Kalibers 10 bis 12 Zentimeter handelt. The anti-air divisional command post at the Zoo Bunker reports that these are...guns with calibers of only 10 to 12 centimeters.
Die russische Batterie ist beim Marzahn in Stellung gegangen. The Russian battery has taken up position at Marzahn.
HITLER Das sind ja nur 12 km bis zum Stadtkern. That's only 12 km from the city center.
Ist der Russe schon so nah? Are the Russians so close already?
Man müsste die ganze Luftwaffenführung sofort aufhängen! They should hang up the entire Luftwaffe leadership at once!
Das ist unerhört. This is unheard of.
Unerhört! Unheard of!
Der Russe steht 12 km vorm Stadtkern! The Russians are 12 km from the city center!
Und ich erfahre das sozusagen auf Nachfrage! And I am told this on demand, so to speak!
KREBS Mein Führer, vielleicht handelt es sich ja wirklich um Fernfeuer! Mein Führer, maybe it's really long-range gunfire!
Sie erwähnten eine Eisenbahnbrücke über die Oder! You mentioned a railway bridge over the Oder!
HITLER Ach, Unsinn! Oh, nonsense!

Trivia

  • Koller is the most edited-out person from this scene. In addition, Hitler's addressee of "Koller" is nearly always replaced with "Hello" in the first line of the phone dialogue.
    • Interestingly enough, "Koller" is pronounced similarly to "hola", which is Spanish for "hello".
  • Other than Hitler and Koller, Burgdorf, Krebs and Martin Bormann appear in this scene, but with a minor role. Out of the three other characters, Bormann is the only one who doesn't have any dialogue at all.
  • Unlike the movie, where Hitler asks where the artillery fire is coming from, the parodies usually show him asking either who's on the phone or if they've managed to call a specific individual.
  • This is the earliest scene from the movie that is commonly used for parody making, occurring a few minutes into the movie (Apr. 20, 1945 in the timeline).
  • The line, "Ach, Unsinn!", known better as "Piss off!", is spoken by Hitler in this scene anytime it ends; unless it was skipped or edited out. Interestingly it literally means "Nonsense", which has the same connotations. Only a few parodies, notably Hitler and the Fuel Crisis used the correct translation (Utter nonsense) for the scene.
  • Common mondegreens include "caller" and "hello" from Koller, "nine" from "nein", "so fucked, oh faggot!"
  • Hans Krebs was not in Berlin on 20 April. He only arrived on the 21st.
  • Goof: At the beginning of the scene there is a man standing with a tray of dinner plates in the corridor behind Hitler, the same corridor where Krebs comes out. He seems to disappear after Hitler picks up the phone, the fact is that the camera never pointed to that corridor again (the corridor where Krebs comes from leads to the Vorbunker, while the corridor where Hitler walks leads to his study room.)
  • Used in part 4 of Glove and Boots' "Countdown to New Year's" video series. 

