Issues Of History And Propaganda In Films example essay topic

It is obviously difficult to forget those scary times of the Nazi era. Nazis did lots of destructions and other unhealthy things back in 20th century, although it echoes on nowadays life as well, back then that was an irresistible influence from the side of the Nazis on the society that lived during the time era, on which our discussion will emphasize. Today we are going to talk about the issues of history and propaganda in films that were around during that unquestionably vivid era. We shall discuss how those film affected people and what impact did those affects have on society as a whole.

Considering the major aspects of the issue of Nazi films, we may sometimes examine the form and function of Nazi self-representation on celluloid, and then turn to a study of the cultural legacy of National Socialism, both in postwar German society and abroad. In the process, we are challenged to rethink the relationship between entertainment and ideology, propaganda and documentary, and even-perhaps most surprisingly the conventions of Nazi Cinema and Hollywood. The actual study of National Socialism and film began as early as the 1920's. This was a time of critical discourse in Germany about cultural distinctiveness and the importance of constructing a national identity distinct from America. After World War 1, and particularly with Hollywood's push into European markets, cinema came to play an important role in defining German-ness.

Cinema and its public control became linked to the exercise of national sovereignty. All these aspect began to influence the existing opinion of many people on various issues, including their political preferences as well. In addition to screening documentaries we need to pay some close attention to historical and entertainment films. You will be surprised to learn that only 14 percent of German films during the Nazi period were definitely political.

On the other hand, the balance to those explicitly politicized pictures were feature films in the forms of comedies, musicals, histories and melodramas. A commercial film industry continued to function-and thrive-in the Third Reich, and during the war, in German-dominated Europe. The particular example of such action Munchhausen was a great fantasy feature film produced in color during 1943. Now we may try to begin to focus on how films engage audiences and whether that ability can be employed to serve ideological purposes. First of all we need to investigate the approach of self-representation by the Nazi regime, retrospective reappraisals of National Socialism and the theoretical issues involving the intersection of history and film. We may look on the issue from a prospective standpoint of one of the prominent scientists in this field named Fehrenbach.

His ideas were to emphasize the fact that reappraisals of National Socialism and its meanings for postwar Germany must consider how the past downloads into the present and the importance of film as an undivided part of public history. Documentaries and propaganda films feature and historical films all have their input to the issue. We may highlight some vital issues concerning the relationship of film and history. Quite a few questions, which are difficult to explore arise. How should historians approach films as documents? To what extent can they give us access to the real truth about the past?

What is the role of film in historical understanding? Ultimately, of course, posing such questions forces us to rethink the ways we study the past and tell its stories; it forces us to rethink what we figure when we learn history. In order for us to understand the film of any country, we need to take a close look at the context in which films were produced. Different people or groups with a message that they want to deliver to others can use the motion picture in many ways. Films can be government propaganda, entertainment, art, but no matter which category a film is placed, one thing is certain about them all. And that thing is that films, because they cost money to produce, are all made within a structure of politics and economics and, therefore, carry a definite message.

Now let us briefly describe some of the most influential distinct periods of the German cinema with some representative films from each period. Here we will strike for putting the issues discussed in these films into our thinking. I will present the movies as texts, which can be read only by considering the contexts to which they belong. From the conceptual framework let us start our research on film periods from the period of WWI.

This time frame brought a new agenda for the German film industry. With the entry of the U.S. into the war in 1917, Erich von Ludendorff, who was the Quartermaster General of the Army, concluded that some resistance should be taken to meet the general wave of anti-Germany propaganda coming from the highly-innovative studio of its new enemy. On December 18, 1917, the German High Command formed UFA (Univer sum Film A.G. ), which brought together the prominent representatives of financial and industrial leaders with the largest film companies in Germany. The Ufa purpose was clearly propagandist ic. One of the prominent film historians stated: The official mission of UFA was to advertise Germany according to German directives. These asked not only for direct screen propaganda, but also for films characteristic of German culture and films serving the purpose of national education.

Ernst Lubitsch, with his production of Madame Dubarry, released in 1918 realized the intent of UFA pretty rapidly. The film achieved a near revolution in the art of film. Lubitsch did with the camera what no previous German director had done before. When it was released in the U.S. in 1920, Madame Dubarry, retired Passion, was acclaimed the most important European picture since the Italian production of Cabi ria.

With this film, Lubitsch emerged as a director of an industry, and the German film achieved its first breakthrough in the international market since very long period of time. In 1921, the Reich government freed itself of its UFA holdings, with the Deutsche Bank acquiring its shares. The UFA was reorganized into a private company; the primary objective of the company became to be the production of commercial films of high artistic value that would be capable of competing on the world market, especially the American. By the end of WWI the Germany was in a pretty poor shape.

Many citizens were dying of starvation while the country was faced with high inflation and the undesired condition of widespread unemployment. The hard takings of the period were reflected in Fritz Langs two-part film, Dr. Mabuse der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse the Gambler), released in 1922. The film tells a story of a desperate criminal who gambles with lives and fortunes. The Aufklarungsfilme films about the facts of life had a peak of its rise during this period. Most of these films were actually sex films; they were only slightly veiled as education. Popular demonstrations and legal action against the Aufklarungsfilme occurred throughout Germany.

The National Assembly proposed the nationalization of the film industry, which was rejected in favor of a National Censorship Law, adopted in May 1920. Under this law children under twelve were prohibited from seeing such films, while children between twelve and eighteen could only be admitted to films that had been designated with a special certificate. No film could be prohibited due to its content.