Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Propaganda Film Festival
• Page Two •
|
back on Page 1:
top of page • brief essay books about propaganda
|  | here on Page 2: |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_film
search DVDs on keyword 'propaganda' {returns over 1,000 entries} at Amazon
Selected Films
search movies on keyword 'propaganda' {returns over 1,000 entries} at Amazon
"Classic Anti-Communism Propaganda Cartoons and Animations, 1948-1954"
compilation DVD
 | Discussing The Errors of Communism and The Successes of Capitalism In Everyday Life
unbranded color DVD-R [undated] for $14.95 six short color animated advertising films made in the 1940s & 1950s, total runtime 1 hour 22 minutes; "Going Places" [MGM 1948] produced by Fred Quimby & John Sutherland; "Make Mine Freedom" [MGM 1948] - highlights the dangers of communism, produced by Fred Quimby & John Sutherland, directed by Joseph Barbera & William Hanna; "Meet King Joe" [MGM Jan 1949] - shows America's industrial might and how that enables its citizens to buy 'all the good things in life'; "Why Play Leap Frog?" [MGM Jan 1950] - shows how the economy works; "Freedom and Power" [1952] - General Electric 75th anniversary promo shows how electricity has helped grow America from its roots of independence to a great powerhouse; "It’s Everybody’s Business" [Dupont & U.S. Chamber of Commerce 1954] - shows how American consumption works and how money works |
"Animated Soviet Propaganda" compilation DVD Box Set [1997]
 | full title: "Animated Soviet Propaganda: From The October Revolution To Perestroika"
Kino Video DVD set [6/97] six hours on 4 disks for $80.99 contains 41 b&w & color Russian-language short films – DISK 1 American Imperialists: "Ave Maria" [1972], "Black and White" [1933] with Paul Robeson, "The Millionaire" [1963], "Mister Twister" [1963], "Mr. Volk" [1949], "Shooting Range" [1979] by Vladimir Tarasov, and "Someone Else's Voice" [1949] by Ivan Ivanov-Vano; DISK 2 Fascist Barbarians: "A Lesson Not Learned" [1971], "The Adventures of The Young Pioneers" [1971], "Attention! Wolves!" [1970], "Fascist Boots (Shall Not Trample Our Motherland)" [1941], "Kino Circus" [1942], "The Pioneer's Violin" [1971], Political Satire (four Anti-Hitler newsreels) [1941], "Tale of A Toy" [1984], "To You, Moscow" [1947], "Vasilyok" [1973], "The Vultures" [1941], and "We Can Do It" [1970]; DISK 3 Capitalist Sharks: “China In Flames" [1925], “Interplanetary Revolution" [1924], “Prophets and Lessons" [1967], |
| “Proud Little Ship" [1966], “The Shareholder" [1963], and “We’ll Keep Our Eyes Peeled" [1927]; DISK 4 Onward To The Shining Future: “A Hot Stone" [1925], “Forward March, Time!" [1977], “Join The Cooperative" [1925], “Lenin's Kino Pravda" [1924], “The Music Box" [1933], “Plus Electrification" [1972], “Samoyed Boy" [1928], “Songs of The Years of Fire" [1971], “Soviet Toys” [1924] directed by Dziga Vertov, “Victorious Destination" [1939], and “War Chronicles" [1939] |
"John Sutherland's Lost Cold War Propaganda Cartoons"compilation DVD [2016]
 | tagline: "The Communist-Busting Animation of John Sutherland & Carl Urbano" • ten color films from John Sutherland Prodns, mostly distributed by M.G.M.: "Going Places" [1948]; "Meet King Joe" [1949]; "Why Play Leap Frog?" [1950]; "The Devil and John Q" [1952]; "A Is For Atom" [General Electric/- M.G.M. 1952]; "What Makes Us Tick" [New York Stock Exchange 1952]; "Dear Uncle" [1953]; "It's Everybody's Business" [1954]; "Destination Earth" [1956]; and "Your Safety First" [1956] Directed by John Sutherland, George Gordon, Carl Urbano Alpha Video color [11/2016] for $5.99 |
