FILM: Photos From the Front (2009) - A German POV on WWII
Interesting looking doc from the NFN. Sounds like it would be great not just to teach WWII but to explore perception and visual literacy.
48 min | Full Screen.
Directed by Martin Luksan
Summary
As the war in Europe escalated, German commanders anticipated the anxiety their troops were feeling as they braced themselves for conflict. In a strategy to distract soldiers from thinking too much about their ultimate purpose, they were encouraged to take up photography. Cameras were relatively inexpensive, and taking pictures allowed the men to cope with their hardships by viewing war almost as a hobby. After the war, the pictures were saved in photo albums, many of which later became common items for sale in Viennese flea markets.
In Photos from the Front, several of these photographs have been collected, capturing a perspective of World War II that has rarely been seen before. With intimate views of the 1940 Blitzkrieg in France and the attack on Russia in 1941, rank-and-file soldiers as well as press photographers preserved their experiences, while also trying to present World War II as one big adventure. In this film, images, newsreel clips, historical analyses and interviews with surviving soldiers focus not on battles, but instead on the soldiers’ day-to-day routine and provide a rare—and sometimes graphic—glimpse into the workings of the German war machinery. A fascinating account of soldiers on the front line of war, this film will be of interest to not only historians but anyone interested in World War II.
Website: https://www.nationalfilmnetwork.com/store/productdetails.aspx?Produ...
48 min | Full Screen.
Directed by Martin Luksan
Summary
As the war in Europe escalated, German commanders anticipated the anxiety their troops were feeling as they braced themselves for conflict. In a strategy to distract soldiers from thinking too much about their ultimate purpose, they were encouraged to take up photography. Cameras were relatively inexpensive, and taking pictures allowed the men to cope with their hardships by viewing war almost as a hobby. After the war, the pictures were saved in photo albums, many of which later became common items for sale in Viennese flea markets.
In Photos from the Front, several of these photographs have been collected, capturing a perspective of World War II that has rarely been seen before. With intimate views of the 1940 Blitzkrieg in France and the attack on Russia in 1941, rank-and-file soldiers as well as press photographers preserved their experiences, while also trying to present World War II as one big adventure. In this film, images, newsreel clips, historical analyses and interviews with surviving soldiers focus not on battles, but instead on the soldiers’ day-to-day routine and provide a rare—and sometimes graphic—glimpse into the workings of the German war machinery. A fascinating account of soldiers on the front line of war, this film will be of interest to not only historians but anyone interested in World War II.
Website: https://www.nationalfilmnetwork.com/store/productdetails.aspx?Produ...
Views: 7
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ashley Cornelison on
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One of my favorite topics is World War II. I wrote a paper last semester that had something to do with the experiences of soldiers during World War I so a movie that will tell about the soldiers during World War II would be fascinating, especially from the German soldier's point of view. This seems like something would work well in a classroom, however, I would not know for certain unless I actually watched the movie myself. It does seem like it would be a good resource though.
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Permalink Reply by kohl meyer on
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WWII is also one of my favorite subjects in history. I had heard of this film before but was not aware that it was created from the German soldiers perspective. I have always been intrigued as to how German soldiers were affected by this war and have not done a lot of research in that area. This will be a very useful tool in that way.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Goble on
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I think one of the most interesting discussion you can have in history classes is the "perception" and "point of view" discussion - this film coupled with some crazy Post WWII in Germany stuff could make for some pretty rich discussion see the film "Nasty Girl" and no, it is not a dirty movie!
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