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THE CINEMA AS A MEAN OF

DENUNCIATION,

PROPAGANDA AND

EDUCATION

Elisa Scubla


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INDEX:

- Brief history of cinematography and its developments

- Educational films: After-colonial countries rediscover their lost origins andtraditions Maoris' issue.

( Once were warriors, Whale Rider, River Queen)

- Films of propaganda: Governments and regimes use of cinema as a wayto impose political beliefs and support their policy. Nazi and fascist cinema.

( Triumph of the Will)

- Films of denunciation: The cinema against political, social andenvironmental abuses.

(Modern Times, The Great Dictator)


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BRIEF HISTORY OF CINEMATOGRAPHYIn the past, the idea of the cinema as a moving image, was already present in some prehistoric

representations: the Egyptians ( figures painted during a movement), the caves of Altamira ( bisonrepresented with many legs), the Chinese shadows and the shadow plays.

The forerunners of cinema were actually toy-makers: some tricks for children used the persistence ofvision which is at the basis of the cinematographic technique. Another example of early cinema-

prototypes was the chronophotography .

The historical date of the birth of the cinema is 1895, the year when the Lumire brothers projectedphotographs in movement in front of an audience with their tool called Cinmatographe. The Lumire

brothers films ran with 15 frames per second.

Until 1926, there had been few attempts of improvement , but in that year Don Juan, the first talkingpicture, was projected. The sounds had been recorded on discs which were played in sync with the film.

In 1927 the first talked picture was projected and in 1928 the soundtrack was born.

In the years to follow, the frames passed from 15 to 24. The first attempts of colour were made directlyon the film with colouring substances. The first films with colours were released around the 30s-40s.

Nowadays, film making is an economically successful industry; technologies has developed to

extremely high levels ( special effects, 3D films) and thousand of films are released every year. Film starsbecame increasingly examples of personal success and role models.


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EDUCATIONAL FILMS


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In the 19thcentury, the invention of cinema brought a unique opportunity to teach a vastnumber of people through images.

Colonies all around the world gained their freedom but still had to face the effects of post-colonialism. Native populations had already undergone a process of struggle and defeat,

forced coexistence and racism. Colonizers had taught them how to behave, speak and praylike in the civilized world.

With the end of the colonies, natives and colonizers had to learn to relate to each other ascitizens of the same nation. Nonetheless exclusion , ghettos and discriminations spread inall the former colonies. As a consequence, native populations started to emigrate to cities

and follow the European standards in order to find a place in the new reality.

Globalization and mingling of cultures brought many privileges as well as social diseases.The main problem of nowadays generations of natives is the loss of self-awareness in termsof cultural belonging. Disorientation and ignorance affects, in particular, the younger people

who look at the Western models , forgetting about their ancestors inheritance.


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The Maoris issue: historical background

Captain James Cook

Chart by James Cook and Charles

Praval. 1768-1771

A Maori chiefs engraving

Maori war-canoe


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The Maoris issue: historical background

The Maoris descend from Polynesian tribes who left the islands of the Pacific Ocean oncanoes and reached the shores of New Zealand about 1200 years ago. The first inhabitantsof New Zealand lived on a poor agriculture and fishing; the society was divided into tribesandhapus( families), the power was held by the older members. Battles betweenhapus

were very frequent and war was seen as a positive way to build ones spiritual and physicalstrength. There was also a great interest in arts such as engraving and tattoos.

In the 17thcentury the Dutch were expanding their colonial possessions over the PacificOcean. Abel Tasman was the first who, in 1642, discovered New Zealand. His meeting with

the Maoris was disastrous. The discovery did not brought any interest among the Europeansand New Zealand was left untouched until, in 1769, the famous navigator and explorerCaptain James Cook and his crew landed on its shores. Despite the battles between theMaoris and the English, Cook explored this new land entirely and drew many important

maps.


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With the 19thcentury, New Zealand became a penal colony. Pakehas ( foreigners) broughtall the evils of the Western society: drinking, prostitution and depravation as well as diseases.Moreover, the Maoris did not know the concept of private property : the land traditionallybelonged to the whole tribe. This way, the Europeans made numerous speculations on theacquisition of lands. On the continent, many intellectuals harshly criticized the colonization

of New Zealand. Christian missions were now taking the charge of a good colonization.Missionaries made many improvements in agriculture, introduced new seeds and animalsand wrote the first dictionaries of the Maori language. Other colonists coming from Europe

settled down in the new land.

