The Inspiration:
In 1934, Leni Riefenstahl filmed the Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. The event was attended by over 700,000 supporters of Hitler and included speeches by many Third Reich figures, most notably Hitler. The subsequent film, Triumph des Willens, or Triumph of the Will, was a used as Nazi propaganda and filled cinemas throughout Germany. Riefenstahl garnered both international cinematic awards and recognition for her film. It portrayed Germany’s new rise to power as something that would only be brought about through Hitler’s leadership. When searching for inspiration for his own propaganda film, Frank Capra turned to Triumph of the Will. Upon viewing it, he stated that the film, “…fired no gun, dropped no bombs. But as a psychological weapon aimed at destroyed the will to resist, it was just as lethal.”
This film’s ability to conjure up such a fervent reaction among Germans actually frightened Capra. He wanted to create a film that stood as a direct response to this Nazi propaganda and decided to implement several propaganda techniques of his own to suit the Allied cause and use the film that motivated the Axis Powers against them.
Why We Fight and Propaganda Filmmaking Tactics:
Capra’s first film, Prelude to War, outlined the reasons for American involvement in World War II. It makes great use of the propaganda tactic of racial stereotyping to create a strong sense of the battle between good and evil. He painted a distinct contrast between the free and democratic nations of the West and the fascist, enslaving countries of the Axis Powers in order to portray the enemy as a barbarian race with no moral code. For example, a scene in the motion picture showed a group of German children singing the praises of Adolph Hitler. According to their song, he is the hero and deity of the Aryan race.
As Claudia Springer points out, “Capra frequently uses images of children to evoke feelings of pity and outrage in the viewer. …Children who have learned their lessons well bear witness to…militarism.”
Capra made it clear that these are German children, loyal to no larger religious code. They are Hitler’s followers, bearing no allegiance to any other God. This set them and the German race in direct opposition to the American principles of upright-living and moralism and creates this dichotomy between American good and German evil.
In another film in the series, The Nazis Strike, Capra outlined the history of Germany’s aggression against the rest of Europe. He begins by detailing Otto Von Bismarck’s foreign policy and the events that led up to the German invasion of Poland. By doing so, Capra stereotyped the German nation as a conniving and scheming race and showed that World War II was simply the culmination of a quest for German domination that had begun decades earlier. As a result, American soldiers and the general public more easily viewed Germany as a separate race, with evil intentions toward domination on a global scale.
Second, Capra presents Why We Fight as a series of documentary films. This means that they are supposed to be based on factual evidence. It takes events and exaggerates them in order to present them as factual evidence and therefore, a more credible story. In The Nazis Strike, the invasion of Poland is depicted with many accuracies. First, it portrays the Polish army as ineffective and completely inept when faced with the Nazi invasion. The military differences are exaggerated – The Polish army’s outdated tanks and biplanes cannot deal with the might and aggressive nature of the advanced, invading Germans. While it is true that the Polish army was outnumbered and not at militarily-advanced, these differences are simply overexaggerated in order to create more sympathy for Poland and showcase Nazi Germany’s depravative aspects. It has even been suggested that the information for this part of the film was taken from Nazi propaganda information itself. However, the invasion is presented in documentary style. Charts and animations are used to graphically depict Nazi battle tactics and the progression of the invasion. This makes it seem more reliable and, as a result, Why We Fight becomes a credible source of information to American soldiers and the general public.
Frank Capra also uses sweeping generalizations to further the polarity of good and evil. In another film in the series, The Battle of China, he paints a clear picture between the innocence of the Chinese people and the deviousness of the Japanese. First, the film exhaults China’s historical accomplishments and vast amounts of land and people. It compares Sun Yat-sen, leader of China during the early twentieth century, to George Washington. The film shows that China’s advancements in medicine, education, transportation, and industry were a result of the positive aspects of Western influence. According to the film, China took this influence as an opportunity to become a better. Therefore, the nation of China is generalized as forward-thinking and closely related to the West in its values and practices.