"Visions of War: World War II Propaganda Documentaries" [2019]
 |
Amazon Instant Video [2019] not available in USA {each is coded separately below} compilation of 18 propaganda films (Amazon reviewers claim that 'the English subtitles are wholly inaccurate and are gibberish' on several films): "The Gun" [British Paramount News 1940] 21 minutes with Edward R. Murrow; "Mr. Franklin Roosevelt Chats" [Germany 1942] 13½ minutes; "Combat Counterintelligence" [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1942] 21 minutes; "Safeguarding Military Information" [A.M.P.A.S./U.S. Army 1/1942] 11-minutes; "For God and Country" [F.M.P.U. 1943] 42-minute training film starring Capt. Ronald Reagan; "My Japan" [U.S. Treasury Dept. 1943] 16 minutes; "As The Twig Is Bent" [Aetna Life 1943] 11 minutes; "Our Enemy Japan" [U.S. Navy 1943] 20 minutes; "Intelligence Gathering" [F.M.P.U. 1943] 29½ minutes; "Don't Be A Sucker" [U.S. War Dept. 1943] 23-minutes; "Know Your Ally: Britain" |
| [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1944] 42 minutes; "Officers and Men" [British Army 8/1944] 45-minutes; "Our Job In Japan" [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1945] 16½-minutes; "Resisting Enemy Interrogation" [F.M.P.U. 8/1944] 66-minutes; "Know Your Enemy: Japan" [U.S. War Dept. 8/1945] 63 minutes - directed by Frank Capra; "It's Your America" [Warner Bros. 1946] 35-minutes - directed by John Ford; "Defense Against Enemy Propaganda" [1956] 27½-minute episode of U.S. Army's weekly "The Big Picture" TV report; "Scorched Earth: Propaganda - War of The Mind" [2006] 51-minutes |
"Battle of Social Networks" documentary [La Kaseta Ideas Factory 2019]
 | During recent mobilizations - the Arab Spring, the Iranian protests, the Catalan Referendum - thousands of images and videos of police attacks recorded by citizens went viral on social platforms. Currently 5 billion people own a mobile phone - more than half of them are smartphones. Millions of texts, images, and videos circulate daily through social networks, a perfect weapon for social organisation. At the same time, a great deal of dis-information began spreading across the internet: fake news can be indistinguishable from real news. The battle to take control of the truth has begun . . . • Directed by David Fontseca; written by Cris Castilla & Marc Comas; featuring Elies Campo, John Carlin, Adam B. Ellick (New York Times), Jordi Fusté, Josep. M. Ganyet, Clara Jimenénez, Silvia Majó, Jennifer Robinson (Julian Assange's lawyer), Donald Trump, Claire Wardle
bare credits at IMDb • official movie homepage DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • Amazon Instant Video [2019] HD rental $2.99, HD purchase $9.99 watch official trailer [2019] online at Vimeo |
"John Sutherland's American Cold War Cartoons" [2021]
 | nine films from John Sutherland Prodns, mostly distributed by M.G.M.: "Make Mine Freedom" [1948]; "Going Places" [1948]; "Meet King Joe" [1949]; "Why Play Leap Frog?" [1950]; "Albert In Blunder-land" [1950]; "Inside Cackle Corners" [1951]; "Fresh Laid Plans" [1951]; "The Devil and John Q" [1952]; and "Dear Uncle" [1953] • Directed by John Sutherland, George Gordon, Carl Urbano
Mental Brain Media color [8/2021] for $15.99 |
see also Magic Lantern's World War II Cartoons Film Festival
These wartime cartoon shorts are not your typical propaganda (i.e. mostly lies): the animators at Warner Bros. and M.G.M. and Disney
and Paramount/Famous had fun making fun of the enemy; the racism of the times is unfortunate but mild.
