1938 Pogrom Hitler's Hollywood. German Cinema in the Age of Propaganda 1933–1945
About 1000 feature films were made in Germany in the years between 1933-45, only a few of them were openly Nazi propaganda films. But, by the same token, even fewer of them can be considered harmless entertainment. The Nazi-cinema was a state-controlled industry. At the same time, it aspired to be "Great Cinema" - a German dream factory. The documentary by Rüdiger Suchsland tells the story of one of the most important and most dramatic periods in the history of German cinema. Also, it recalls the Ufa films and its stars: Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann, Zarah Leander, Ilse Werner, Marianne Hoppe, Gustav Gründgens etc. Technically, Nazi-cinema was executed to perfection, to create emotions. It was industrially pre-fabricated to manipulate the people. Perhaps, the feelings evoked by these films were feelings of self-delusion, false feelings. It is only in this vein that the impact of Nazi cinema can be understood. It was popular and satisfied the desires of large sections of society. In its days, millions of people flocked to the cinemas. The film poses the questions: how does propaganda works? And what is the hidden truth of cinema?
After the film screening, a talk with Jeanine Meerapfel and Rüdiger Suchsland, moderated by Andreas Kilb, reflects on current mechanisms of political influence.
With the kind support of the Gesellschaft der Freunde der Akademie der Künste