In 1840, the English governor W. Hobson, sent to New Zealand to annex it to the BritishEmpire, persuaded the Maori chiefs to subscribe the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty was a real

fraud: -it has never been ratified, - it was translated much freely in Maori, -the chiefs

followed the churchmens advice, who were sure that the British Empire had good intentionsof rendering the Maoris what had been stolen from them by the first colonizers.

As soon as the Maoris understood that they had been cheated, they started fighting theEnglish. In 1858, they elected a Maori king in order to guide them in the fight. From 1860 to

1881, the Maoris and the English fought strenuously each other .


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The Confiscation of the Maoris lands

Signing the Treaty of Waitangi The war in New Zealand. The 57th Regiment taking a Maoriredoubt on the Katikara River, Taranaki. 1863.


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The land confiscations which are at the basis of the New Zealand wars between the Maorisand the Europeans, took place during the 1860s.

Since the first Taranaki War in 1860 and in the years to follow, the cost of the war hadincreasingly aroused and the Government could not afford enough money. In 1863 the

Governor Sir George Grey and other representatives started to order various confiscations ofthe rebels lands and, in the same year, the New Zealand Settlements Bill was introduced

into the House of Representatives and became a law with only two opponents. The purpose

of the bill was to confiscate the lands of those natives who fought the Europeans but allowedthe confiscation also of non-belligerent tribes who would then be entitled to compensation.

The preamble to the Act claimed that: the North Island had been subject to insurrectionsamongst the evil-disposed persons of the Native race to the great injury alarm and

intimidation of Her Majesty's peaceable subjects of both races and involving great losses of

life and expenditure of money in their suppression [] for the permanent protection andsecurity of the well-disposed Inhabitants of both races for the prevention of future

insurrection or rebellion and for the establishment and maintenance of Her Majesty'sauthority and of Law and Order throughout the Colony ...the best and most effectual meansof attaining those ends would be by the introduction of a sufficient number of settlers able to

protect themselves and to preserve the peace of the Country.


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Any land which had been used by a tribe, or part of it, who carried the arms againstGovernment forces since 1863 was destined to be confiscated. The Act caused many debates

among intellectuals, members of the Parliament and even the Colonial Office but thegeneral opinion agreed to the confiscations; a New Zealand newspaper said that: there is

only one way of meeting this, and that is by confiscation and swordthe natives haveforced it upon usat the very least large tracts of their lands must be the penalty.

In 1864 the Parliament passed the Public Works Act which allowed the Maori land to be

taken for public works, in 1865 the Police Act enabled more land to be taken in case a chieffailed or surrender. In the same year, Governor Grey proclaimed the official confiscation of

the Taranaki district and soon after the Europeans occupied also the area of Waikato and theBay of Plenty.

Manyhapuswere left with nothing to live on, forcing them to submit to the Crown or die by

desperation. In the 90s of the 20th

century, the Waitangi Tribunal made many inquiries overthe confiscations of the Maori lands. Almost all of them were proved to be unjustified evenfrom the point of view of the penalty against the rebels. None of the tribes in Waikato and

Bay of Plenty had ever carried the arms against the colonizers. The Crown was sentenced bythe tribunal to pay the confiscated lands with million of dollars and to officially admit that it

had unjustly stolen the lands from the natives.


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The Maoris nowadays

About 30 years ago there was a clear division between Pakehas ( who lived in cities) and

Maoris ( who lived in the country). In the 80s the situation changed: many Maoris moved tothe cities and there became the subject of racial discriminations. Those born in the city, soon

couldnt find a belonging culture and this brought to ghettos and a high percentage ofcriminality among the Maori population.

Since then, the condition of the Maori minority had many improvements. Nowadays, mostMaoris follow the European culture but some still take part to traditional Maori events such

as, for example, the hui( a gathering in the marae), the tangi( funeral) and the karaika(prayer). Maori values such as tapu( the sacred),weirua(spiritual things) andmana(

authority) are still extremely important.

The parents of todays young generation started to loose their culture when they moved tocities and conformed to the Western society. Now, the young people have generallyuniformed to the Western culture, ganging up in groups which imitate trends of Western

fashion, music or politics . The old generation is the one who still try to hand down the Maoriculture to the young people, by teaching them the Maori language and creating schools.

Gatherings in maraes and other events are the only chance to put again together a group of

scattered individuals.