top of page ä books ä editorial cartoons ä compilation DVDs ä selected films, A to Z + Private Snafu ä image gallery ä links
basic propaganda movies {just below} • educational propaganda movies • political propaganda movies • behavioral propaganda movies • religionist propaganda movies
basic propaganda movies
"The Birth of A Nation" (1915)
"Battleship Potemkin" (1925) /tt0015648/
"Triumph of The Will" (1935) /title/tt0025913/
"1938 Trip To Pre-War Germany - In Color" [Periscope Film 2014]
 | silent color film of scenery, pageantry, and parades in Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Germany; banner on building across the street reads "Ein Volk / Ein Reich / Ein Führer (One People, One Empire, One Leader)"; Adolph Hitler appears at 38:28 and reviews the troops watch silent movie [4/2015 upload; 39:50] online at YouTube |
"Many Tanks, Mr. Atkins" [Warner Brothers-First National Dec 1938]
 | 68-minute British 'quota quickie' war comedy B-movie 'made at Teddington'; a cavalryman invents a supercharger for tanks, but soon finds out that spies are out to steal it • Produced by Jerome Jackson; directed by Roy William Neill; co-written by John Dighton, Austin Melford, J.O.C. Orton; starring Claude Hulbert, {co-writer} Reginald Purdell, Barbara Greene, Davy Burnaby, Frederick Burtwell, Jack Melford, Arthur Hambling, Edward Lexy, Edmund Breon, Ralph Truman, Dorothy Seacombe, André Morell, Robb Wilton • full credits at IMDb
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Gun" [British Paramount News 1940] - not found on IMDb
21-minute propaganda film, with Edward R. Murrow, made for American consumption to stress the dependence of the British war effort on U.S. production via the Oerlikon 20mm cannon
in convoy defense. It features the Royal Navy's role in convoy protection with excellent footage of HMS Nelson, the Mediterranean Fleet, and minesweeping by trawlers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeJIPSDJkO4 20.58
"Victory Through Air Power" animated feature [Disney/F.M.P.U. July 1943] with Alexander de Seversky
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036497/releaseinfo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7dkC4iJf54 clip 3.30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUeKeN9bXSE 1.06.30 Apr 6, 2012
German newsreel footage [1944]
tanks, airplanes, artillery, flamethrowers, troops in battle; captured american soldiers - German-language narration, no subtitles
watch full video [7/2015 upload; 8:34] online at YouTube
"Resisting Enemy Interrogation" [F.M.P.U. 8/1944] /tt0037215/
66-minute film dramatizes efforts by German intelligence to find the target of an upcoming raid by the mythical 'B-99 bomber'; to achieve this end, they interrogate a recently shot-down air crew; the German officers use various methods to discover this information, some of them quite subtle. Though no physical brutality is used, the Germans at one point stage a mock execution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A0ggskOhfA 1.05.43
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resisting_Enemy_Interrogation
"It's Your America" [Warner Bros. 1946] /tt8874154/
35-minute film directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; an American soldier, during his combat career, realizes the greatness of his country and determines
to assume his share of the responsibilities of good citizenship upon his return to civilian life - 'contains seized enemy material'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLwlhI1apA0 35.05
"Design For Death" documentary film [Disney/R.K.O. Radio Pictures 1947]
   | 48-minute live-action film compiled from 'secret Jap films confiscated by U.S. authorities and never shown before!' • Produced & directed by Richard Fleischer; written by Theodor S. Geisel & Helen Palmer (Geisel); narrated by Kent Smith & Hans Conried; won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Going Places" color short [M.G.M. 1948] /tt6021616/
Co-produced by Fred Quimby; co-produced & directed by John Sutherland - Cold War-era cartoon aimed at convincing workers
that increased productivity brings about greater purchasing power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rxN-4Uk-jY 8.34
 | "Make Mine Freedom" [Harding College/Lowe's-M.G.M. Feb 1948] Snake oil salesman Dr. Utopia tries to sell the American people 'happiness' (communism) in exchange for their freedom, but John Q. Public stands up against him • Produced by Fred Quimby & John Sutherland; directed by Joseph Barbera & William Hanna VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • cartoon entry at Wikipedia watch color cartoon [1/2016 upload; 9:30] online at YouTube |
"Meet King Joe" [Harding College/M.G.M. Jan 1949] /tt0151524/
Produced by John Sutherland - shows America's industrial might and how that enables its citizens to buy 'all the good things in life'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-6YQQ779YM 9.24
"Why Play Leap Frog?: Fun Facts About America" [Harding College/M.G.M. Jan 1950] /tt0153800/
Produced by John Sutherland; directed by George Gordon - worker Joe learns how the economy works
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWDyrJ7rKE0 9.39
"Albert In Blunderland" [Harding College/M.G.M. 1950] /tt9397778/
"Inside Cackle Corners" [Oct 1951] /tt0151065/
"Fresh Laid Plans" [Dec 1951] /tt0150642/
"The Devil and John Q" [1952] /tt6098820/ https://vimeo.com/18480971
"Freedom and Power" [General Electric 1952] not listed at IMDb
Produced by Rafael G. Wolff Studios in Hollywood; General Electric [est. 1878] 75th anniversary promo shows how electricity
has helped grow America from its roots of independence to a great powerhouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FpzqG4k0iA 26.39
"What Makes Us Tick" [New York Stock Exchange 1952] /tt0498131/
"Dear Uncle" [1953] /tt12466424/
"It’s Everybody’s Business" [U.S. Department of Commerce 1954] /tt0498114/
sponsored by Dupont & by U.S. Chamber of Commerce; co-produced by George Gordon, co-written & co-produced by John Sutherland, directed by Carl Urbano,
story by William 'Bill' Scott, with voices of Macdonald Carey & Herb Vigran - Cold War propaganda short explaining how capitalism guarantees America's freedoms,
how American consumption works, and how money works
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHDyE954l4U 19.53
"Destination Earth" [American Petroleum Institute 1956] /tt0417600/
Martian visitor to earth learns that the U.S. economy is built on petroleum and free enterprise.
