I jumped down from the last step of the school bus and ran into the yard. My sister was waiting for me dressed in red tights and leotards. She had a single feather in her headband. She had spent the day at freshman initiation in college while I had spent the day in first grade. She turned and pointed at our mother who was holding something. “Don’t stop!” she shouted, “This is a movie camera!”
Abraham Zapruder had nothing on my parents. The whole family enjoyed our Bell and Howell for years. We even learned how to splice film together for longer home movies. Apparently civilian Germans were enthralled with home movies, too. Enough home movies and amateur film survived the Second World War that Nicole Rittenmeyer and Seth Skundrick were able to assemble enough footage to fill two DVD’s with previously unseen footage.
The film‘s narrator warns, “Some of what you are about to see has never been shown on American TV before, and some of it can not be shown in Germany even today. These are their words, their films.” In addition, we hear from at least a half dozen speakers (many of whom shot the film being shown) voicing their concerns, emotions, and points of view. Most segments began with the narrator suggesting that, “If you were German in 1937...etc.” or, “If you were Jewish living in Poland…etc.” as a way of setting up the clip about to be shown.
Walter Lenger and his family appear in several segments as loyal citizens doing their part to support the cause. A German society journalist (Bella Fromm) offers a contrasting point of view as she wept with joy upon entering the U.S. Embassy with passport. “I’ve got to get out before it’s too late.” Scenes from Hitler Youth camps with voiceovers from teens, who had pledged their loyalty to the Fuhrer, illustrate the fanaticism so prevalent at the time.
Lenger’s film was a notch better than amateur and likely made with better equipment. Recent discoveries of unfinished film in vaults along with these clips brought out of Germany by Russian soldiers provide insight into what really was going on in Nazi Germany. Some clips include scenes of the victorious allies along with the terrifying results of the destruction of Germany.
The Third Reich was released on April 12, 2011 and is available from The History Channel and Amazon.
Abraham Zapruder had nothing on my parents. The whole family enjoyed our Bell and Howell for years. We even learned how to splice film together for longer home movies. Apparently civilian Germans were enthralled with home movies, too. Enough home movies and amateur film survived the Second World War that Nicole Rittenmeyer and Seth Skundrick were able to assemble enough footage to fill two DVD’s with previously unseen footage.
The film‘s narrator warns, “Some of what you are about to see has never been shown on American TV before, and some of it can not be shown in Germany even today. These are their words, their films.” In addition, we hear from at least a half dozen speakers (many of whom shot the film being shown) voicing their concerns, emotions, and points of view. Most segments began with the narrator suggesting that, “If you were German in 1937...etc.” or, “If you were Jewish living in Poland…etc.” as a way of setting up the clip about to be shown.
Walter Lenger and his family appear in several segments as loyal citizens doing their part to support the cause. A German society journalist (Bella Fromm) offers a contrasting point of view as she wept with joy upon entering the U.S. Embassy with passport. “I’ve got to get out before it’s too late.” Scenes from Hitler Youth camps with voiceovers from teens, who had pledged their loyalty to the Fuhrer, illustrate the fanaticism so prevalent at the time.
Lenger’s film was a notch better than amateur and likely made with better equipment. Recent discoveries of unfinished film in vaults along with these clips brought out of Germany by Russian soldiers provide insight into what really was going on in Nazi Germany. Some clips include scenes of the victorious allies along with the terrifying results of the destruction of Germany.
The Third Reich was released on April 12, 2011 and is available from The History Channel and Amazon.
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