Berlin, Germany. January 4, 1935.Wikimedia Commons
1936.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. 1934.Library of Congress
Berlin, Germany. March 28, 1935.Austrian Archives/Imagno/Getty Images
Rumors abounded throughout Riefenstahl's life that she and Hitler were having an affair — or that, at the very least, Riefenstahl was in love with Hitler.
Berlin, Germany. 1934.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. 1935.Breve Storia del Cinema/Flickr
Location unspecified. January 21, 1941.Wikimedia Commons
Berlin, Germany. January 19, 1938.Wikimedia Commons
Germany. 1940.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. 1934.Library of Congress
Italy. 1938.Breve Storia del Cinema/Flickr
Nuremberg, Germany. September 1934.Wikimedia Commons
Warsaw, Poland. May 10, 1939.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. 1934.Library of Congress
Germany. 1936.ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Ritter took a brief break from the film industry when Nazi Germany fell, but went back at it in 1950, saying that he wanted to "restore the strength of the German cinema."
Germany. 1954.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. September 1934.Wikimedia Commons
Nuremberg, Germany. September 9, 1934.Wikimedia Commons
Goebbels had control over every part of Nazi cinema. He and his propaganda ministry monitored every idea, script, and casting choice for every film created in Nazi Germany.
Berlin, Germany. November 25, 1937.Wikimedia Commons
Here, Hitler waves at a passing column of soldiers as part of a film made to celebrate the invasion of Poland.
Warsaw, Poland. April 2, 1940.Wikimedia Commons
The film was created to justify the invasion and extermination of the Polish people. These actors were forced to portray their nation as hateful, violent oppressors and help persuade German viewers that invading Poland was morally right.
Poland. 1941.Wikimedia Commons
Munich, Germany. 1937. Wikimedia Commons
Hanover, Germany. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons
Hitler ordered Goebbels to call the affair off and banned Baarova from appearing in any more films. When her last film made it to the theaters, the crowd chanted, "Get out, minister's whore!" throughout the film. Baarova had a nervous breakdown and, unable to go on in Germany, risked her life to flee the country.
Germany. 1936. ullstein bild via Getty Images
Hungary. 1939.Wikimedia Commons
Rühmann was listed as an "indispensable" actor by the Nazis, who gave orders to cast him in every film possible.
Germany. 1942.Wikimedia Commons
1936.Wikimedia Commons
Germany. January 1, 1934.Ur Cameras/Flickr
Nuremberg, Germany. 1934.Wikimedia Commons
Cinema was one of the most important pieces of the Nazi propaganda machine. It fostered hatred and helped lead the path toward war. It helped push the German people to believe in their own racial superiority and thus ultimately helped make atrocities like the Holocaust possible.
And yet, Nazi propaganda films still hold a strange place in history — because, politics completely aside, some of these films of hatred and evil were among the greatest purely technical achievements of their time.
Every film in Nazi Germany was controlled by the party and Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. He believed that films were essential to controlling the people, and he wanted complete control over their messages.
The Nazi propaganda ministry weighed in on every movie script and casting choice, carefully crafting every moment of cinema in order to make sure that it fit the party's message.
Many, however, refused to be a part of the Nazi propaganda films machine. In fact, some of Germany’s greatest actors and filmmakers fled the country as soon as the Nazis took power, then headed to Hollywood or some other place where they wouldn’t be forced to push the Nazi agenda.
But many other actors and filmmakers stayed behind and became the new stars of the Nazi silver screen. These Nazi propaganda celebrities’ faces adorned magazine covers nationwide, and even around the world. Their mailboxes were full of fan letters from every country. They were stars unlike any Germany had ever seen — not just among their own people, but all around the world.
Furthermore, on a strictly technical level, some Nazi propaganda films were legitimate works of art. Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, a film created solely to celebrate Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, has been celebrated as one of the greatest works of cinematography of its time and is still cited as an influence by filmmakers from George Lucas to Peter Jackson.
And yet the film was undeniably created to glorify one of history’s most reviled figures and to give him the power to commit terrible atrocities — as were other films with even darker messages and titles, like The Eternal Jew, a film created at Goebbels' request solely to spread anti-Semitism.
It is, of course, troubling that filmmakers with such talent would use it for such evil purposes. Most of these filmmakers and actors claim, though, that they were simply like so many other Germans – swept up in the Nazis' ascent.
“I am one of millions who thought Hitler had all the answers,” Leni Riefenstahl has said. “We saw only the good things. We didn't know bad things were to come.”
After this look at Nazi propaganda films, check out these photos of everyday life in Nazi Germany, Then, see what life was like inside the Hitler Youth.
