Kaes, Anton. . From Hitler to Heimat : the return of history as film / Anton Kaes. 0674324552 (alk. paper) series Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1989.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.G3 K2913 1989
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.G3 K2913 1989
Call#: Van Pelt Library--4 East--Temporary Location Annenberg PN1993.5.G3 K2913 1989
Call#: Van Pelt Library--4 East--Temporary Location Annenberg PN1993.5.G3 K2913 1989

Kaes, Anton. From Hitler to Heimat: the return of hstory as film. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989.

“The Politics of Representation”

    This chapter starts with a description of the contrasting images of the filming of the extravagant film Kolberg with the harsh realities of war.  Germany was constantly being bombed by the allies; the people were seeking refuge in bomb shelters while director Veit Harlan was concerned with finishing filming.  This introduction shows the ridiculousness of the whole situation.  This situation illustrates how the priorities of the Nazis were very misguided.  Goebbels, who was also overseeing the project, allowed for Harlan to draw away almost 200,000 troops from battle for use in the film.  Kolberg was a film about a historic battle at Kolberg in which the citizens were key to victory.  The film was meant to inspire, but it was released only a couple of months preceding eventual defeat. The film’s propaganda was lost because the war was already lost. “Today, Harlan’s Kolberg has become an emblem of the Third Reich’s unshakable belief in the demagogic power of images” (Kaes 3-4).  The Nazi political system relied on keeping its power through the maintaining of an appearance of strength and a belief in the system, which were both fostered by propaganda through film.  The keeping up of these appearances became a major goal of the Nazis that often interfered with other priorities i.e. the war effort. The only reason the Nazis were successful was because of the Godlike status the Nazis were able to give Hitler through the use of these appearances, which were built using film. 
     The argument of this chapter directly supports the claim that the Nazis placed an overly high value on film because of the over importance of image and appearances to the Nazi system.  Goebbels and the Nazis should have recognized, though, that the resources spent on keeping up these appearances with extravagant films like Kolberg would have been better utilized directly in the war. The maintaining of appearances should not matter once fear of survival is an issue, but Goebbels obviously did not realize this.  The Nazis should have changed their priorities once the threat of defeat became evident.  It is unbelievable that even a couple months before defeat Goebbels still had the production of Kolberg completed.  The propaganda generated by film was seemingly more important to Goebbels than military victory.  Such misguided priorities and principles doomed the Nazis.