"Your Safety First" [Automobile Manufacturers Assn. 1956] /tt0498133/ history of the automobile
"The Great War: World War I" [10/1956] /tt0947456/ episode of "Project Twenty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNkGacOZ_Yg
"La Grande Guerra" [Italy 1959] /tt0052861/
 | "Pioneering With Power" color film [Yankee Atomic Electric 1960] 29-minute color film about the 1960 construction of the Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Rowe (outside Springfield), Massachusetts; it operated until 1992 and what remains now is the spent fuel in sealed casks waiting to be shipped to a federal storage facility – once one exists not listed at IMDb • poer station entry at Wikipedia watch color film [5/2015 upload; 28:51] online at YouTube |
Stanley Kubrick's 1971 "Clockwork Orange" movie
"Hoaxed" [2019] /tt8991264/ a movie about 'fake news' that is made up of fake news
educational propaganda movies
Educational propaganda covers a wide range of styles: there are the straight documentaries - 'the World's Fair is great' - to biased documentaries - 'atomic energy is wonderful'
- to the 'tell no truth' propaganda of the Nazis during World War II and of today's Fox Faux News propaganda machine and fascist propagandist Dinesh D’Souza.
"Flying Cadets of The U.S. Army Air Corps" [1940s] - not found on IMDb
recruitment film, showing basic flight training; produced by Materiel Division of USAAC; written & directed by Capt. John H. Fite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqcfSaHi9QA 41.14
"Combat Counterintelligence" [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1942] - not found on IMDb
21-minute training film on the danger of giving up information to the enemy. Dramatization compares activities of professional sports scout to information gathering
activities of war. Lessons stressed: do not carry cameras, diaries, engraved lighters, etc. as they are potentially useful to the enemy. Shows examples of careless
behavior that resulted in giving up information which in turn led to disaster for friendly troops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdknwde1AgU 20.01
"The Enemy Japan" in 3 parts [U.S. Navy 1942?] - not found on IMDb
Produced by "The March of Time" newsreels, narrated by former Ambassador Joseph C. Grew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_March_of_Time#Feature_films
"Part I The Land + Part II The People" [U.S. Navy 1942?]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCTnoSJgdyQ 30.18
"The Enemy Japan: Part III The Dream of Empire" [U.S. Navy 1942?]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzovrlCIFk 22.00
"Know Your Enemy - Japan" short version [U.S. War Dept. 1942] - not found on IMDb
15-minute film produced by the Princeton Film Center & Gordon Knox; written by Maj. George Fielding Eliot; narrated by Radcliffe Hall {not connected to 63-minute film of 1945}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsPSuiISuxU 14.46
"Safeguarding Military Information" [A.M.P.A.S./U.S. Army 1/1942] /tt0035281/
11-minute film stressing the importance of secrecy on the part of military personnel and workers engaged in defense activities, and showing the potential results of careless talk - ship explosion, sabotage, and disastrous events resulting from thoughtless revelation of information to the enemy • Produced by Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences; written by Preston Sturges [1898-1959]; starring Walter Huston, Eddie Bracken, Ginger Rogers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeguarding_Military_Information
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEpX9KfjdlE 11.18
"Intelligence Gathering" [F.M.P.U. 1943] - not found on IMDb
29½-minute training film describes interrogation techniques and other intelligence activities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6ClL0X9EU 29.33
"For God and Country" [F.M.P.U./M.G.M. 1943] /tt0145781/
42-minute film about the U.S. Army Chaplain Service, starring Capt. Ronald Reagan [1911-2004]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQHkFMiqHQ 42.11
"My Japan" [U.S. Treasury Dept. 1943] /tt0881291/
a complex and disturbing 16-minute anti-Japanese propaganda film produced for the War Finance Division of the U.S. Treasury Department to spur the sale of U.S. war bonds.
