Flick Pick

"Between Entertainment and Propaganda: Popular German Films of the 1930s."

Comments (0) By Bill Gallo Thursday, Sep 4 2003

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Talk about weird cinematic experiences: The German department at Colorado College is presenting a series of ten Third Reich-era films this fall under the rubric "Between Entertainment and Propaganda: Popular German Films of the 1930s." These largely forgotten works all come from the so-called Gleichschaultung period (1933-39), when Adolf Hitler seized control of the German film industry, although none could be described as outright propaganda for the Nazi cause. Instead, historians say, they were intended to distract their audiences from everyday reality -- much like the Hollywood fantasies of the 1930s distracted Depression-weary Americans. The remaining schedule: Tuesday, September 9, F.P.I. antwortet night (1932), a science-fiction adventure; September 16, Das hassliche Madchen (1933), a comedy; September 23, Ich heisse Benjamin (1934), a musical comedy; September 30, So endete eine Liebe (1934), a historical drama; October 7, Die englische Heirat (1935), a comedy; October 14, Amphitryon (1935), a musical comedy; October 21, Gasparone (1936), an operetta; October 28, Der Berg ruft (1938), a "mountain film"; and November 4, Der Gouverneur (1939), a drama. Don't worry about trying to decipher difficult English subtitles -- there aren't any. But viewers will get an introduction and synopsis before each film. All showings are at 7 p.m. in the Max Kade Theatre in Armstrong Hall, 14 East Cache La Poudre Street, Colorado Springs. For more information, log on to colrel@ColoradoCollege.edu.