You can consult various material on the Nazi
propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and the Nazis in general, as well as some
general film history books. Particular references available are listed below.
The Nazi films available in
the NIE library for film study include:
(1) Anti-British film,
Titanic (1943) call no. XDV
934
(2) Anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish film, Jud Suss
(1940) XDV 1056
(3) Anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish film, The Eternal Jew (1940) XDV 1057
(4) Leni Reifenstahl’s
propaganda film about Hitler and the Nazis, Triumph
of the Will (1935) XDV 921
Some general information
from film history texts that will give you a brief summary can be found in:
a.David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film
History: An Introduction (1994) pp.304-313 and pp.318-319. (available in the CAH 101 course notes).
b.David Cook, A History
of Narrative Film (1993) pp.351-353.
c.David Parkinson, History
of Film (1995) pp.136-138.
If the location of a
reference is not listed then it is available on the NIE library shelves.
You are expected to consult
more than two or three books. You are not expected to read each book from cover
to cover. Do not read from cover to cover when researching unless you are doing
it for your own reading pleasure. Just scan through a reference, or use the
index, and read what you think is relevant to the topic. This may be just a few
pages or one short chapter.
Try and use quotattions from primary sources in your essay such as the
Goebbels diaries and Hitler's Mein Kampf.
The references are to show
you what is available. You do not need to consult them all.
Specific References:
1.Richard Barsam, Film
Guide to Triumph of the Will (1975).
2. H.J.P. Bergmeier, Hitler's Airwaves: The
Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing,
includes a CD of propaganda music and radio recordings, (1997).
3.Jay Baird, To Die For
Germany: Heroes in the Nazi Pantheon (1990).
4.Thomas Elsaesser, ‘Leni Riefenstahl: The
Body Beautiful, Art Cinema and Fascist Aesthetics’ in Pam Cook and Philip Dodd,
(eds), Women and film: A Sight and Sound Reader
(1993) (available in BAH 101 course notes).
5.Joseph Goebbels, The Goebbels Diaries
(several editions - Lochner [1939-1941] and Taylor
[1942-43]) (both available in NIE library and course notes NIE Library). N.B. Try and use quotations in your assignment from this valuable
primary source or original document. Goebbels’ diaries reveal that he
was obsessed with film.
6.Sabine Hake, Popular Cinema of the Third Reich (2001).
7.Hilmar Hoffman, The Triumph of
Propaganda: Film and National Socialism (1996).
8. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (NIE library has a copy). Try and use quotations
from this primary source.
9. Stig
Hornshoj-Moeller and David Culbert,
"'Der Ewige Jude'
(1940): Joseph Goebbels Unequaled Monument to anti-Semitism", Historical
Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol.12, No.1, 1992, pp.41-67, in the
course Notes in the NIE library under 'Study Guide Eternal Jew'. NIE subscribes
to the web journal database with this journal on it informaworld.
You can find the journal and article here - http://www.informaworld.com/
10. Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema (1968) (Course notes in NIE
library)
11.Simon
Mills, Chapter 4 on the Nazi Version of the Titanic in The Titanic in
Pictures (1995).
12.David Paret, ‘Kolberg (Germany, 1945):
As Historical Film and Historical Document’, pp.31-47, and David Culbert, ‘Kolberg (Germany 1945):
The Goebbels Diaries and Poland’s Kolobrzeg Today’,
pp.67-77, in John Whiteclay Chambers II and David Culbert, (eds), World War II,
Film, and History (1996).
13.Susan
Sontag, ‘Fascinating Fascism’ in Bill Nichols, (ed.), Movies and Methods
(1985) (available in the course notes for CAH 101).
14.Viktor
Reimann, The Man Who Created Hitler: Joseph
Goebbels (1977) (available at NUS library).
15. Eric Rentschler, Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and its
After Life (1996).
16.David
Weinberg, ‘Approaches to the Study of Film in the Third Reich: A Critical
Appraisal’, Journal of Contemporary History, vol.19, 1984 (in the BAH
101 course notes).
17.David
Welch, (ed), Nazi Propaganda: The Power and the
Limitations (1983) (available at NUS library but some chapters are in the
CAH 101 course notes).
18.David
Welch, The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda (1995).
19.David
Welch, ‘Nazi Film Policy: Control, Ideology and Propaganda’ in G.R. Cuomo, (ed), National Socialist Cultural Policy (1995).
20.David
Welch, ‘Manufacturing a Consensus: Nazi Propaganda and the Building of a
National Community (Volksgemeinschaft)’, Contemporary
European History, vol.2, no.1, (1993), pp.1-15. (in
course notes for CAH 101).