The Japanese powerful commitment to the war is compared to the 'lazy, easy living' American commitment. American successes are denigrated and Japanese losses are minimized.
The devotion of the Japanese is compared to the immoral Americans. Content advisory: explicit racism and extreme violence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvDn3aPryzA 16.24
"As The Twig Is Bent" [Aetna Life 1943] /tt0259865/
11-minute film produced by the Aetna Life Insurance Co. intended for adults; promotes family values in the midst of wartime. Film was a response to World War II's
fracturing of the family, as adults worked late shifts or were in the military, and children, especially teenagers, 'ran amuck'. Includes scenes of juvenile delinquency,
gangsters & criminals, robberies, burglaries, vandalism, drinking, and drug use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKpPWjyVSLo
http://www.archive.org/details/AstheTwi1943 10.49
"Our Enemy Japan" aka "Our Enemy The Japanese" [U.S. Navy 1943] - not found on IMDb
20-minute film produced by the U.S. Navy and the Office of War Information to provide background knowledge about the wartime foe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Enemy_%E2%80%94_The_Japanese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upXhM4r7INw 19.51
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7DsFEwh2k4 19.51
http://www.archive.org/details/OurEnemy1943
"Why We Fight" documentary series [1943-45]
 |  | Educational documentary films produced for showing to new recruits and also released to theaters. Produced & co-directed by Frank Capra [1897-1991] and co-directed by Anatole Litvak [1902-74] & Anthony Veiller [1903-65] for the U.S. Army Signal Corps; the "Prelude To War" segment won a Best Documentary Oscar for the U.S. Army; listed in National Film Registry (2000) Periscope Film LLC Blu-ray set [7/2014] 2 disks for $34.95 Shout! Factory/Timeless Media DVD boxed set [3/2007] 2 disks for $8.99 Gaiam Americas DVD boxed set [2/2009] 4 disks - out of prodn/used Goodtimes DVD boxed set [3/2001] 4 disks - out of prodn/used Questar b&w VHS boxed set [4/2002] 3 tapes for $28.45 Rhino b&w VHS boxed set [8/98] 7 tapes for $37.98 |
more info on Magic Lantern's "Why We Fight" Documentary Series [1943-45] Page
"Know Your Ally: Britain" [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1944] /tt1128215/
42-minute film prepared by the War Department to help you to know and understand one of our Allies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SOvr9fLHUM 42.02
"Officers and Men" [British Army 8/1944] - not found on IMDb
As the Second World War raged on, maintaining morale & discipline in the Allied ranks was seen as one of the keys to winning the fight
against the Nazis; the British Army released a 45-minute training film to instruct officers on how best to lead their men.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYxZt48f6KI 44.49
"Our Job In Japan" [U.S. Army Signal Corps 1945] /tt7837312/
16½-minute training film for U.S. soldiers embarking on occupation duty in Japan. Written by Dr. Seuss, also formed the basis for his later 1947 Oscar-winning film "Design For Death" [Disney 1946?] /tt0040285/; the film was seen as too sympathetic to the Japanese and Gen. MacArthur worked to suppress it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Job_in_Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw-89Mco-xo 16.28
"Your Job In Germany" [U.S. War Dept. 1945]
 | Produced as a warning to troops and civilians in Europe and at home that Nazi officials may no longer wear their uniforms but are still hoping to revive the Reich • Directed by Frank Capra; film and narration was written by Army Major Ted Geisel {later Dr. Seuss}, serving at the U.S.A.A.F. First Motion Picture Unit in California; narrated by John Lund •
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • incomplete credits at IMDb
watch full movie [National Archives 3/2014 upload; 14:24] online at YouTube watch shortened movie [4/2011 upload; 10:40] online at Internet Archive |
"Hitler Lives" [Warner Bros. Dec 1945]
 | taglines on poster: the Nazi nightmare, exposed! - is Germany beaten? - a dramatic challenge to the people of the world! • Someone at Warner Bros. discovered a rule that any film made by the Army could be shown to the general public if the soundtrack was replaced by a new one; so the original narration was removed from "Your Job In Germany" and about 3 minutes of footage was added, and the soundtrack was replaced; the Oscar Award for Best Documentary Short Subject was given to the producers at Warner Bros. in 1946 • Directed by Don Siegel; narration written by Saul Elkins; music by William Lava; film edited by De Leon Anthony; narrated by Knox Manning; includes scenes edited from "Triumph of The Will" [1935]
