FACE OF THE ENEMY: MOVIES OF OPPRESSION 2023
Script/Director/Editor: Dovid Loew
Production: LoweFilm Prods.
Producer: Michael Whitehead
Narrator: Geoffrey Kasnitz
Production Design: Jeremy Todd
Sound Design: Roberto Qualia
Editing: Cal Krueger
Historical Research: Westland Liezender, David Rothmann
Film/Photo Research: Jupp Hallermann
Film Restoration: Simon Kaplan
Format: 35mm Color & B/W 244 min.
Language versions: English, German
An informative feature-length documentary film on the dark and sinister usages of the movies as a propaganda arsenal tool by both totalitarian regimes and democratic nations from 1915 until today. Hitler had filmmakers glorify the Nazi party and others to demonize the Jews as criminals and rapists; Mussolini had filmmakers to promote "Il Duce's" military victories in North Africa in silly costume epics; Franco hid out during W.W.II. writing scripts for lavish fascist costume epics; Stalin had Sergei Eisenstein to glorify the October Revolution in his films; Tojo had film propagandists attempt to copy German filmmakers in their newsreels and documentary films; in America, Frank Capra toed the democratic line with blistering documentary films against the Axis Powers; and during the Cold War, including Korea, Vietnam, and beyond, it was no different. The modern art of the political propaganda film continued unabated throughout history. This motion picture, like WHIRLWIND, is the work of many years of extensive research, and access was given to the filmmaker to obtain rare scenes from these controversial movies for the first time. Completed. Winner of a "Best Documentary" award y MoviePlay International Film Festival.