21.David
Welch, Propaganda and the German Cinema (2001).
A video for starting off:
The episode, ‘The Master Race’ in the video collection, The People’s Century.
Goebbels’
Interest in Film
In 1933, Joseph Goebbels, at the age of 35, became Nazi Propaganda Minister.
After graduating from university, Goebbels had drifted aimlessly until joining
the Nazi Party in 1924. Before becoming Propaganda Minister, Goebbels’ interest
in film was more of a hobby. His diaries reveal a man obsessed with film, who
watched everything, and that his favourite films were
the
Goebbels’ Ideas on the
Best Types of Propaganda
Goebbels most valued not political films, but those that were entertainment.
According to Fritz Hippler, a director during the
Nazi era, Goebbels believed that film worked on the subconscious, and he placed
it above all other mediums of communication. Goebbels disliked films that were
overtly political. He hated the political films such as Hitler Junge Quex (Hitler Youth
Quest) 1933, Hans Westmar 1934. In Hitler Junge Quex a young boy dies
for the Fuhrer. Goebbels preferred entertainment films, such as Patrioten (The Patriots) 1936 and Es Leuchten die Sterne (The Stars are Shining) 1937, which
contained spectacular dancing scenes. He was like the audience. According to
Arthur Maria Rabenalt, a German director at the time
of the Nazis, Goebbels preferred propaganda movies as entertainment because as
entertainment they had a political purpose to keep people off the streets and
their minds away from their household cares and worries.
Babelsberg, West of Berlin, was where German
films were made during the Nazi era. About 90 percent of German propaganda
films had no overt political content. Goebbels was like a studio producer who
decided which actors the directors would work with. He had complete control
over the studios at Babelsberg.
Creating Hitler’s Image
In newsreels, Goebbels created the Fuhrer myth of a superman devoted to his
country by carefully selecting scenes, and being careful not to over expose his
‘star’ too much. The newsreels were a marriage of sound, music, and
vision. Hans Felt, a film critic of the 1930s, has analysed
the newsreels, and sees them as effective propaganda. Analysing
one newsreel, he describes it this way: 'it is choreographed like an orchestra,
like a symphony, it is a score, the marrying of sound music and vision. The rhythm of the marching, the massed ranks. Then you have
got the solitary figure of the leader. Whenever you see the outstretched arms,
the Roman greeting, then you see the masses, and that
is accompanied by passionate music, that is like a drug, feeling, emotion. Because you can only be driven to a hero's death by emotion.
The close-ups are a poetic form of concentrated power. Nazis in half profile -
it is composed strength. Then you have got the Swastika marching at you
grabbing at you, that you become part of it. Then you see your comrades. You
are not alone. There is always your father figure, leader. This is carefully
prepared to be built up to a climax.'
However, Hitler had other
ideas. He commissioned Leni Riefenstahl to make a
full feature length film of him and the Nazi Party, Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will) 1935, which showed the
1934 Nazi Nuremburg rally. The sombre tone of the
film went against Goebbels’ idea that propaganda had to be entertaining. After
this feature film, Goebbels convinced Hitler to appear in nothing similar to
it. The experiment of this full feature length documentary portayal
of Hitler was not repeated. Goebbels was careful not to over expose his 'star',
so Hitler only appeared in short newsreels.
Goebbels used films about
past German leaders, such as Frederick the Great, Schiller, and Bismark to suggest that the situation under Hitler was
similar, but Hitler never appeared in these films, although the audience could
make the connection. Fritz Hippler, a Nazi film
director, has commented on Der
Grosse Konig (The Great King) made in 1942 about
the German historical statesman Frederick the Great. 'This film portrayed the
historical example of
Propaganda as
Entertainment
Goebbels took propaganda as entertainment to fantastic heights with musical
numbers on the German attack on
Campaign against the
Jews
The contrast between Hitler’s and Goebbels’ different styles can be seen in
propaganda against the Jews. In 1940 Hitler wanted propaganda against the
Jews in preparation for the Final Solution. Der
Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) 1940 was made by
Fritz Hippler for this purpose. Hitler insisted on
using rats as a crude metaphor in the film. It took 13 months in the cutting
room before it was released. Goebbels did not like such overt messages in
films, as is revealed in his diary for 5 July 1941. The movie was a box office
flop. Goebbels was determined to make his own film against the Jews, called Jud
Suss (Jew Suss) 1940.
It showed a Jew in 18th century
Defeat and Propaganda
As the war worsened for
MOVIE STILLS AND COMMENTARY ON GERMAN SOUND FILMS
IN THE 1930s and 1940s