Hollywood and WW2

In pre-World War Two film history, many countries used their nationalized film studios to produce propaganda. In Russia, the film industry produced many propaganda films in order to convince people to support the Communist Revolution, the most notable being Battleship Potemkin. In Germany, Hitler used the film industry to unite the German people, increase support for the Nazi Party, and to increase hostilities towards the Jewish-German population, the most notable being Triumph of the Will.  France, England, and Italy all had nationalized studios, but did not use their films for widespread propaganda. Fascist Italy did not use film to spread propaganda, but they did practice heavy censorship of their film industry and other foreign films distributed to Italy. In Europe, governments had significant control over the film industries which allowed them to control the content that came out of the studios and what the public viewed.

Unlike most other countries, America’s film studios were never nationalized. From its beginnings, the film industry was an independent body that flourished and grew on its own.

When World War Two came to America’s footsteps by way of the horrific Pearl Harbor Attack, the government asked Hollywood for help. During World War Two (WW2 hereafter), countless propaganda films were produced by the major studios in order to get Americans to support the war effort morally and financially. Most of the propaganda films made during this period were inspired out of true American Patriotism shown by Hollywood and not by government intervention, though some film studios did make propaganda films after being asked by the government. Films were an integral part of selling WW2 to the American public due to the fact that America had previously been an isolationist nation, meaning that it did not interfere in world affairs.

Many filmmakers and studios willingly participated in creating WW2 propaganda films out of patriotism. Film studios such as Warner Bros and filmmakers such as Frank Capra were apart of the willing participants. Paramount agreed to participate in propaganda films after they bargained with the United States Federal Government to suspend an impending anti-trust lawsuit against them until after the war was completed. After gaining the support of the studios, the Office of War Information, a WW2 government agency set up to sell the war to the American public, worked with the film studios in order to set the framework for propaganda films.

The Office of War Information (OWI) laid out a set of guidelines for propaganda films to follow in order to convey a consistent set of messages:

1. glorify the American lifestyle
2. depict the enemy and their lifestyle (Japan, Germany, and Italian)
3. reflect our allies well (French, English, and Russian)
4. portray war industries at home
5. illustrate what Americans can do at home to support the war
6. show our military forces in action

The first set of WW2 films commissioned by the OWI were the Why We Fight series, directed by Frank Capra. Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series ignited passion into viewers to support the war effort by defining what America was fighting for, depicting Germany and Japan as the enemies that needed to be destroyed, and showing the Allied Powers in action. These films were the most overt propaganda films produced during this period. The most successful of the films was the first one, Prelude to War, which served as a vehicle to describe the difference between the American government and the governments of Germany, Italy, and Japan and to provide reasoning for American joining the war. The government originally commissioned this film to be made for government officials and soldiers, however, President Franklin Roosevelt decided it should go into public release in order to win over the American public as well.  Prelude to War was so successful because it portrayed itself as an honest depiction of what the war was about and why America should enter it. Unlike other WW2 films, this film did not rely on an emotional connection, Prelude to War sold to the American public the idea of spreading American ideals throughout the world and protecting American idealism.

While Prelude to War was an overtly attempting to be propaganda, other films stubbly wove in OWI themes into story lines and used emotion to connect to the America viewers.

Casablanca, , a Warner Bros production, became an overwhelming success due to the seamless weaving of war propaganda and heartfelt romance. Casablanca served to glorify the French Rebels and visualize a war torn city full of people escaping the brutalities of war. American audiences reacted to the romance between the lead characters and how it was eventually torn apart by the war. More than anything, this film demonstrated the sacrifices that people needed to make for the war effort for the greater good of the world. While Americans were used to the sunny romances and lovers coming back together at the end of every love story, Casablanca took a different course by sacrificing the happy ending for a cause. Instead of reuniting, lovers tore themselves apart in order to contribute to the war effort; Rick sacrificed his lover Ilsa to continue to support a French rebel, a storyline that created to convince Americans to sacrifice for the greater good as well. Aside from the underlying message, Casablanca also served to glorify the French Resistance movement, depict the growing amount of displaced European refugees crowded into small towns because of the war, and finally, to show Americans as the upholders of Democracy and America as a safe haven for all people who wish to be free.

Many, many films were made in order to support the war effort. Very few films (if any) during this period were anti-war. Hollywood supported the war effort in other ways as well, Warner Bros opened up their studios to be used by the government for Army training. Many stars, such as James Stewart, Clark Gable, and Gene Autry, took a break from the silver screen and served in the army. Those who didn’t join the army participated in the United Service Organization (USO), which traveled around the world to support the troops.

After the war was over, the United States government went ahead with their anti-trust lawsuit against Paramount. Pro-war movies decreased, and the OWI got out of Hollywood. Hollywood’s large participation in the WW2 effort is very unique in Hollywood History. Almost the entire film industry participated in selling WW2 to the country without force  or coercion. Hollywood became a united force that aligned itself with the views of the United States Government.

