The tragic tale of the Titanic was recruited by the Nazis as a propaganda vehicle. That's the claim made by the author of the new book The Third Reich’s Celluloid War.
'It’s actually hard to see how anyone could make what happened to the Titanic any more tragic, but the Nazis did,' Edinburgh-based author and film historian Ian Garden told The Scotsman this week.
Garden's new book describes how the Hitler henchmen portrayed their enemies in big budget wartime propaganda films.
'What’s interesting is how they actually turned what happened to the Titanic into an anti-British film,' Garden says. 'The film’s storyline went that the White Star Line’s share price had been falling and the only way to get it back up was to go to New York ahead of schedule, regardless of the safety of passengers or icebergs. None of that mattered, according to the film.'
'Then they introduced five German characters who had never existed in real life. One said things like ‘Watch out!’ and ‘What about the icebergs?’ and so on. Of course, the fictional Germans survived the sinking and went on to give evidence at a trial afterwards – all fiction,' Garden added.
The Nazis’ Titanic film is the chief subject of Garden's new book, which looks at how the film was by Reich propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels’ machine.
The Third Reich crafted this fictional narrative to encourage German movie fans to be believe that Hitler was doing the world a favour by attempting to crush imperialistic and brutal Britain, according to the 55 year old retired bank executive turned author.
'The British were bringing out their own movies, of course, which were also fiction, set in the war, and all very effective,' Ian adds.
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The English were consistently singled out by Nazi filmmakers as Europe's biggest oppressors and some of the films of the period portray Scots and Irish people as their victims.
Garden adds: 'There were pro-Irish films, too, which worked very well in Germany in that people identified England as a common enemy, but when they were shown in German-occupied countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland, the movie-goers there all still saw the Nazis as being their enemy.'
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.FallsRNat | Mar 13, 2012, 06:16 PM EDT
these were the same germans who sent the schafer expedition to Tibet to look for the master race, i recommend Himmler's Crusade by Chris Hale, they were never going to win the war with those crackpots in charge.
oldboreen | Mar 11, 2012, 07:13 AM EDT
@eccles64-I suggest a few early nights and total abstention from the hard stuff!
eccles64 | Mar 10, 2012, 02:01 PM EST
The sinking of the Titanic was oagainzed by the JESUITS to kill the Rothschilds and J.P. Morgan yo stop them from starting the Federal Reserve Bank, someting the jesuits wante to do as part of their plan to take over the United Christian States of America Of course Roman Catholic Jesuit, Joseph Goebbels would have used that "disaster" to further the cause of the jesuit founded Third Reich. It was the jesuits who put Hitler into power. He hased his regime on the principles of the Society of Jesus. "Mein Kampf" was ghost written by a Fr. Bernhardt Stempfle S.J.
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 09, 2012, 04:51 AM EST
Thanks, Jerry.....
Jerry Kelly | Mar 08, 2012, 11:58 AM EST
Do Dhonnchadh Ó Loingsigh - Níl mé cinnte ach sílim gur thaifead mé de PBS blianta ó shin. Tá brón orm nach bhfuil a fhios agam cén áit eile gur féidir leat scannáin mar sin a fháil. / For Dan - I'm not sure but I think I recorded it off PBS years ago. Sorry that I don't know where else you can get movies like this. Le gach dea-ghuí / Best, - Jerry
DanOLoingsigh | Mar 08, 2012, 07:10 AM EST
Jerry...interesting...I have seen clips from Nazi era movies, didn't know they could be obtained as full movies...I have seen part of a colour movie about Frederick of Prussia, I believe...are others available, and from where?
Jerry Kelly | Mar 07, 2012, 11:31 AM EST
Is fíor d'Ian Garden é. Tá an scannán sin agam sa bhaile ar VHS. / Ian Garden is right. I have the movie at home on VHS.
PhlutiePhan | Mar 07, 2012, 11:06 AM EST
Hitler was a socialist who wanted to take care of society. The British were unmitigated capitalists. There are obvious parallels between the current socialist in the White House and the portrayal of Romney as an uncaring and ruthless capitalist. JFK was middle of the road. How about a little economic sanity? Entitlements are nice in moderation. However, someone has to pay the bills. Hitler had the same problem. He took a bankrupt society and rebuilt it with the factories and spoils of war. In essence, he was duplicating the colonial ambitions of Britain.