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Young Maori people in the 60s All Blacks haka

Traditional Maori event at the marae Parade in traditional costumes in Wellington


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Once Were Warriors ( 1994)Directed by: Lee TamahoriProduced by: Robin ScholesWritten by :Riwia Brown,based on the novel by Alan DuffStarring: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Mamaengaroa Kerr-BellMusic by: Murray Grindlay Murray McNabbCinematography: Stuart DryburghEditing by: Michael J. HortonDistributed by: Fine Line FeaturesRelease date(s): January 10, 1994Running time: 99 min.

Once were Warriors film, based on the novel by Alan Duff, depicts the lives of some Maoris living in the slums of a New Zealand town. BethHeke and Jake "the Muss" Heke are married and have five children. Beths background is set on a more traditional vision of being Maori, whileJake has completely conformed to the new Maori s. He wears leather pants and undershirt like the cool guys, listens toAmerican music;he is constantly unemployed and spends his time meeting with friends at the pub or inviting them to his home to have parties which mainlyconsists in getting hard drunk. Jake considers himself the master chief of his family and this allows him to beat his wife half to death and todecide for everyones life. The eldest son spends more time possible away from home and become part of a gang of young people whorecalls some ancient Maori traditions in a new way; the other son, after being involved in some minor crimes, is removed fromhis family andhelped by a man who teaches him the way his people used to live; Grace, the eldest daughter, has a vivid imagination, she writesstories forher siblings and dreams of moving away; the other two little children witness their parents frequent brawls.Beth always submit to herhusbands will , hides her physical and psychological wounds and tries to keep together the family until a terrible event occurs: Grace, duringone of her fathers parties, get raped by the drunk aunt and, ashamed of this, kills herself by hanging at a tree. Graces funeral is a comebackto the Maori traditions for all the family except Jake. Finally, Beth , helped by the eldest son, finds the strength to denounceher husbandsand friends guilt and leaves Jake once and for all.


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Once Were Warriors ( 1994) Analysis on the film

Once Were Warriors is a powerful movie which had a great success all over the world. The

present degradation of the Maoris living in cities is clear. The colonial domination destroyedan ideology and an entire culture. The slums of the city are far away from the traditional

country villages, people meet in pubs instead ofmaraesand get drunk and consumed whiletheir ancestors used to play the arts and had a positive vision of the war as a self-buildingexperience. Influences from rocknroll, rap music, and in general the American civilized

world mingle with Maori traditions and creates sects which do not actually belong toanything. The society is run by the white New Zealanders who do not care about the state ofdegradation in which their neighbours live but only exert their authority. The generation in

the middle seems to be completely lost, yet the only hope remains in the hands of the youngson of Jake and Beth, who, maybe luckily, is removed from the family and starts discovering

his roots. The scene where he gets angry and does a hakato show his resentment, while hisfather vents the anger by beating his wife, shows how wrong the concept of beingwarriors has become. Beth states this in her final words to Jake: Our people once were

warriors. But unlike you, Jake, they were people with mana, pride; people with spirit. If myspirit can survive living with you for eighteen years, then I can survive anything.


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Whale Rider ( 2003)Directed by : Niki CaroProduced by : John Barnett, Frank Hbner, Tim SandersWritten by: Witi Ihimaera (novel), Niki Caro (screenplay/film)Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff CurtisMusic by: Lisa GerrardCinematography: Leon NarbeyEditing by: David CoulsonDistributed by: Newmarket Films (USA), Buena Vista International (non-USA)Release date(s): January 30, 2003 (New Zealand), 4 July 2003 (USA)Running time: 101 min.Country :New Zealand

Language: English, Mori

The film follows the story of a girl, Paikea, at the age of twelve and shows the difficult relationship with her grandfather, Koro. Since she wasborn she was not what everyone expected her to be: her father Porourangi did not accept to become the leader of the tribe and when hiswife died along with their only male child ( while Pai survived), Koro lost all hopes. In spite of the fact that he really lovesPai, he cannot see inher the leader that he is looking for. Porourangi comes back home, after many years spent in Europe where he has become a famous artist.Koros hope is restored until Porourangi announces that he is going to go back to Berlin, in fact there he met a German girlwhois expectinghis child. Pai accepts to follow her father but, as soon as she feels the distance between her and her true home, decides toget back to hergrandparents. Koro tries one last chance to find the leader: he gathers all the boys of the little village and establishes a Maori school to teachthem their culture, then sets some trials. None of the boys succeeds, only Pai, but Koro does not know it and hides behind aveil of defeat. Anew disgrace comes upon the tribe: a group of whales beach on the shore. This is interpreted as the final stroke to the stability of the Maoris.In the end, Pai will be the one who, by risking her own life, will be able to save the whales and prove Koro that she is the leader he has beenlooking for all these years. Paikea, in fact, is also the name of one of the Maoris ancestor, the one who rode a whale on its back and reachedthe shores of New Zealand.


