World War 2
(1939-1945)
Throughout the 1920s, Germany’s social climate shifted to the right, and in 1933 the Nazi Party—a rightwing, nationalist group—gained parliamentary control. This new German Regime, led by chancellor Adolf Hitler, rose to power by appealing to feelings of humiliation stemming from Germany’s defeat in World War 1. The Nazis blamed Germany’s defeat, as well as the subsequent depression, on the Jewish population. The war officially began in 1939 with Germany's invasion of Poland, but tension had been brewing in the film industry since the Nazis took power.
Now in control of most German enterprises, including the film industry,
Hitler made efforts to remove all Jewish industry personnel in April, 1933. Many fled, along with people who still held leftist beliefs and did not want to live and work under Nazi policies. Consequently, the film industry took a blow, as these people made up a majority of the country’s filmmaking talent. Additionally, in 1935, the screening of any film made before 1933 was outlawed.
In 1934, Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Dr. Josef Goebbels, gained control of censorship and from that point on he personally screened every feature film, short, and newsreel before it was released. Despite his hatred for communist ideologies, he admired the propaganda cinema that came out of the USSR during the Bolshevik revolution and sought to produce similar films in Germany.
German propaganda films made during this time were aimed toward young boys and men, who made up a large part of Hitlers supporters. Most German propaganda films use one or more of three signature plot techniques. “Pro-Nazi" propaganda films glorified the Nazi hero. Some films focused instead on attacking “enemies'' of the Third Reich. These films antagonized allied countries, such as Great Britain and the USSR, until the German defeat at Stalingrad, after which anti-soviet features disappeared. Of course these enemy films also targeted Jews, using typical antisemitic stereotypes and depicting them “spreading corruption throughout Christian land.” Lastly, the glorification of war was used to drum up enthusiasm and support for the war effort. These films depicted life in the German military as cheerful and friendly. They also played on the Nazi-held belief of “blood and soil,” which glorified death in combat as a dignified act of servitude.
A 1933 German propaganda film directed by Franz Wenzler based on the life of Nazi martyr Horst Wessel (watch from 1:03:00-1:05:08)
A 1940 US comedy parodying the story of Adolf Hitler. It was directed by and starred American silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
During the war, Hollywood gained filmmaking talent, as many refugees who had escaped the Nazi Regime fled to the United Stated. American films took advantage of this in one of the most famous World War 2 era films, Casablanca (1943). The film is about refugees attempting to escape Europe, and many of the actors in it were refugees, including Conrad Veidt, who plays a Nazi general, despite having fled Nazi Germany to protect his Jewish wife. American cinema continued to flourish, and while escapist films were still popular, many films were made that directly referenced the war. Charlie Chaplin made many comedies imitating Hitler, including his first talkie The Great Dictator (1940).
A 1943 US film directed by Michael Curtiz which centers around people attempting to flee Europe via the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca.