nazi germany – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD – Retroview by Jennifer Merin

April 13, 2023April 13, 2023 Jennifer Merin documentaries, german films, hitler's hollywood, nazi germany, rudiger suchsland, udo kier

Filmmaker Rudiger Suchsland’s Hitler’s Hollywood is a compilation documentary that uses clips from films produced during the Nazi regime to show how the movies were used to indoctrinate the masses and influence their behavior. The theme and point of view are unique. With its fascinating developmental arc, the film delivers a complete and well-conceived treatise about how the Nazis used movies to influence the masses and how movie production reflected public mood and the zeitgeist during the Nazi regime. It provokes thought about how movies produced today have similar impact on our social expectations and behavior. There are some valuable lessons to be had.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 17, 2020: CHICHINETTE: THE ACCIDENTAL SPY

January 12, 2020January 19, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, chichinette, how i accidentally became a spy, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, marina antunes, marthe cohn, maryann johanson, motw, Movie of the Week, nazi germany, nicola hens, nikki baughan, Pam Grady, Sheila Roberts, the accidental spy

Telling your story — bearing witness to your own life and those of the people you’ve loved (and lost) — is one of the most powerful things someone can do, especially when they’ve lived through historic events. But it’s not always easy, as we learn from watching Nicola Hens’ engaging documentary Chichinette: The Accidental Spy about former WWII spy Marthe Cohn, who, now nearly 100 years old, still travels the world sharing her experiences with others.

Reviews

CHICHINETTE: THE ACCIDENTAL SPY – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

January 7, 2020January 12, 2020 Susan Wloszczyna 0 Comments accidental spy, chichinette, documentaries, Martha Cohn, Movie of the Week, nazi germany, nicola hens

During this chaotic time of near-constant political upheaval, we need all the heroes we can get. Thanks to documentary filmmaker Nicola Alice Hens, we meet one in the unlikely form of a tiny yet feisty 96-year-old German-born Jewish woman named Marthe Cohn who managed to change the course of World War II by working for the French Resistance and saving the lives of countless Allied soldiers as the conflict came to a close.

Reviews

THE INVISIBLES – Review by Diane Carson

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 Diane Carson 0 Comments Claus Rafle, docudrama, nazi germany, the invisibles

Adding to the astonishing true stories of life in Nazi Germany, The Invisibles dramatizes the improbable experiences of four young Jewish men and women hiding in plain sight in Berlin during WWII. German writer/director Claus Räfle expertly intertwines the featured survivors’ formidable contemporary interviews, black-and-white archival footage from 1940s Berlin, and color reenactments of critical moments and desperate decisions.