Propaganda Film Analysis

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When America entered World war two in 1941, the country began producing an extensive amount of propaganda films to gain support for an Allied victory. The propaganda films hoped to fuel hatred against the Axis powers, which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan and urged the public to support the wartime effort by using the theme of patriotism to motivate them. Many of these films made Americans aware of the German and Japanese aggression and possible threat they posed on democracy. Propaganda films eventually played a crucial role in controlling the public’s mind when the Allies ultimately won the war in 1945. Though hundreds of propaganda films were produced by the American government alongside Hollywood, four propaganda films will be discussed …show more content…
The narrator explains how the rubber in tires can be useful in supplying the Americans and its allies with food and ammunition, which in the long run, can help defeat the Axis powers. The film however, begins by creating a sense of fear and danger. It shows early scenes of Hitler’s conquest of Paris and the narrator discusses how his armies smashed through Europe and how “Hitler looked toward the Eiffel Tower in France, and beyond it, towards another tower, the Statue of Liberty.” The film then forwards four years later, where France is liberated by American troops and shows people cheering them on as they pass by. The narrator eventually begins to discuss the role of rubber and tires for trucks, planes, and jeeps. He reminds the audience that the material is difficult to obtain in the war front, and is produced at home (in America). He also informs the audience that the rubber is used to help their Chinese allies by supplying them with equipment needed to fight the Japanese. The film also describes the difficulties of getting materials over to Asia without an extensive amount of Rubber. Though the purpose of this propaganda film isn’t directly stated in it, the possible purpose would be to urge Americans to conserve any extra rubber they might have for the war …show more content…
It was produced in 1944 by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. It discusses the various military jobs of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The film begins by showing two men sitting on a porch talking about how World war two “is a man’s war.” and criticizing the role of women in the war by saying “What jobs can women possibly get?” Then the film introduces a series of jobs that women can participate in during the war, such as X-ray inspectors, inspectors of Army meat, teachers, interviewers, and many more. The film criticizes the idea of world war two as a man’s war by stating that the Women’s Army Corps works on almost every army vehicle, and are beneficial in testing walkie-talkies and radios. It also includes shots of two prominent generals during the war, General Dwight Eisenhower and General George Marshall. The narrator reminds the audience of General Eisenhower’s words on the WAC, claiming that “in many jobs, the WAC does the work of two men, the army needs and can use all it can get.” and towards the end, General Marshall states “There are hundreds of important Army jobs which women can perform as effectively as men. In fact, we find that they can do some of these jobs much better than the men.” The film also claims that as more women participate in the WAC, the war shortens by “a month, a week, a day, a minute.” The purpose of the film was to