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • incomplete credits at IMDb watch full movie - requires sign-in [6/2016 upload; 16:50] online at YouTube |
"Know Your Enemy: Japan" [U.S. War Dept. 8/1945] /tt0185405/
63-minute film co-directed by Frank Capra [1897-1991] & Joris Ivens describes history of Japan and descent of its emperor, the importance of Shintoism, rise of the Shogun and their Bushido code, isolationism, the 1854 trade agreement made by Comdr. Matthew Calbraith Perry, Japan's modernization through World War II, government control of education, social and economic distinctions, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, World Wars I & II, and the bombings of Pearl Harbor and of Japan {not connected to 15-minute film of 1942}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvcE9D3mn0Q 1.02.48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG7puijZOWU 1.02.29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Your_Enemy:_Japan
"Public Opinion: An Instructional Film" [Erpi Films Nov 1946]
 | shows the nature & development of public opinion, the factors influencing it, and methods for measuring it, outlining the growth stages as follows: awareness of a problem & individual interpretations of it, suggested remedies, further debate, final action; illustrates public opinion in action in a community; concludes that balanced reporting, free discussion, and expert opinion are essential to an enlightened public opinion; example shown is the town of Centerville solving its problem of terrible water by issuing bonds and building a new water plant. Produced by Encyclopedia Britannica Films, in collaboration with Harold D. Lasswell, PhD of Yale University VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • watch short film [12/2019 upload; 10:01] online at Internet Archive |
"A Is For Atom" [General Electric/M.G.M. 1952]
 | presents what an atom is, how energy is released from certain kinds of atoms, the peacetime uses of atomic energy, and the byproducts of nuclear fission • Produced by George Gordon & John Sutherland; directed by Carl Urbano; written by True Boardman
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb watch color short [4/2017 upload; 14:41] online at YouTube |
"Defense Against Enemy Propaganda" [1956]
27½-minute episode of U.S. Army's weekly "The Big Picture" TV report [1950-67] /tt0045372/; produced by U.S. Army Pictorial Center for Television and hosted by
MSgt Stuart Queen; examines enemy propaganda and its danger to the American way of life, containing examples of media used by the enemy to disseminate propaganda;
actual samples including pamphlets, posters, broadcasts, photographs, and other material show exactly what is enemy propaganda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Picture_(TV_series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ7gb4C4Nj8 27.28
Donald Duck proudly presents "Family Planning" [1967]
 |
green maroon yellow
Produced by Walt Disney Productions for The Population Council [est. 1952]; directed by Les Clark; written by William 'Bill' Bosché; narrated by Paul Frees; voice of Donald Duck by Clarence Nash http://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Family_Planning http://www.cartoonresearch.com/index.php/donald-duck-proudly-presents-family-planning-1967/ VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • watch full cartoon [5/2012 upload; 10:21] online at YouTube |
"Scorched Earth: Propaganda - War of The Mind" [Cromwell Productions Ltd. 2006]
 | There are many weapons of war: fighter planes, heavy tanks, and skilled infantrymen but it could be argued that none is more powerful than the power of suggestion; propaganda and the war of words played an undoubtedly vital role in both the successes and failures of WW2 and governments struggled to gain the upper hand. But one Nazi proved to have a deft talent for spin: Joseph Goebbels • 51-minute documentary film produced by Gavin Bott, Bob Carruthers, Gary Russell; written by David Wake; featuring Bob Carruthers, Robin Lenman, Chris Read; with archive footage of Joseph Goebbels & Adolf Hitler
DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb watch full movie [9/2018 upload; 50:44] online at YouTube |
"Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies" [Hawkeye Pictures April 2019]
 | demystifies the predominant means & methods of propagandist persuasion that have been employed by those seeking power, and explores & analyzes the present day landscape and contextualizes it by looking back at key epochs of history when propaganda defined nations and kept populations obedient • Directed by Larry Weinstein; written by David Mortin & Andrew Edmonds; starring Adam Phillips, Astra Taylor, Colin Moore, David Welch
DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb Amazon Instant Video [2020] HD rental $3.99, HD purchase $4.99 broadcast on P.B.S. America in April 2021: watch P.B.S. 3/2021 trailer [1:00] online at YouTube |
