Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Syl
Colonel Frank Capra of the United States Army is better known for his classic film, "It's a Wonderful Life!," but here is an American fighting for his country with the use of film. He compiled the actual German archival footage with Nazi newsreel propaganda to fool the German public and the world about the Nazis intentions. This documentary is told by narration over the stock and film footage. Please be aware that these films' quality may not be stellar or perfect. After all, time has taken a toll on the documentaries themselves. Without even talking about the Holocaust, Capra captures the Nazis Third Reich's true hidden agenda with their own footage. The propaganda footage fooled many into believing them. We all know the lies that was perpetrated among the world back then. Capra shows in this short documentary how the Nazis were really fooling the world.
Cosmoeticadotcom
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.
Michael_Elliott
Nazis Strike, The (1943) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Part two of a seven film series taking a look at WW2. The film was produced by the American government so there's plenty of flag waving and the documentary is certainly one sided but that's to be expected since it's goal was to get people behind the war. It's a bit too over-dramatic for its own good but various executions and other deaths are quite disturbing to see. These real death scenes are something that were in a lot of this WW2 shorts. All of the Capra directed films are worth seeing as are the WW2 shorts by John Ford.
mermatt
Frank Capra did a masterful job taking the propaganda tool of the Nazis and turning it against them. He devised the simple but effective means of taking captured Nazi propaganda newsreels and showing them with new narration and with music. The result -- showing the Nazi horror for what it was.The WHY WE FIGHT series of 7 films is still very powerful and moving. We can only imagine how rousing the material was in the dark days of World War II when it was shown to the US troops in battle zones.The difference between Capra's propaganda and Hitler's is that Capra used the tool to teach ideals rather than to seduce and entrance the minds of people. Capra's films were just as strong ammunition as and tanks and planes, and they are remarkably durable after all these years. They still stand for the ideals of democracy. Such is the art of a master moviemaker.