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Whale Rider ( 2003) Analysis on the film

After a period of stagnation in Maori film-making, Whale Rider came out as a new sighting

on a rural community of Maoris dealing with modernity. The film, based on Witi Ihimaerasnovel, draws a less brutal picture than Once were Warriors about contemporary Maoris, but

still gives the evidence of a deep tension between tradition and modernity.As a start, Paikea, is the name of one of the Maori ancestors that are told to have reached

the shores of New Zealand riding on the backs of magnificent whales. This reference to the

traditional folklore immediately collides with the character or Porourangi: he is the one whorefused to become the leader of the tribe as his father whished and he is the one who will

leave his homeland to move to Europe. Pais uncle and his girlfriend are, in the same way, strangers to their land: unemployed, they spend hours sitting, drinking and listening to

music like the sedentary Western people. The other adults, except the old ones, are all

distracted by idols and trends of the modern world. The only hope lies on the shoulders ofthe boys chosen by Koro, even though their approach to the Maori school is like the onetowards a funny game. Pai seems to be the only one who still regards the tradition of her

people as a precious inheritance but, while the community has to face new challenges,everyone becomes more aware of what lives hidden in their hearts and minds.


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River Queen( 2005)Directed by: Vincent WardProduced by: Chris AutyWritten by: Vincent WardStarring: Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison, Anton LesserMusic by: Karl JenkinsDistributed by: 20th Century FoxRelease date(s): 2005Running time :114 minutesCountry: New ZealandLanguage: EnglishBudget: $15,000,000

The story is set in 1868, during the Titokowarus War between The Maoris and the colonizers who intended to expand and occupythe landsbelonging to the Maori tribes. Sara OBrian, daughter of an Irish soldier, grew up in a European frontier garrison. Her lifemixed with that ofthe natives pretty early in her life: after getting in contact with a small Maori tribe living upriver, she fell in love withthe youngest of the chiefssons and gave birth to a boy. The father died and, when Boy, her son, was old enough, his grandfather came and took him with him. Sara isleft alone except from a soldier ,friend of her father ,who wants to help her rescuing Boy. Te Kai Po, the chief of the tribe and leader of thedefenses against the advance of the European troops, is ill and asks for her help as a doctor. Sara is brought upriver to the secret place in theheart of the forest where the tribe lives. In this journey she is escorted by Wiremu, the brother of the boy she had fallen in love with. This is theall-desired chance to find her son. However ,Boy has grown up with a precise idea of membership; he belongs to the tribe and wants to fightto protect it from the colonizers. As the conflicts hardens and gets closer, Sara realizes that Boy wont get back home withher. She also feelscut from her people, lost between two worlds, she loves Wiremu but despises the brutality of war on both sides. At the end Sarahas todecide where she belongs to and finally decides for the Maori side.


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River Queen( 2005) Analysis on the film

The sailing up the Whanganui River recalls of Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and, likeits protagonist, Sara sets off for an inner journey which leads her to explore the deepest and

darkest sides of herself and even to question her belonging to a nation.Analysing the background of this journey, the film gives a magnificent aerial look on the

happenings of the last Maori bastions resisting the British colonisation, without standing forone people or the other. Through Saras eyes you are given the chance to object both the

colonizers and the natives behaviour. Wiremus character, despite being a secondary one,

offers a typical example of what meant for many Maoris to decide whether to succumb tothe colonizers and live though loosing part of their cultural inheritance, or fight strenuouslyand die. The link between him and his tribe cannot be erased but , in order to continue living

freely, he has to accept the fact that the land of his forefathers no longer belongs to theMaoris. Those like him who fought for the Government were called kupapaand the term is

still used to define the Maoris who act likepakehaswithout being interested in their peoplesissues. When James Cook and his crew landed in New Zealand they might have caused thesame amusement and fear that a UFO would cause nowadays by landing among todaysNew Zealanders. The origin of todays Maoris loss of tradition must be traced back to that

battles seen in the film. The guilt is all on the European side because the colonizers gave the

natives but two choices, both of them included a sacrifice.


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FILMS OF DENOUNCIATION


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The cinema, like all the visual arts, can be used as a testimony of impact for the masses. In

the 19

th

century, the two World Wars, the post-war social conflicts and the contradictions ofthe contemporary society have been, and still are, a field of investigation and denunciation.

