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Nazi Propaganda Films: A History and Filmography
Hitler and the Nazis saturated their country with many types of propaganda to convince the German citizenry that the Nazi ideology was the only ideology. As Joseph Goebbels, who was in charge of propaganda for Nazi Germany, said, "The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it." One type of propaganda on which the Nazis relied heavily was cinematic.
This work focuses primarily on Nazi propaganda feature films and feature-length documentaries made in Germany between 1933 and 1945 and released to the public. Some of them were Staatsanftragsfilme, films produced by order of and financed by the Third Reich. This combination history and filmography is a complete resource on the films and those who made them.
This work focuses primarily on Nazi propaganda feature films and feature-length documentaries made in Germany between 1933 and 1945 and released to the public. Some of them were Staatsanftragsfilme, films produced by order of and financed by the Third Reich. This combination history and filmography is a complete resource on the films and those who made them.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2003
20 people want to read
About the author
Rolf Giesen
43 booksGerman movie historian and journalist nicknamed "Dr. Horror" for his speciality "horror movies"
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April 28, 2016
This book serves as a film guide to movies made for the purpose of supporting or promoting the National Socialist outlook and official party line in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It does not cover any movies made before Hitler became Chancellor that may have promoted or supported the Party. Most of the movies listed here were intended as commercial releases: we do not get instructional films used for army training, for example, nor educational films screened in schools. Because these are large-scale productions, many of these films still exist and some of them have had home video releases or can be found on the Internet, while others can only be seen in special screenings at museums or film archives today. The book consists of three sections: a narrative history of propaganda film in Nazi Germany, broken into roughly chronological thematic sections, a listing of the movies and their production details, and a listing of the individual artists involved in a “who’s who” section. The details in all three sections are well-researched and authenticated as best as possible, and most readers will find much new information here.
The author seems to be conscious of the fact that his book may attract sympathizers to National Socialism and he goes to some effort to distance himself from that audience. At times, he seems to go a bit far, as when he introduces the section on anti-Semitism with an extensive citation of Daniel Goldhagen without noting that Goldhagen’s rather forceful argument (that Germans were instrinsically anti-Semitic and therefore culturally and genetically predisposed to perpetrate the Holocaust) are not generally accepted among historians of the Holocaust. Similarly, his biographies of the film artists often emphasize their long lives and ability to find work after the fall of Nazism, as if none of them ever should have worked again. Such a bitterly vengeful attitude seems appropriate in the cases of major propagandists like Leni Riefenstahl and Veit Harlan, but does it apply to every set designer or actor who took a job for the State?
The major problem with this book, however, is its poor translation, which was obviously undertaken by someone who did not speak English natively. No translator is credited, which may mean that the author attempted it himself, or perhaps the translator asked to have their name removed since they could not do justice to the original. At least they knew enough not to leave lengthy sentences with no breaks. However, a few examples (by no means the most egregious) follow:
p.141: “In Mein Kampf Hitler, in his social Darwinism influenced by terms like “struggle for existence” and “survival of the fittest,” wrote:”
p148: “In the miller’s daughter speaks the simple girl, who initially finds nothing in the strokes of fate, and in the corporal speaks the brave, simple soldier, who is racked with guilt because he doesn’t understand the loving kindness of his King.”
P148: “The historian has the task of telling people the truth, the artist has the task to arise man and give him strength and belief.”
The whole book isn’t quite this bad, but there are enough head-scratching moments like the above to slow down any native English reader. The book serves mainly as a film guide for those interested in finding the movies listed, and will likely add to the list of “want-to-sees” for anyone who studies the period. It is not really a very useful book beyond that, it’s analysis of the films tends to be facile and the attempt at broader contextualization is marred by poor translation and an overly-polemical approach.
The author seems to be conscious of the fact that his book may attract sympathizers to National Socialism and he goes to some effort to distance himself from that audience. At times, he seems to go a bit far, as when he introduces the section on anti-Semitism with an extensive citation of Daniel Goldhagen without noting that Goldhagen’s rather forceful argument (that Germans were instrinsically anti-Semitic and therefore culturally and genetically predisposed to perpetrate the Holocaust) are not generally accepted among historians of the Holocaust. Similarly, his biographies of the film artists often emphasize their long lives and ability to find work after the fall of Nazism, as if none of them ever should have worked again. Such a bitterly vengeful attitude seems appropriate in the cases of major propagandists like Leni Riefenstahl and Veit Harlan, but does it apply to every set designer or actor who took a job for the State?
The major problem with this book, however, is its poor translation, which was obviously undertaken by someone who did not speak English natively. No translator is credited, which may mean that the author attempted it himself, or perhaps the translator asked to have their name removed since they could not do justice to the original. At least they knew enough not to leave lengthy sentences with no breaks. However, a few examples (by no means the most egregious) follow:
p.141: “In Mein Kampf Hitler, in his social Darwinism influenced by terms like “struggle for existence” and “survival of the fittest,” wrote:”
p148: “In the miller’s daughter speaks the simple girl, who initially finds nothing in the strokes of fate, and in the corporal speaks the brave, simple soldier, who is racked with guilt because he doesn’t understand the loving kindness of his King.”
P148: “The historian has the task of telling people the truth, the artist has the task to arise man and give him strength and belief.”
The whole book isn’t quite this bad, but there are enough head-scratching moments like the above to slow down any native English reader. The book serves mainly as a film guide for those interested in finding the movies listed, and will likely add to the list of “want-to-sees” for anyone who studies the period. It is not really a very useful book beyond that, it’s analysis of the films tends to be facile and the attempt at broader contextualization is marred by poor translation and an overly-polemical approach.
Displaying 1 of 1 review