Elissa Mailänder, Associate Professor, Sciences Po Paris
Sponsored by the Center for German & European Studies and the the Department of German, Nordic & Slavic.
The Nazis were masterful consumers of modern media, despite their aversion to what they considered the perilous trappings of modernity.They drew upon a wide array of media to first mobilize voters, then consolidate power, and, ultimately, to motivate German citizens in the waging of war. The flourishing German film industry lured more than a million spectators per year into movie theaters during the war era. Blockbusters such as Wunschkonzert (Dream Concert), Die grosse Liebe (The Great Love), or Zwei in einer grossen Stadt (Two People in a Big City) explicitly targeted a young public who craved entertainment, romance, adventure, and escapism from the realities of war. By situating these action films and romantic comedies with contemporaneous events, the movies showcased a “fun” and dynamic Nazi society while promoting highly politicized images of “modern” gender relations.