Strange Victory

Hi there. I just felt the need to write something since the only other review is really not too clever. It seems the guy above (or below) has some serious problems with the director and the film, however, his review is nothing short of narrow-minded. Please, if you have the opportunity to actually see this film consider yourself lucky and do it! It's a rarity and it's remarkable. Better documentaries have been made before and after, and some criticism is valuable, but all in all it has to be watched by peoples interested in the history of (American) documentaries.

The sentiments expressed in this film were shared by many after the victory over fascism in WWII, but the dominant culture rarely expressed them for fear of sounding unpatriotic. While the narration is often heavy-handed and the recreations are occasionally awkward, the intent-- to consider the hypocrisy of a nation that fought against racism in the war only to continue embracing it afterward-- is sincere, with compelling results. Much of what is said is prescient, and Americans would do well to consider how the violence of intolerance persists into the 21st century.

One shot features a billboard for the 1947 film 'Crossfire', one of the few Hollywood productions after the war that addressed antisemitism. Within a few more years, the makers of that film, and hundreds more-- including Leo Hurwitz, who made 'Strange Victory'-- would be suspected of communism by HUAC and blacklisted from working in the film industry. Because back then, such liberal beliefs as opposition to racism were considered dangerous by right-wing politicians. Dare we think that politicians today still uphold such nescience?