Films can be seen as effective ways to make people aware of delicate issues such as violence,drug, racism, mobbing events, etc. Both films based on real events and fictional ones, share

a visually hard and psychologically impressive approach towards the analysed situations.

Their characteristic is that of being able to uncover aspects hidden under the surface ofextremely well-considered societies or poorer contests.

As a matter of fact, cinema in Africa, where it is considered as a sort of collective reunion, hasrecently developed. It generally deals with the main matters of the country: the strict

traditional rules and the young people who want to follow the Western standards at anyrate. There are no professional actors and most of them have actually experienced the

troubles shown in the film. This way, films are impressively realistic and ironical at the sametime.


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Considering one of the most powerful countries in the world, the U.S.A., Michael Moore canbe seen as the documentarist of its contradictions. Thanks to a vast documentation in the

form of interviews, archive footage, amateur videos and shootings of blitzes, the testimony

of Mr Moore aimed to strike deeply the public opinion and the powerful people in the U.S.A.Most of the films were not promoted in his homeland; only in Europe he gained some

success.

Michael Moores investigation dealt with many aspects of the American society. In

Capitalism. A love story he tells about the affairs of the big corporations which, like in afinancial game, played with the American people and brought them to a decline: wealth is

concentrated in the hands of few, this is the end of the American dream. Roger & me wasabout the decline of Flint ( Moores hometown), due to General Motors while Bowling for

Columbine denounced the arms industry. Fahrenheit 9/11 has been one the best known

documentaries by Moore as it concerned many important issues such as poverty in theU.S.A. and arms industry, the war in Iraq and George W. Bushs presidency. In Sicko thereis a strong denunciation of the American health-care, which is restricted to a very few rich

people, and insurance companies which demand stratospheric fees, no matter how poor thepatients are nor how severe their diseases.


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Moores denounce

against Bushs conduct

Filming in Nairobi The Mission (1986). It denounced the slaughters

of the Indios in South America.

A science fiction film

which denounced a racist

society


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The Great Dictator ( 1940)Directed by: Charlie Chaplin, Wheeler DrydenProduced by: Charlie ChaplinWritten by :Charlie ChaplinStarring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack OakieMusic by: Charlie Chaplin, Meredith WillsonDistributed by: United ArtistsRelease date(s): October 15, 1940Running time: 124 min.Country: United States

The opening scene is a battle field. The protagonist, a Jewish barber, is fighting among the lines of the army of Tomainia whenan officer,Schultz ,who carries important secret documents asks for his help in delivering them. Their plane crashes but both the officer and the barbersurvive. They are admitted to the camp hospital and get to know that Tomainia has lost.The next scene is set 20 years later when, in a celebrating feast, the dictator Adenoid Hynkel speaks to the nation against the Jew population.Meanwhile, the barber who crashed with the plane and has been suffering of memory lapses , is unaware ofHynkelsrise to power. One day,when meeting some Stormtroopers who are shutting down Jewish shops, he almost gets killed but find a way to escape thanks to abeautiful girl he will fall in love with.Hynkel has become obsessed with the idea of dominating the world ( in a famous scene he plays with an inflatable globe) and plans to invadethe neighbouring country of Osterlich. In order to do this he needs money and asks Schultz, now a high officer, to intensify the persecutionagainst the Jews. Schultz refuses because he feels a certain sympathy for the Jews and, after being accused of treachery, he hides in theJewish ghetto and plans to fight the Government. When found, Schultz and the barber are taken to a concentration camp.Hynkel finds a new supporter in Benzino Napaloni, dictator of Bacteria, and invades Osterlich. The barber and Schultz escape from the campand the barber, who resembles Hynkel quite perfectly, is mistaken for the dictator himself. Assumed Hynkels identity, thebarber walks onthe stage and speaks for the nation: he declares that Tomainia and Osterlich would be free nations and democracies and that theanti-Semitic policies would be revoked.


