Added: Jul 8, 2011

From: nologorecords

Duration: 52:55

DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WC08LM/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=doc06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B000WC08LM http://thefilmarchive.org/ The Battle of Britain was the fourth of Frank Capra's Why We Fight series of seven propaganda films, which made the case for fighting and winning the Second World War. It was released in 1943 and concentrated on the German bombardment of the United Kingdom in anticipation of Operation Sea Lion, the planned Nazi invasion of Great Britain. The episode has been criticized for an anti-Polish bias. The bias is a result of propaganda justifying the Western Allies' alliance with the Soviets; as Soviets had to be portrayed as the "good guys", the Allies who were unsympathetic towards Soviets, such as the Poles, were misportrayed or simply ignored. Thus in this episode the map of Europe shown, amazingly, shows half of Poland free (to avoid mentioning Soviet annexation of Polish territories following Soviet invasion of Poland), repeats Nazi propaganda false claims about the Polish Airforce being destroyed on the ground (contrasting it with the correct fact that the RAF was not destroyed), and ignores the significant Polish participation in the battle of Britain (support of Polish pilots from No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron and other units was widely discussed in Britain at the time this propaganda piece was filmed). Why We Fight is a series of seven propaganda films commissioned by the United States government during World War II to demonstrate to American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S. public to persuade them to support American involvement in the war. Most of the films were directed by Frank Capra, who was daunted yet also impressed and challenged by Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will and who worked in direct response to it. The series faced a tough challenge: convincing an only recently non-interventionist nation of the need to become involved in the war and ally with the Soviets, among other things. In many of the films, Capra and other directors spliced in Axis powers propaganda footage—recontextualizing it so it promoted the cause of the Allies instead. Why We Fight was edited primarily by William Hornbeck and is among the best examples of stock-footage montage ever produced, although some parts were re-enacted "under War Department supervision" if there was no relevant footage available. The animated portions of the films were produced by the Disney studios -- with the animated maps following a convention of depicting Axis-occupied territory in black. The films were narrated by Academy Award winning actor Walter Huston. This narration, though factual for the most part, is replete with nationalist and racist rhetoric describing implacably warlike Germans and "blood-crazed Japs." Conversely, it lionizes the courage and sacrifice of the British, Soviets, and Chinese. At the end of each film, the quotation from Army Chief of Staff George Marshall that "...the victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan." is shown on screen, followed by a ringing Liberty Bell over which is superimposed a large letter "V" zooming into the screen, accompanied by patriotic or military music on the soundtrack. Why We Fight also contains many scenes from Triumph of the Will when talking about the Nazis. Made from 1942 to 1945, the seven films range from 40 to 76 minutes in length, and all are available on DVD or online. After World War I the methods used to gain support from troops and civilians needed to change. Therefore propagandists had to be more creative. Giving speeches to both soldier recruits and the American public was no longer effective. Film became the medium of choice to persuade the American soldier recruits that war is necessary. As Kathleen German states, "this was the first massive attempt to influence opinion in the U.S. military" through film. Film was also chosen because it combined the senses of sight and hearing, giving it an advantage over radio or print. Capra, who had no experience in documentary films, was chosen because "of his commitment to American ideals" and because of the popularity of some of his earlier feature films. He was thought "to understand the heart and soul of American audiences." Once the documentary series was completed, it was said to contain the "Capra touch." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Britain

Channel: Film

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