User Reviews

Adolf Hitler's maniacal desire to impose his will on the rest of the world is the subject of this second in a seven part series of films produced by the U.S. War Department as an instructional tool for new soldiers entering the Armed Forces during World War II. Hitler's plan was methodical and well conceived, starting with the conquest of Eastern Europe, expanding to the European heartland, then moving on to the 'World Island' consisting of Europe, Asia and Africa. His final move would be to reach across the oceans for the ultimate conquest of the Americas and the World.

In 1935, Hitler ordered national conscription, as the rest of the country fell under his evil spell. Grade school children sang his praises, and young German boys received training and indoctrination in military camps. Marching unopposed into Austria in 1938, Hitler followed by annexing a strip of land bordering Germany and Czechoslovakia called Sudetenland. In 1939, Hitler took all of Czechoslovakia. Later in the year, the world was stunned to learn that Germany signed a non-aggression pact with it's mortal enemy Russia, a ploy to delay Hitler's military involvement on too many fronts. Immediately after, Germany invaded Poland, bringing Hitler's conquest right to Russia's doorstep. He would deal with her later.

It was during this period that Britain still declined to oppose Hitler's thrust across Europe. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain felt he procured a great victory for his country by accepting a treaty with Germany, his infamous declaration stating 'Peace in Our Time'. It didn't turn out that way.

The most fascinating information to be learned in this installment, at least to me, was provided by a small snippet of footage from a German pro Hitler rally in the mid '30's. It was led by a German American taking his cue directly from the homeland. The venue - Madison Square Garden!

"The Nazis Strike" is an American black-and-white documentary from 1943, so this one has its 75th anniversary next year and it summarizes basically the events that led to Britain's declaration of war against Nazi Germany. There is some focus on Nazi movements outside Germany too, some focus on Hitler's tactics and how he tried to unsuccessfully avoid a war at two fronts, and raw uncensored footage showing the evils of war. It is original footage from start to finish and the names who made this were actually among America's most successful filmmakers, such as multiple Oscar winner Frank Capra or multiple Oscar nominee Anatole Litvak. The script is a combination by the writers of Casablanca and Lassie. Quite a mix huh? But I am not surprised it is a successful film and still very well-known today so long after its release. It is a fairly decent summary of the political events going on back then, maybe nothing to impress historians or teach them anything new, but everybody with an interest in the years of World War II and not just the American involvement can give it a go. Then again, this is 100% propaganda, so it is actually all about the American involvement. You know what I mean. The significance of this work is also shown by the fact that it got introduced in the National Film Registry. Go watch these 41 minutes. I'm sure you won't be disappointed, unless you really don#t care about the subject at all.

There has been a political documentary, of recent vintage, called Why We Fight, which tries to examine the infamous Military Industrial Complex and its grip on this nation. It is considered both polemical and incisive in making its case against both that complex and the war fiasco we are currently involved in in Iraq. Yet, a far more famous series of films, with the same name, was made during World War Two, by Hollywood director Frank Capra. Although considered documentaries, and having won Oscars in that category, this series of seven films is really and truly mere agitprop, more in the vein of Leni Reifenstal's Triumph Of The Will, scenes of which Capra recycles for his own purposes. That said, that fact does not mean it does not have vital information that subsequent generations of World War Two documentaries (such as the BBC's lauded The World At War) lacked, nor does that mean that its value as a primary source is any the less valuable. They are skillfully made, and after recently purchasing some used DVDs at a discount store, I found myself with the opportunity to select a free DVD with my purchase. I chose Goodtimes DVD's four DVD collection of the series.

Rarely has something free been so worth invaluable. While there are no extras on the DVDs, and the sound quality of the prints varies, these films provide insight into the minds of Americans two thirds of a century ago, when racism was overt (as in many of the classic Warner Brothers pro-war cartoons of the era), and there was nothing wrong with blatant distortion of facts. The seven films, produced between 1942 and 1945, are Prelude To War, The Nazis Strike, Divide And Conquer, The Battle Of Britain, The Battle Of Russia, The Battle Of China, and War Comes To America.

