Every day, at dinnertime, a servant would present the Adolf Hitler with a list comprising various feature films; sometimes even cartoons. Der Fuhrer would select one film, which would be watched after the dinner in the Music Salon by all interested; even members of the staff were allowed to attend the screening (Kershaw, 101). In the prologue to the most horrific war of the century, Hitler’s, and thus Nazi-Germany’s, interest in film would appear to be of major significance to the world’s biggest film industry: Hollywood. In The Collaboration, Ben Urwand argues that Hollywood’s relationship with Nazi-Germany was one of tolerance and co-operation; the Hollywood studios turned a blind eye to the brutalities committed by the Nazi-regime. This essay, however, will argue that Urwand’s depiction of pre-war Hollywood is an unfair one due to the disapplying of Warner Bross’ anti-fascist attitude during the 1930s and the ignoring of several sentiments in the American society. In The Collaboration, Urwand offers a view of Hollywood as a mercenary business which meekly obeyed orders from the German authorities in order to safeguard Germany as an export market for its films. According to Urwand, the Hollywood studios entered into a partnership with the Germans after Hollywood production All Quiet on the Western Front – a film concerned with the post-war agonies experienced by a German soldier – caused several riots in German cities. The Hollywood studios and the Nazi-regime agreed that Hollywood productions would only be welcome in Germany as long as the Germans’ honour, prestige, and over time also their Nazi-ideals were not unfavourably depicted. If a Hollywood production failed to live up to the agreement, it would not be releas... ... middle of paper ... ...te, 1999. 409-412. Ross, Steven J. “Confessions of a Nazi-Spy: Warner Bros., Anti-Fascism and the Politicization of Hollywood. Warner’s War: Politics, Pop Culture & Propaganda in Wartime Hollywood. Ed. Martin Kaplan and Johanna Blakley. Los Angeles: Norman Lear Center Press, 2004. 48-59. Snow, Nancy. “Confessions of a Hollywood Propagandist: Harry Warner, FDR and Celluloid Persuasion.” Warner’s War: Politics, Pop Culture & Propaganda in Wartime Hollywood. Ed. Martin Kaplan and Johanna Blakley. Los Angeles: Norman Lear Center Press, 2004. 61-71. Urwand, Ben. The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact with Hitler. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2013. Wilson, Woodrow. “Declaration of War.” A Twentieth Century American Reader. Ed. Jack Lane and Maurice O’Sullivan. Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1999. 125-128.
Lewis Milestone’s “All’s Quiet on the Western Front”, based on Erich Remarque’s novel, is an incredibly disturbing and effective anti-war film. The grainy black and white film is still not outdated and carries a breathtaking initial impact. The prologue that introduces the film gives its anti-war intentions immediately and beautifully.
The presence of an overwhelming and influential body of government, dictating the individuals of contextual society, may potentially lead to the thoughts and actions that oppose the ruling party. Through the exploration of Fritz Lang’s expressionist film, Metropolis (1927), and George Orwell’s politically satirical novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), the implications of an autocratic government upon the individuals of society are revealed. Lang’s expressionist film delves into the many issues faced by the Weimar Republic of Germany following the “War to end all wars” (Wells, 1914), in which the disparity between the upper and lower classes became distinctively apparent as a result of the ruling party’s capitalistic desires. Conversely, Orwell’s,
The Revolutionary war, sparked by the colonist’s anger towards taxation without representation, was a conflict between the United States and its mother country Great Britain. This event had been considered the most significant event in the American history. It separated the thirteen colonies from the tyrannical ruling of King George. The revolutionary war was not a big war, “The military conflict was, by the standards of later wars, a relatively modest one. Battle deaths on the American side totaled fewer than 5,000”1. However, the war proved that the thirteen colonies were capable of defeating the powerful Great Britain. Over the years there were many Hollywood films made based on the revolutionary war, 1776, Revolution, Johnny Tremain, and The Patriot. But, no movie has stirred up as much controversy as the Mel Gibbson movie The Patriot. The patriot is very entertaining but it is historically inaccurate. Too much Hollywood “spices” was added to the movie for viewing pleasures.