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The Great Dictator( 1940) Analysis on the film

The Great Dictator bases its strength of denunciation on satire. The film is comic from the viewers point

of view (audience of the 21stcentury) but Charles Chaplin himself affirmed that if he had known the realcrimes against humanity operated by the Nazis, he would not have released the film. In my opinion,

despite the contrast between a parody and such terrible crimes committed by the Nazis Germany, it is inany case a sign of strong reaction against injustice. Chaplin plays the dictator Adenoind Hynkel and the

Jew barber. Hynkels speeches to cheering crowds resembles Hitlers angry declarations at the Naziconventions. The propagandistic policies of the Party are also mocked through the character of Minister

Garbitsch ( pronounced like garbage) who is a clear reference to Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda.The way in which Garbitsch organizes a meeting between Hynkel and Benzino Napaloni ( BenitoMussolini), with Hynkel being shown superior to Napaloni, resembles the rules imposed by the

propaganda office to the medias.Nonetheless, the most evident denounce is expressed in the barbers final speech when, mistaken for

Hynkel, is called on the stage in order to pronounce his speech in front of a huge crowd. The voice is

Charles Chaplins one and he invokes for a new world, of peace, freed of injustice, dictators, intoleranceand machine-men who only feel hatred and greed for power. Chaplin was aware of the power of

cinema as a mean of denunciation and, in fact, his character referred to the new medias in this way: Theairplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out forthe goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is

reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims

of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.


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Modern Times ( 1936)Directed by: Charlie Chaplin, Wheeler DrydenProduced by: Charlie ChaplinWritten by :Charlie Chaplin,Paulette GoddardStarring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Stanley Sandford, Chester ConklinMusic by: Charlie ChaplinCinematography : Ira H. Morgan, Roland TotherohEditing by: Williard NicoDistributed by: United ArtistsRelease date(s): February 5, 1940Running time: 87 min.Country: United States

In Modern Times, Chaplin plays his most famous character, the little tramp, for the last time on the screen. Charlot is an employee at theElectro Steel Corporation; he is part of an assembly line assigned to seal bolts. All employees are put under the strict controlof the managerand treated like tools. Charlot is used as a guinea pig to test a newly-invented machine which will be able to feed the employees while doingtheir job. In such an environment, Charlot is driven crazy and gets fired. Unemployed, he incidentally finds himself in the middle of a publicmanifestation and gets arrested. After exiting from prison, he meets a girl and falls in love with her. In order to guaranteea happy lifetogether he needs another job, so he firstly returns to a factory and then finds a job as a waiter and singer in a restaurant. Life in the modernworld is hard, Charlot is arrested many times during the film but in the end we see him and the girl walking hand in hand towards the sunsetand, maybe, a positive future.


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Modern Times ( 1936) Analysis on the film

The opening scene of Modern Times draws a clear view of modern society: through a fade-in, a herd of

animals is associated to a crowd of middle-class workers. The denouncing aim is noticeably present in thescenes of the factory: between the ever functioning-machines and the human assembly line there isalmost no difference. Moreover, this idea of machine-men is underlined by the feeding machine episode:

the runner of the factory uses one of his employees, Charlot, like a guinea pig, in order to test a newly-invented machine which will be able to save time and money by never interrupting the assembly line at

lunch times.Charlots only task is to seal bolts. As he gets mad, you can notice a childish characteristic which is

present in the whole film. He looks like a child messing up the adults serious roles. Due to this naivety heis constantly involved in matters which do not really regard him and he comes to think that maybe living

in prison would be better than having to deal with all the problems of society.Finally, another striking denouncement against the modern society is driven against the conformed idea

of happiness. Charlot and the poor girl imagine themselves living like man and wife, in a beautiful houseand with a good job. Initially this dream becomes partly true but it is soon destroyed by other accidents.Apart from the criticism on conformity, there is a clear metaphor on the modern man: his ambition for

richness and welfare does not bring happiness but only an illusion of it, on the other hand, a morehumble aspiration can truly satisfy his pursuit of happiness.


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PROPAGANDA FILMS


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The birth of the cinema, one of the most efficient means of mass communication ( alongwith TV) represented the perfect way to impress political and social beliefs into the

spectators minds for the newly established totalitarian regimes.

Even though the Nazi and the Fascist regimes had a different experience in this field, theyboth produced films of clear propaganda about the greatness of the nation, in order to hide

the horrors of the war, and the racist policies. The effective number of such films, with adirect propaganda in them, is very little but it is contradictorily surprising that in those years

the cinema made its greatest developments.

On the other hand, we shouldnt forget that propaganda films were made all around theworld. Hollywood produced countless films in which the American cause to march to the

World War was exalted with directors such as Frank Capra and John Ford. In Russia, films ofpropaganda like Ejzenstejns The Battleship Potemkin celebrated the socialist revolution

and, after that, the figure of Stalin.