However, immediately following this description, the film depicts Japan as a devious nation with a plan for a global empire. It portrays the Tanaka Memorial, a book written by Baron Tanaka in 1927, as “… A blueprint for world conquest.” The narrator refers to Japan as disturbed but militarily-sound and build for war due to the rigid dictatorship of Emperor Hirohito and his corrupt warlords. According to the film, Japan took Western influence for only one purpose: to build up their military and eventually dominate the world. This tactic of sweeping generalization not only presents China in a positive light but also classifies Japan on the national scale as deranged, corrupt, and militarily-obsessed. On an even larger scale, to viewers of The Battle of China, United States and its Allied Powers appear good and genuine while Japan and the Axis Powers become evil.
However, it has been argued, especially by Kathleen German in her article, “Frank Capra’s Why We Fight Series and the American Audience,” that this particular film does not depict this dichotomy as well as the other films in the series. Perhaps this leads to the idea that because both China and Japan belong to a different race of people, then the element of racism can be found throughout the film, since the war in the Pacific theatre was classified as a “race war.”
Frank Capra also incorporated different media elements into his propaganda films as another pioneering form of filmmaking propaganda. For example, in Prelude to War, Capra drew video clips directly from Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, most notably scenes of marching Nazi troops, speeches from Hitler, and adoring crowds. However, he used a different voice-over for these particular film excerpts than Riefenstahl. Therefore, he was able to use the same film footage for his own purposes to present the glory of Germany in a different light, one of fanaticism and diabolical devotion to a dictator.
Capra also worked with Disney to create animated maps of Europe and the progression of the Axis Powers to create a more understandable picture of the war. Lastly, he even re-enacted a few scenes in order to create a more dramatic interpretation of events if film footage of them happened to be unavailable. These different media elements were all done under the supervision of the War Department.
Symbol of the American Mindset:
Why We Fight and its propaganda techniques are symbolic of the American mindset during World War II. They reflect common racial stereotypes, upright moralist tendencies, and individualist natures that were present during this time period. In his autobiography, Capra writes, “A simple honest man, driven into a corner by predatory sophisticates, can, if he will, reach down into his God-given resources and come up with the necessary handfuls of courage, wit, and love to triumph.”
This particular quote represents the underlying theme of the film series. Through the American work ethic and individualistic nature of society, the genuine, American individual can rise up in the fight against evil in World War II, be it through actual combat or support for the war effort at home. Also, the common theme that runs throughout these films is the battle between good and evil. This directly correlates with the moral code of Americans during World War II.
Lastly, Why We Fight reflects the American mindset because it shows World War II that American society during this time was particularly racially-charged. The films show what Hollywood propaganda filmmakers believed American soldiers and the general public would best respond to, so elements of racial stereotyping again the German and Asian nationalities in order to create a direct contrast between good and evil are clearly evident. These techniques show that American society at the time responded controversially and actively to racial themes.
Prelude to War. Directed by Frank Capra. War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry, 1942. Accessed October 23, 2012.
The Battle of China. Directed by Frank Capra. Produced by Office of War Information. War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry, 1944. Accessed November 29, 2012.
The Nazis Strike. Directed by Frank Capra. Produced by Office of War Information. War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry, 1943. Accessed October 20, 2012.
Triumph of the Will. Directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Universum Film AG, 1935. Accessed October 23, 2012.
German, Kathleen M. “Frank Capra’s Why We Fight Series and the American Audience.” Western Journal of Speech Communication, (Spring 1990), 237-248. Accessed on November 29, 2012.
Koppes, Clayton R., and Gregory D. Black. Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies. University of California Press, 1990.
Springer, Claudia. “Military Propaganda: Defense Department Films from World War II and Vietnam.” Cultural Critique, No. 3 (Spring 1986): 151-67. Accessed October 25, 2012.
Frank Capra & Why We Fight 