Kershaw later depicts a comment made by Hitler discussing the dire need to deport German Jews, away from the ‘Procterate,’ calling them “dangerous ‘fifth columnists’” that threatened the integrity of Germany. In 1941, Hitler discusses, more fervently his anger towards the Jews, claiming them to responsible for the deaths caused by the First World War: “this criminal race has the two million dead of the World War on its conscience…don’t anyone tell me we can’t send them into the marshes (Morast)!” (Kershaw 30). These recorded comments illustrate the deep rooted hatred and resentment Hitler held for the Jewish population that proved ultimately dangerous. Though these anti-Semitic remarks and beliefs existed among the entirety of the Nazi Political party, it didn’t become a nationwide prejudice until Hitler established such ideologies through the use of oral performance and
German cinema was greatly affected during the Nazi movement between 1933 and 1945. Once appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 Hitler wasted no time and almost immediately began working on his propaganda strategy. Typically “propaganda targets a mass audience and relies on mass media to persuade. Propaganda is aimed at large numbers of people and, as such, relies on mass communication to reach its audience” (Gass, 14). The Nazi party used film propaganda to brainwash the German people, distract them from the harsh reality of the Nazi party, and attempt to intimidate the enemy. Hitler knew propaganda entailed mass persuasion and he knew just how to get his message out there; film. It was through the use of propaganda, largely film that made the Nazi party so powerful as they redefined propaganda.
According to Welch, “The public’s reaction to anti-Semitic films reveals that propaganda had considerable success in persuading the population that a Jewish ‘problem’ existed, but equally that there was a limit to their tolerance of the type of virulently anti-Semitic propaganda to be found in films like Der Ewige Jude and publications like Der Stuermer.” Even after years of Nazi propaganda, even Goebbels wasn’t convinced that “such propaganda had persuaded Germans to condone open violence against
The research question that will be evaluated is, to what extent was the Catholic Church the leading establishment to alter production policies in Hollywood during the great depression? While the Great Depression was a time of grief, it was additionally an era of new opportunities. The institution of Hollywood and the Catholic Church were two separate entities during the Great Depression. The two institutions disagreed on how society should conduct itself, through the means of entertainment. However, arguably, the Catholic Church wasn’t the only organization that altered the ethics of Hollywood. The time period that will be evaluated will be from the late 1920s to the late 1930s, seeing how Hollywood was reformed during that time period. The research question should be sufficiently answered by finding in depth information through articles and studies on the two separate entities, and other possible influences during this particular era. Also, by analyzing the effects of the institution’s individual contributions on society itself, there will be added evidence to the research question.
Suid, Lawrence. "The Pentagon and Hollywood: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)." American History/ American Film: Interpreting the Hollywood Image. Eds. John E. O'Connor and Martin A. Jackson. Boston: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1979.
Without the advent of the medium of film to wage a war of propaganda both the Axis and the Allies of World War II would have found it difficult to gather as much support for their causes as they did. Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle, forms of warfare as well. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the masses of the world just as surely as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing of bullets and
The legacy of fear did not stop when the Trumbo’s name appeared in the credits for Spartacus and Exodus. Five years later the black list ended, Kenneth McGowan’s influential Behind the Screen: The History and Techniques of the Motion Picture was published. There is not a word in the book that offers her slightest hint that there ever had been a HUAC, a blacklist, or the Hollywood Ten. The two chapters on censorship deal exclusively with the control of sexual imagery and language in...
Classic film noir originated after World War II. This is the time where post World War II pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion was taking the world by storm. Many films that were released in the U.S. Between 1939s and 1940s were considered propaganda films that were designed for entertainment during the Depression and World War II. During the 1930s many German and Europeans immigrated to the U.S. and helped the American film industry with powerf...
...e American Dream. Larry Ceplair and Englund stated in the book The Inquistion in Hollywood, “The destruction of the motion picture Left not only transformed the political atmosphere in Hollywood, but also adversely affected the kind of product which the studios turned out. “ In the early 20th century Hollywood reframed from producing politically controversial films in fear of becoming a target of McCarthy or the HUAC. Anti-communism influences the films produced, films portrayed communism as evil and immoral. The films during the cold war certainly portrayed the political storm between the progressive left and the conservative right. Films such as Ninotchka in 1939, showed anti-communism, guilty of Treason 1949, showed an attack against communism, exploiting the evils of communism was shown in Docudrama. The Red Menace in 1949 showed the immense threat f communism.
Book. The. Doherty, Thomas. A. Projections of Power: Hollywood, American Culture, and World War II. New York City: Columbia University Press, 1993.
...creased monitoring of censorship throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Hollywood experienced a major shift in the way pictures were made. Going from depictions of a carefree lifestyle, characteristic of the California dream, to a more monitored approach to filmmaking, Hollywood make the necessary transition in order to abide by the mass request of censorship to the filmmaking process. In this, the California dream was lost, as Americans were brought back to reality, but the action offered a stepping stone to enter a new age where films were praised for decades to come. Today, censorship is still a major issue in Hollywood, and has moved not only to include movies, but all forms of mass media. This shows that the ideals of morality in media will continue to encompass a majority of issues in society, and is one that should continually be addressed in order to find harmony.
German Cinema since Unification. Edited by David Clarke. Continuum, in association with University of Birmingham Press. 2006