After the II World War, films of propaganda in Europe became less and less popular and thebirth of democratic governments allowed the free circulation of ideas. Nowadays, America is

the country which still exerts propaganda in films, even if now it is covered under science-

fiction or fantasy


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Fascist manifesto: Cinematography is the strongest

weapon

Poster of a notorious Nazi film

Joseph Goebbels


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FASCIST CINEMA

When, in 1922, Mussolini rose to power in Italy, he immediately affirmed that he regarded cinema as the strongest weapon of the State and in 1924 the Luce Institute aimed to build the public image ofMussolini. In 1931 the Cinecitt studios were founded. In 1932 Mussolini attended the opening of the first

edition of the Venice Film Festival, a special prize called Coppa Mussolini was established at thefestival. The regime created a special department ( Direzione Generale per la Cinematografia) in order tosustain all the costs of the film productions. Other production companies such as Lux, Titanus and ERA

were launched in those years.

Until 1938, when the alliance with Hitler became stronger, the regime mainly controlled the releasedfilms so that no film clearly against the fascist ideals was projected. The more effective way through

which the regime showed its oppressive power were the newsreels. The public information was filteredby the government and then edited in the form of newsreel by the Luce Institute( whose meaning is:

Cinematographic Educational Union) which had the role of embellishing and presenting an exalted viewon the situation of Italy at war and the success of the regime. Thanks to the introduction of sound,newsreels and documentaries became even more effective and had an extremely important role in

showing the greatness of Italy to the eyes of the viewers.


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NAZI CINEMA

The propagandistic films of the Nazi Germany are mainly associated with Goebbels who was in charge

of organizing the propaganda.In 1928 he was the head of the propaganda section of the party and thanks to a particularly successfulshort film he was appointed Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in 1933. On the 1st

of July of the same year a new clause named Arierparagraph banned every Jew from the film industry.No foreign productions were allowed unless the crew was Aryan born. On the 12thanother restriction

imposed for every worker willing to enter the film industry to bring proofs of their Aryan origin for at least

two generations. On the 22ndof September the Reichskulturkammer ( Reich Culture Chamber) wasestablished and it controlled every production activity in the field of Art and in particular, with a specific

section, the cinema. In 1934 an office called Reichfilmdramaturg had to examine all the screenplays andscripts and reject those not conforming to the Party standards.

Other political measures promoted the Nazi films. A professional school for reliable film makers (

Deutsche Filmakademie Babelsberg) was founded, another professional organization (Reichsfilmkammer) was made mandatory for all actors, film makers, distributors etc. Film criticism was

prohibited and a national film award ( Deutscher Filmpreis) established. There was even a film bank (Filmkreditbank GmbH) which provided loans for the film makers of the regime. In a few years, all the

production companies were unified under the so called UFI-group ( or new UFA). The government tookcontrol over the whole film industry.


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NAZI CINEMA

The distribution of German films to foreign countries was under surveillance of the Cinema Film AG.

Locally, a film hire service was established and made it possible to show educational films to classes,meetings and the Hitler Youth.Not all the cinemas were owned by the UFA but several rules were introduced: every film had to be

preceded by a documentary or newsreel and no foreign films were allowed ( in particular, from 1941,projecting an American film was illegal). The Party-Propaganda Department organized huge film eventsboth in cities and villages. The necessary equipment was carried from the cities to the rural areas so that

every German would be able to watch the regime films. Cinemas were so important that in 1944, anti-aircraft units were posted to protect them.

The star system as well was under the control of the Party. The UFA press office provided thenewspapers with detailed instructions on how to present an actress or actor and they too had to followstrict rules about their speeches and appearances. High politicians used to show in public surrounded by

film stars and so the friendship with the most powerful members of the Party became the key of successfor many stars. All actors were listed and divided on a scale which explained when they should have been

casted, it went from to cast at all costs even without a vacancy to casting under no circumstanceswelcome. Film stars were also used in order to support the troops by collecting money during the

performances. Male stars were exempted from the military service


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NAZI CINEMA-Triumph of the Will

The films of the Party attacked the enemies, mostly the United Kingdom but also the URSS. The attacktowards the last one ended after the defeat at Stalingrad, because Germany did not want to catch the

attention of the URSS anymore.Just after Hitler had announced the final solution in 1939, Goebbels ordered the production of anti-

Semitic films. The Eternal Jew and Jud Suss are examples of two of the most disgusting films of theNazi madness. The first depicted the Jews of Poland as living beings on the same level as rats whoexploited the pure society; the second one was equally offensive and suggested an argument in

favour of the ethnic cleaning.

One year after, the Party wanted to distract the peoples attention from the slaughter perpetuated inthe death camps. Other films aimed at the glorification of the heroes of the war, soldiers and officials.

