Mein Leben für Irland

Let's hear it for the hypocrites of this world. This infamous 1941 feature film is a propaganda piece from Nazi Germany directed by M. W. Kimmich, being a crude melodrama condemning the way Britain crashed about Ireland prior to 1922, as the Germans were currently crashing about Europe (the tale is told of you). In Dublin in 1903 an Irish nationalist called Michael O'Brien (Werner Heinz) is caught by the British and executed, but not before marrying his sweetheart Maeve Fleming (Ann Dammann) in prison. In 1921 his son Michael O'Brien Junior (Will Quadflieg) is being educated by the British at an exclusive boarding school. But rebellion is brewing both inside and outside the school, leading to an orgy of book burning (hmm - i wonder where they got that idea from?), as the boys go off to fight with the nationalists. Written by Kimmich and Toni Huppertz, it's rather nauseating to watch the Nazis crying crocodile tears for the Irish cause, even if criticism of British imperialism in Ireland is perfectly valid, and all we're left with as highlights are a rugby match, and a student getting a ducking in the school swimming pool.

Taken out of its Nazi Germany context, My Life For Ireland for me is not even good propaganda. It was a story I just could not buy. But during its day playing to an audience of impressionable youth, and that's who it was aimed at who never got any contrary information, I can see why it had a certain appeal. This film was never shown in Ireland, the products of German cinema in 1941 were not getting off the continent.

My Life For Ireland was aimed at German youth, Hitler youth about to go to war against the British to show what a rotten nation this was. It begins in 1903 when we see landlords evicting tenants, starvation all around, things that were actually happening over fifty years earlier. Werner Hinz playing Irish patriot Michael O'Brian is captured after a raid where an English sheriff who looked a whole lot like Winston Churchill is shot and killed. Hinz is sentenced to death,but on the day of his execution, he marries his pregnant girlfriend Anna Dammann and she swears to raise an Irish patriot.

Fast forward to 1921 and that kid is now young Will Quadflieg and he and other Irish kids are going to an English public school set up in Dublin to train the youth to be good subjects of His Majesty. Quadflieg brings home some his friends and one of them Heinz Ohlssen is really taken with Quadflieg's mom. So when he sees IRA man Rene Deltgen visiting Damann he misreads things, but still it was only innocently that he betrays Deltgen to a British kid going to his school and acting as an informer.

For the rest of the film, let's say the young man gets a big old chance to redeem himself for the cause of Ireland. The title of the film says it all.

This film was directed by Max W. Kimmich who was Joseph Goebbals brother-in-law so you know that this film had the interest of the highest authorities in Nazi Germany. Marketed to German youth, the message was obvious, the Irish kids fought and beat the British back, you Hitler led German youth can do the same.

Personally I found the whole puppy love aspect of the plot just a bit ridiculous. I can't believe that Kimmich who was a writer as well as director of this film could not come up with a better plot device.

On the plus side Kimmich also must have seen John Ford's The Informer because My Life For Ireland has that same dark look of intrigue about it and the final scenes of the uprising are well staged. And I learned here that extras were actually killed during those scenes and they were left in the film. Even in Hollywood, that wouldn't have happened.

Seen today My Life For Ireland is a curiosity and a sad remembrance of kids going off to battle with the message of this film and others ringing in their ears.

The movie was a very well made and honest description of the situation in Ireland at the time and in no way was propaganda at all. Britain indeed did everything to keep Ireland on its knees as it did with other occupied nations all over the world. The scenes were realistic and the mood was well captured. The actors were able to play Irishmen and women in a very realistic fashion. Rarely does one see a movie shot in a non English country that appears to be genuine and credible. It is a sure bet that someone Irish was on location to direct the German movie makers to present every minute detail on film. The film had a quality that one normally sees from the famous director Ford.

While Ireland is rebelling against Britain, the son of a rebel is sent to an English boarding school to be forced to `think English'. He leads a revolt in the school during the war of independence in 1921, sabotaging the British invaders.

This film was a typical example of anti-British propaganda, made in Germany during the years of World War Two.

What I found startling about this Nazi propaganda film was the scene in the swimming pool where Patrick is constantly being ducked under water to make him confess with little regard to whether he lived or die.This of course was the exact treatment that would be handed out by the Gestapo whilst "interrogating" suspected secret agents.DClearly an attempt to brutalise the impressionable youth who would view this film.It says a lot about modern generations that,as with one reviewer,they can actually find something praiseworthy to say about it.When watching this film you have to bear in mind not only the actual film but the sickening ideology behind it.