Verbotene Filme

The premise here is that there are a couple of dangerous German WW2 of movies securely locked in vaults and modern day (for 2014) reactions to them and the justification for their censorship. That's the "documentary". A lot of present day discussion with academic people and students but no historical analysis in either political sense or biographic details. Those movies just "exist". Perhaps the more entertaining part is the collective hysteria regarding the movies shown and praise for how powerful and entertaining they are despite they coming from a distant past. Well, fast-forward to present day big entertainment and corporate news washes out the population with ideological and state-sponsored propaganda.

Are you ready for "Forbidden Films"!!??

This very surprising and equally shocking documentary looks at the hate films that the Nazis gleefully produced in the years from 1933-1945.

Impressively directed by Felix Moeller - "Forbidden Films" is definitely a historically significant presentation that shows viewers what incredible lengths the Nazis went to in order to purposely manipulate the German people and ignite their prejudices against their so-called "enemies".

Yes. When viewing clips of these devious propaganda films today (70+ years later), they often do come across as being downright laughable - But, when they were initially screened for their German audiences, they left an undeniable impact on these people that convinced them to vent their hate on their intended targets without conscience.

Of the over 1000 movies made in Germany during the Nazi era, 40 of them are still banned from public showing in that country, except under special circumstances. (Or, at least, that was the case in 2014, when this documentary was made.) Forbidden Films is a look at these movies and the ethical dilemmas they create. Clips from various of the more egregious propaganda movies are shown, alternating with talking head shots of scholars and film makers who discuss their merits, or lack thereof. There are also shot of audience members' reactions at selected screenings of the movies. And then there is the interview with two neo-Nazis who discuss how the movies are still being used as recruitment tools. Among the issues raised are whether it will ever be safe to allow unfettered access to the movies, wouldn't controlled showings be useful as an educational tool and whether by censoring the movies, the German government isn't actually enhancing interest in them. Lots of food for thought with no easy answers.