Since WW2, Hollywood has not participated in support of a war. Hollywood has not shown support of any of the preemptive, aggressive wars that the government has participated in, and the government has not asked cooperation of Hollywood since WW2. The Film Industry helped sell WW2 to the American people, but probably contributed to the American people’s contempt for later wars, such as Vietnam and the Gulf Wars.

Triumph of the Will

After the Great War, WWI, the Germans were left a desperate and broken people. The Treaty of Versailles stripped their country of national pride by depriving Germany of the right to hold a standing army, declaring that the Rhineland would be occupied by Allied Troops for a period of 15 years, that Germany would be responsible for monetarily compensating the Allied countries for the cost of the war, and by forcing Germany to take the blame for causing the war. As a result of the war (and socialist revolution following the war), the German economy was wrecked, many Germans were out of work, and the German political system had a difficult time becoming stable.

Cue Adolph Hitler.

A disillusioned WWI veteran gains significant political power and the hearts and minds of the German people. Hitler gains power by giving the German people hope and pride; hope for the prosperous future of Germany and courage to once again be proud to be German. Hitler did not accomplish this by force or other coercive means, but by ever-so-slightly appealing to the rawest emotions of the broken German people.

Cue Leni Riefenstahl.

Riefenstahl was a German filmmaker, model, and actress who first saw Hitler speak in 1932 and was almost immediately captivated by his message.  Later, after reading Mien Kampf and further believing in Hitler, she requested to meet him in 1933. After meeting with Hitler, she was given the opportunity to direct Sieg des Glaubens, an hour-long feature film about the Nazi Party rally at Nurmemberg in 1933. After seeing her work with her first assignment with the Third Reich, he invited her to film subsequent rallies. Later, he chose her to make a documentary about the National Socialist Movement in Germany under the condition that she would no longer be required to continue to make more films for Hitler after it was finished.

Triumph of the Will chronicles a four day period leading up to one of Hitler’s largest rallies ever, a rally featuring over 150,000 SA and SS troops in Nuremberg at the World War One Memorial. This film is considered to be the greatest piece of propaganda film in history due to the way it strongly conveys the hope, unity, and nationalism under Hitler’s Germany.

Triumph of the Will calls Germans to take pride in being German and unify under the new face of Germany, which became Hitler’s Germany. Germans are shown to be great, happy people who enjoy life and each other. No German is without a job, No German is without a smile, and No German is without hope. Germans have jobs, happiness, and hope all thanks to Hitler. In Hitler’s Germany, men had jobs, the youth were empowered to become the next great generation of Germans, Germans were united, and most of all, they were proud to be German.

For the average German, who has seen their lives turned upside down by the horrific Great War, a Revolution, and an economic depression, Hitler’s Germany was a dream that desperately needed to become reality. Triumph of the Will could have convinced nearly any person that Hitler’s Germany was going to take them into the future of economic stability and prosperousness. It convinced them that in Hitler’s Germany, they would no longer be hopeless, desolate, and poor.

After watching, Triumph of the Will, it is easy to see why so many people believed in Hitler. At times, I found myself believing in him, that he was actually a decent person who just wanted to change his country. Moving images have that type of power on viewers; the power of film is a often misused and is hardly taken seriously enough. By all means, this film is subtle, there are no flashy images to shock viewers into belief, or any extremely radical speech. This film just slightly peaks into a world full of ‘better tomorrows’.

Another reason why I think this film was such a successful propaganda piece because it was incredibly focused on uniting Germans and filling them up with hope. Hitler’s other plans of genocide and war are completely absent from this film. There is no mention of the Jewish population in Germany, or of any type of future plans of aggression. Riefenstahl’s incredible focus of subject matter is what has contributed to this film staying alive for over 70 years instead of being buried under the weight of the Nazi Empire.

Riefenstahl’s cinematography is a feast for the eyes. In terms of 1934, the cinematography is at least a decade ahead of its time. The aerial shots are superb, and the moving and long focus shots are extremely ahead of its time. I’m going to go on a limb and say that the cinematography in this film wasn’t matched until Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and this 77 year old film could still hold it’s weight against the cinematography of today.

Triumph of the Will is a good lesson in the power of film. Film has the power to fuel emotions and the incredible power to convince. Which is why every filmmaker has a responsibility to their audience to be responsible with the way they use film to persuade and entertain. Riefenstahl claims that she had no idea that her film would be used in such a way, she claims she wasn’t aware that she was creating Nazi Propaganda. Whether or not her claims are correct, all filmmakers need to look at her and learn a lesson: her masterpiece is a Nazi Propaganda film that helped convince countless people to believe in the Nazi Party. Whether or not that was her goal, the weight of that is placed on her and her film for all of history. Filmmakers need to realize that with great power, comes great responsibility. The power of film is not to be taken lightly.

(If you’re curious, this film is on NetFlix Instant Play.)