"Selling Lies" documentary film [Revelations Ent. 2019]
 | 92-minute documentary film about 2016 fake news factory in Macedonia • Co-produced, written & directed by Leslie Iwerks; starring Vladimir Tevchev, Trajche Arsov, Mirko Chelkoski
bare credits at IMDb • official movie site • official Iwerks & Co. [est. 1999] website DVD/Blu-ray not available • watch 2/2020 official trailer [3:26] online at YouTube Amazon Instant Video [2019] SD purchase $2.99, HD purchase $3.99 |
political propaganda movies
WWI propaganda film "The Kaiser: Beast of Berlin" [1918 silent] {this film is considered lost}
"The Great Dictator" [United Artists Oct 1940]
 | Chaplin's first talkie; an amnesiac Jewish barber (Chaplin) is released from hospital unaware of a resemblance to his country's new dictator, Adenoid Hynkle (also Chaplin). Temporary favoritism of the Jews is soon replaced with shipment to concentration camps; the barber and a sympathetic officer escape and are captured by enemy forces, who believe that the barber is the dictator. The bogus dictator then delivers a lyrical four-minute radio speech advocating peace • Produced, written, directed & original music by and starring Charlie Chaplin; co-starring Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell & Billy Gilbert; Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Script, Best Actor (CC), Best Supporting Actor (JO), Best Original Score; listed on the National Film Registry in 1997
full credits from IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia Criterion Collection b&w Blu-ray [5/2011] 2 disks for $19.99 Criterion Collection b&w DVD [5/2011] 2 disks for $14.99 Warner Bros. Special Edition b&w DVD [7/2003] 2 disks for $39.85 Fox b&w VHS [11/92] for $8.92 |
Chaplin's "The Greatest Speech Ever Made" excerpted from "The Great Dictator" [1940]
watch video [3/2016 upload; 3:36] on YouTube
lots more on Magic Lantern's Charles Chaplin [1889-1977] Pages / "Great Dictator" Section
"The Eternal Jew (Der Ewige Jude)" Nazi propaganda film
[D.F.G. Germany Nov 1940]
  | This film constitutes hate speech and is included here only so that visitors can see what original and contemporary Nazis have been brainwashed into believing • After Germany invaded Poland in November 1939, German Army camera crews filmed on the streets of Lódz and that footage was combined with existing clips to create this pseudo-documentary • Produced by Joseph Goebbels; directed by Fritz Hippler; written by Eberhard Taubert; music by Franz R. Friedl; narrated by Harry Giese; with archive footage {as themselves} of: Adolf Hitler {speaking at Reichstagssitzung}, Albert Einstein, Charles Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, Max Reinhardt, Rosa Luxemburg, Mona Maris, Léon Blum, Kurt Gerron, Leslie Hore-Belisha, Emil Ludwig, Richard Oswald, Walther Rathenau, Philipp Scheidemann, Richard Tauber, Rosa Valetti, Curt Bois; and archive footage of acting by Peter Lorre, Anna Sten, George Arliss, Fritz Kortner, Max Pohl
German-language A&M Prodns b&w DVD-R [2012] out of prodn/used Intl. Historic Films b&w VHS [undated] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia watch full movie - English subtitles & narration [7/2016 upload; 1:05:19] online at YouTube "The Eternal Jew: Transcribed" [2017] by Eberhard Taubert English-language Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2017] for $2.00 |
"Mr. Franklin Roosevelt Chats" [Germany 1942]
13½-minute German propaganda piece that depicts the United States as a country that exploits its workers and farmers for the benefit of the wealthy,
and presents Franklin Roosevelt [1882-1945] and Winston Churchill [1874-1965] as the main promoters of war; the soundtrack is in German.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmSxfHANRi4
"Don't Be A Sucker: On Fascism, Bigotry & Propaganda In America"
[U.S. War Dept. 1943/1946/1947]
 | 18-minute U.S. government anti-fascist propaganda film released in July 1943 and July 1946 and again in 1947; a young man seems to agree with the speaker on a park soap box, but a naturalized citizen from Hungary opens the man's eyes to the reality of fascist propaganda as happened during World War II • Narrated by Lloyd Nolan; featuring Robert Adler, Richard Alexander, Robert Bailey, Felix Bressart, Chick Chandler, George Chandler, Martin Kosleck, Kurt Kreuger, Richard Lane, Paul Lukas, Frank O'Connor, Robert R. Stephenson, George E. Stone, Ivan Triesault, and Bobby Watson, with archive footage of Joseph Goebbels & Adolf Hitler
17-minute third-party vendor Q.I.P. b&w DVD [10/2017] for $4.99 + s/h credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia • watch full movie [22:49] online at YouTube |
"The Contender (2000) /tt0208874/
Sen. Laine Hanson is a contender for U.S. Vice President, but information and disinformation about her past surfaces that threatens to derail her confirmation.