Gallery

Previous
Traudl, Gerda and Constanze wake up to artillery fire
Hitler Phone Scene
View Template Page
Next
Eva and Traudl discuss in the kitchen
Scenes in Downfall's timeline
  1. Prologue
  2. Hitler's Secretarial Interview
  3. Battle Scenes (first part - bombing)
  4. Traudl, Gerda and Constanze wake up to artillery fire
  5. Hitler Phone Scene
  6. Eva and Traudl discuss in the kitchen [ext]
  7. Fegelein and Himmler at Hitler's birthday
  8. Schenck and the burning of documents
  9. Himmler greets Hitler (aka Hitler Wants Himmler Scene)
  10. Himmler and Fegelein at the garage (garage)
  11. Hitler walks around the model of Berlin (Germania)
  12. Hitler Youth Artillery Scene
  13. Hitler Planning Scene [diff]
  14. Hitler's Generals Discussing Scene
  15. Hitler congratulates the Hitler Youth
  16. Traudl, Gerda and Constanze talk in bed
  17. Schenck and Müller around a bonfire
  18. Party Scene (beginning)
  19. Hitler and Speer chat on the couch
  20. Party Scene
  21. Battle Scenes (second part - Weidling)
  22. Mohnke calls Schenck
  23. Weidling goes to the Bunker
  24. Schenck in the Hospital
  25. Wilhelm and Dorothee Kranz arguing [ext] [noDl]
  26. Singing Burgdorf Scene [diff]
  27. Peter Kranz's street battle
  28. Fegelein talking to Traudl and Gerda
  29. Original Bunker Scene
  30. After the Original Bunker Scene
  31. Fegelein and Friends
  32. Traudl and Gerda talking in bed
  33. Eva walks Blondi
  34. Hitler Laughing Scene (aka Hitler's Trollface) [ext]
  35. Battle Scenes (third part - Mohnke)
  36. Schenck and Müller in a truck
  37. Schenck enters the shelter [ext]
  38. Mohnke talks to Goebbels
  39. Eva talking on the phone with Fegelein
  40. Magda Goebbels and the Goebbels children arrival [noDl]
  41. The Goebbels children sing to Hitler
  42. Schenck and Haase operating [ext]
  43. Hitler instructs how to commit suicide
  44. Eva and Magda write their letters
  45. Hitler stares at his favourite painting
  46. Peter Kranz in the bomb shelter [ext] [noDl]
  47. Battle Scenes (fourth part - Peter Kranz)
  48. Hitler talks about the Battle of Berlin (aka Bunker Scene 2) [ext]
  49. Peter Kranz hides in the artillery crater [noDl]
  50. Keitel, Krebs and others talk [ext]
  51. Hitler talks to Keitel
  52. Battle Scenes (fifth part - well)
  53. Bormann informs Hitler
  54. Speer and Traudl talk
  55. Peter Kranz in the fog [noDl]
  56. Magda, Eva and Bormann talk to Speer
  57. Speer's last conversation with Hitler
  58. Peter returns home [ext] [noDl]
  59. Traudl and the singing Goebbels children [ext] [noDl]
  60. Hitler meets Greim and Reitsch
  61. Hitler Eating Scene
  62. Hitler Explains Scene
  63. Traudl and Eva discuss Fegelein's flee [ext] [noDl]
  64. Hitler, Grawitz and Günsche (Reviews / Informed / Pros and Cons)
  65. Grawitz family's suicide
  66. Högl enters the brothel [noDl]
  67. Fegelein's Arrest Scene
  68. Eva wants Hitler to spare Fegelein
  69. Weidling and Mohnke inform Hitler (Bunker Scene 3, pt1)
  70. Generals discuss and Burgdorf gets angry (Bunker Scene 3, pt2)
  71. Fegelein Execution Scene
  72. Traudl is late to Hitler's dictation [diff] [noDl]
  73. Hitler will scene
  74. Hitler wedding scene [diff]
  75. Goebbels crying scene
  76. Mohnke caught in the artillery fire [noDl]
  77. Mohnke talks to Hitler
  78. Hitler and his generals receive telegram from Keitel (Bunker Scene 4, pt1)
  79. Hitler instructs Günsche (Bunker Scene 4, pt2)
  80. Haase, Flegel and Schenck meet Hitler
  81. The doctors and the drunken people / Bunker Jokes
  82. Soldiers deliver gasoline to the bunker
  83. Blondi is killed
  84. Traudl's last chat with Eva [noDl]
  85. Hitler's last supper
  86. Traudl and Gerda smoke in the generator room [ext] [noDl]
  87. Hitler's Farewell Scene
  88. Magda begs Hitler
  89. Hitler Suicide Scene
  90. Krebs and others walk through the streets of Berlin [noDl]
  91. Krebs meets General Chuikov [diff]
  92. Goebbels Rants Scene
  93. Magda drugs her children
  94. Joseph Goebbels gives a last testament
  95. Goebbels Children Murder Scene
  96. Weidling announces Berlin's surrender [diff]
  97. Krebs and Burgdorf's suicide
  98. Joseph and Magda suicide
  99. Mohnke convinces Schenck to evacuate [ext]
  100. Berlin's breakthrough [diff]
  101. Soviet women in the Bunker
  102. German soldiers gathered in a plaza
  103. Günsche scouts the Soviets [noDl]
  104. Traudl and Peter walk past the Soviets [noDl]
  105. Schenck's conversation with Stehr and Hewel [diff]
  106. Traudl and Peter leave Berlin
  107. Fates of surviving characters scene
  108. Epilogue
ext Scenes only in extended edition, diff Scenes differ between theatrical and extended edition, noDl Scenes without known download link

List is part of the Grand Unified Downfall Scenes Database.