HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD

HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD, 2017
Germany | DCP, Color, 105’ | German
Director: Rüdiger Suchsland
Participants: Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann, Zarah Leander, Udo Kier

What does cinema know that we don’t? Hitler's Hollywood depicts the story of one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of German cinema: the story of cinema during the period of National Socialism. Nazi cinema aspired for “grandness,” and to become a German dream factory. As a result came the birth of a cinema that was under extreme censorship, which had its own star system, and was directly financed by the state. It was highbrow, directive and sought to be for the people. Only a handful of the films were openly propagandist, but they weren’t harmless fun flicks either. Nazi cinema was technically flawless; it aroused passion and offered a world of refuge. Great masses thought this cinema was appreciative of them. And that is the only way one can make sense of the power and effectiveness of Nazi cinema. Rüdiger Suchsland examines the films made between 1933-45 in Hitler's Hollywood: how did these films serve the system and its ambitions? What do these films tell us about the viewers and their desires?