Leni Riefenstahl is probably the most notorious film maker of the Nazi cinema. Her work waseconomically supported by the Party which gave her limitless funds and the most technologically-

advanced equipment. In 1934, Hitler wanted to make the world aware of the power of the Nazi Party

and asked Riefenstahl to shoot the Nazi Party Convention. The means provided to her were limitless:sixteen troupes shot all together and huge sceneries were built for the occasion. The target was to

convey to the viewer the magnificence of the Partys intent. Hitler and the other politicians are shot withmany close ups and a characterization as for gods on Earth. The film is a concentration of cheeringcrowds, glorious marches, military bands and Hitlers climatic speeches. Little notice is given to the

Jewish matter.


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Riefenstahl and Hitler

Goebbels, Riefenstahl

and Hitler


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Triumph of the will( 1934)Analysis on the films

The Triumph of the Will was shot in the form of the traditional documentary (i.e. Following a

chronological order). After a short introduction, the film shows Hitlers arrival by plane at the NurembergNazi Convention. His descent from the plane to the earth, symbolically represents the landing of a

beneficial divinity on the human ground. Riefenstahl then shot a series of military marches, speeches infront of cheering crowds, conventions and parades until the ending with another Hitlers dramatic

speech in a huge conference.

Riefenstahl based her success on some important cinematographic and visual techniques, the principalare:

-recurrent motifs such as: ancient things (buildings, statues, icons); the sky; clouds (orsmoke); fire; the swastika and other Nazi emblems; marching; the masses with a particular attention

towards young people, children and women and soldiers.- Hitler is depicted as a sort of god. The choice of extreme close ups, low angles ( which magnify the

figure and stretch it to the sky), high contrasts.-solemn music, great aerial shots, camera movements which seem to be themselves following the

will of Hitler.-the use of dissolving transitions so that flags carrying swastikas or other Nazi symbols endure and

seems to label the crowds and the buildings.


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-the use of composite images where the people look the same and act like programmed machines. Over

them, there is only Hitler which looks down at them and controls their actions. In fact, the final speechafter Hitlers one is done by Rudolph Hess who says: The Party is Hitler but Hitler is Germany just as

Germany is Hitler

Gobbelsappears in the first part of the film, among the Nazi hierarchs and pronounces this speech: ourpropaganda is born from the soul of the people and must be always oriented towards the soul of the

people, in search of their roots and their strength. The power which awaits onto the rifles is not enough.You have to conquer and preserve the heart of the people.

Certainly this conquest was clearly anticipated by Hitlers words but accepted in order to succeed in hisgod-like aim of restoring the German people. In a speech in front of thousands of young soldiers and

people he said: We want obedient people and you shall learn to obey. You shall get used to bearrenunciations

And among such renunciations there was also the renunciation of a free speech, freedom of the pressand freedom of Art, included cinema.


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TECHNIQUES OF PROPAGANDA

The Institute for Propaganda Analysis listed in 1938 a series of seven most common devices used insuccessful propaganda films:

1) Name Calling: this technique links a negative vision to a certain figure. In the Triumph of the Will, anexample of name calling is contained in Hitlers speech when referring to the enemies of the party as

undesirable elements which have proven to be bad.2) Glittering Generality: it is the opposite of name calling. The aim is to depict a high valued figure. Ex:

our supreme Fuhrer is also supreme judge. And since we know how sacred the principles of justice are to

our Furher, we can assure you, fellow citizens, that your life and existence is secure in this NationalSocialist State of order3)Transfer: device by which the propagandists provoke our approval for something they would have us

to accept. Ex: Hitler mystified as a Godsend and God-like figure.4) Testimonials: Respected and well-known people are used as testimonials in order to induce the

viewers to follow their example.

5) Plain folks: technique by which the public is given a feeling to share the same views of the majority ofcommon people. Ex: Hitler, man of the people.6) Card Stacking: the propagandists only shows facts or proofs that sustain their cause and defames the

enemies so that the public is led to accept the facts as a conclusion.7) Bandwagon: it is based on the simple rule that if you do what everyone does, then you are on the

winning side and cannot be wrong. Ex: crows cheering Hitler.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

-Wikipedia;

-articles from The Dominion Post;

-www.newzealand.com;

-www.maori.org.nz;

-articles from The Guardian;

-websites, blogs and online encyclopaedias;

-Manuale del film. Linguaggio, racconto, analisi. by Gianni Rondolino and Dario Tomasi;

- Cinema. Tecnica & linguaggio. by Paolo Uccello;

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