"United 93" (2006) /tt0475276/
A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot; directed by Paul Greengrass; starring David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zayas, J.J. Johnson
behavioral propaganda movies
"Reefer Madness" [1936] /tt0028346/
"Public Opinion (Rumeur Publique)" [Italy Feb 1954] /tt0046148/
"Boys Beware" [1961] /tt0259898/
10-minute anti-homosexual social 'scare' film that focuses on the dangers of young boys talking to strangers; Star: Sid Davis
religionist propaganda movies
"If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do?" [1971] + red scare /tt0336618/
Rev. Estus W. Pirkle warns the citizens of America that if they do not give up their depraved ways and turn to God and Jesus for salvation, then communist infiltrators, the 'footmen', will pave the way for an all-out invasion by weakening our will through TV, dance, rock music, and alcohol; once the invasion begins, the new communist government will proceed to round up all christians, and either execute them or force them to undergo re-education; Rev. Pirkle says that only by putting their faith in the Bible can America resist the coming Red Menace.
"The Principle: New Science" [In Ohm Ent./Rocky Mountain Pictures Oct 2014]
 | tagline: "The universe is trying to tell us something ... Are we listening?" • 'astonishing new scientific [propaganda] challenges the Copernican Principle, the foundational assumption underlying the modern scientific worldview' Directed & co-edited by Katheryne Thomas; written & co-produced by Rick DeLano; starring Julian Barbour, Robert J. Bennett, John Byl, Bernard J. Carr, George F.R. Ellis, John Hartnett, Ron Hatch, physicist Dr. Michio Kaku, Lawrence Krauss, Kate Mulgrew, Charissa Saverio {as hologram girl}, Martin Selbrede, (co-producer) Robert Sungenis, Max Tegmark • DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site Amazon Instant Video [2014] HD rental $2.99, HD purchase $9.99 watch 12/2013 official trailer [2:20] online at YouTube watch full movie [2/2020 upload; 1:28:09] online at YouTube |
"God's Not Dead" [2014] /tt2528814/
College philosophy professor curriculum is challenged by a new student, who believes that God exists; directed by Harold Cronk;
starring Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, David A.R. White, Dean Cain
"God's Not Dead 2" [2016] /tt4824308/
When a high school teacher is asked a question in class about Jesus, her response lands her in deep trouble; directed by Harold Cronk;
starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A.R. White, Hayley Orrantia
"The Trump Prophecy" (2018) /tt8235296/
Mary Colbert feels called to start a national prayer movement across the nation for the leadership of America and a return to the godly principles
that they were founded upon {sic}; directed by Stephan Schultze; starring Chris Nelson, Paulette Todd, Karen Boles, Don Brooks
here on the Propaganda Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of Page 1 •• brief essay •• books about propaganda •• books about propaganda movies •• books about other media ••
propaganda posters •• other media •• image gallery •• important propagandists •• links
top of Page 2 •• selected films & compilations •• basic propaganda movies •• educational propaganda movies ••
political propaganda movies •• behavioral propaganda movies •• religionist propaganda movies
see also Magic Lantern's World War II Cartoons Film Festival
see also Magic Lantern's U.S.A.A.F. First Motion Picture Unit Page
Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow
these instructions.
Online sales in association with 
top of this page • • back to Magic Lantern homepage