Documentaries vs. Fictional Narratives

The difference between the films we have watched thus far is that the fictional ones touched base on the societal changes that Germany went through leading up to Nazism, and the non-fictional documentaries to display the propaganda of Nazism, and the horrors it caused to innocent people who were treated like animals who were herded and killed in concentration camps.

The film M portrayed the horrible crimes of pedophilia and the murders of children that highlighted mental disabilities that were apparent in society. The film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari brought up themes of how society was in a state of chaos and anarchy. This was a metaphor for needed change in government and politics. The Blue Angel symbolized the wild nature of the younger generations, and how they are transitioning into a life of dance, libations, and fornication. This represented the uprising of society’s new tendencies and beliefs in politics which emplaced new values and morals of the young minds in Germany. This was the cultural change that led to Nazism.

The film Triumph of the Will referenced the notion of the will to power. It was a very effective piece of propaganda that influenced Germany’s people to feel a strong sense of patriotism and the new power under Germany’s new set of government. This was a film to make Germans feel the need of retribution from an embarrassing loss in World War I to becoming the biggest superpower in the world. Germans felt invincible and were fearless through imagery like this. This gave people hope of empowerment again.

The film Night and Fog, which was actually made by a Frenchman, depicted the reality of the Holocaust. It showed the unhealthy living conditions, the torture chambers, the treatment of Jews, etc. It showed how inhumane the Nazis were and how they contained people in camps for mass genocide. This film shows the truth of the Nazi campaign against the Jews whom they blamed for the fall of their economy and loss of the war. This was unjust and considered a hate crime to humanity.

Ultimately, the previous films we watched spoke of the cultural, societal, and governmental change leading up to Hitler’s reign and his Nazis. They were fictitious reenactments of social and political issues in Germany. The Triumph of the Will and Night and Fog were documentaries that showed actual footage of events that were happening in Germany. These films instilled fear into the harsh reality of Nazism. They were used as propaganda to manipulate the masses which later led to World War II and the Holocaust.