Overall, the film series is well worth watching, not only for the obvious reasons, but for the subtle things it reveals, such as the use of the plural for terms like X millions when referring to dollars, rather than the modern singular, or the most overused graphic in the whole series- a Japanese sword piercing the center of Manchuria. Yet, it also shows the complexities of trying to apply past standards to current wars. The lesson of World War One (avoid foreign entanglements) was not applicable to World War Two, whose own lesson (act early against dictatorships) has not been applicable in the three major wars America has fought since: Korea, Vietnam, nor Iraq. The fact that much of this series teeters on the uncertainties of the times it was made in only underscores its historic value in today's information-clogged times. It may not help you sort out the truth from the lies and propaganda of today, but at least you'll realize you are not the first to be in such a tenuous position, nor will you be the last.

It's a roughly accurate account of Hitler's build up of Germany's armed forces, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the first world war, and how Hitler used threats, diplomacy, and military might to acquire the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.

Until his invasion of Poland, the rest of the Allied countries allowed him to wheedle and lie his way across an awful lot of territory without firing a shot. Daladier and Neville Chamberlain accepted Hitler's written promise that, after Czechoslovakia, he wanted to more territory. Most of us have seen poor humiliated Chamberlain waving the Munich treaty and proclaiming "peace in our time." In some ways, the Munich accords were the worst thing that happened during that lead up to the war because, since then, no country has EVER initiated a conflict against an adversary without invoking Chamberlain and Munich.

What were Chamberlain's and Daladier's options? Could we have avoided World War if Chamberlain, instead of signing the Munich agreement, had immediately declared war on Germany? In gambling on Hitler's willingness to keep his word, and losing, Chamberlain provided the rest of us with an unshakable historic argument against "appeasement," which has managed to contaminate the concept of negotiations ever since. When offended, never appease, just attack.

You can make documentary movies that aren't slanted. I've seen training films on the assembly and maintenance of the M-1 rifle. But propaganda movies are an interesting genre in their own right, blending as they do entertainment with slanted information.

This example isn't particularly artful. It's not Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will." But, with graphics provided by the Walt Disney Studio, it can hardly go wrong. You can watch the black blot of Germany in central Europe spread its tentacles over the rest of the continent, gobbling it up like an octopus.

The film has the usual proletarian propaganda techniques. A voice over with an abominable German accent says, "Vot do vee care about dzah rest of dzah worlt? Ve vant all off it!" Short, simple, out-of-context quotes are taken from speeches by Nazi officials and from "Mein Kampf." And every parade has the Nazis goose stepping.

But that's all expectable. The enemy is demonized and called names like "thugs" and "butchers." What's more interesting in propaganda is what's left out.

Example: After demolishing Poland's horse cavalry and the city of Warsaw, Germany occupied all of western Poland. (No mention ever of the Warsaw uprising.) Then the Soviet Union waltzed in and took over the EASTERN half of Poland, promptly signing a non-aggression pact with the Germans. How did that come to pass? Well, it's all very simple, according to this film. Hitler HAD to stop because he didn't want to open a second front against Russia, and Stalin agreed because he needed time to build up his armed forces. Easy to grasp, but it doesn't tell us why the Soviet Union occupied eastern Poland in the first place. The Poles, by the way, lacked nothing in elan. Many who escaped fought bravely as units of the RAF, and it was Polish troops who finally managed to occupy Monte Casino in Italy after all the Allies had suffered massive casualties.

Also missing is any mention of military tactics. That the Germans outnumbered in men and equipment all of the enemies they fought is established early on. But of course that's not the whole answer. I don't think the word "Blitzkrieg" is used but that subject may be saved for Part 2.

But that's the problem with all propaganda. It's like a witness in court who tells nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth. It can provide an effective pep talk but, in its selective presentation of facts, it can also be extremely dangerous.

*Spoiler/plot- 1943, A documentary showing the condition and context of the world that allowed the world's aggressors to take a stronghold and keep it until world war arrived to change that injustice.

*Special Stars- Director: Frank Capra

*Theme- National Socialism or Natzis are not to be trusted.

*Trivia/location/goofs- The second film in Frank Capra's 'Why We fight" series.

*Emotion- An enjoyable documentary made up of live action combat or newsreel footage. However, there are the unpleasant shots of injured Americans and killed Germans. But it is extremely educational and does what a narrative simulated war film can do.