From the “You Can’t Make this Stuff Up” File
That time the Nazis made a movie about the Titanic.
This is a remarkable story via WaPo: Ship in German ‘Titanic’ film sank, killing far more than the real one.
The 1943 “Titanic,” made by the Nazis during the height of World War II to show off the Germans’ superior morals and moviemaking skills, was actually the country’s third take on the disaster, following “In Nacht und Eis (Shipwrecked in Icebergs)” (1912) and “Atlantic” (1929). With this latest retelling, the filmmakers sought to frame the ship’s sinking as the fault of imperialist Western arrogance.
[…]
With a 4 million reichsmark budget — the equivalent of roughly $180 million today — the German “Titanic” was one of the most expensive films of the 20th century, though it’s not obvious from the results on-screen. The ship, for example, is alternately tilted and level after the collision, and censorship by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who commissioned the film, may be responsible for some of the awkward dialogue.
[…]
The movie’s twisting of facts to suit the Nazis’ agenda meant major creative differences behind the scenes. Selpin, frustrated with the interference of military officials on set and the fact each day’s rushes had to be sent to Berlin for approval, made remarks critical of the Nazi regime. He was denounced by the film’s screenwriter to the authorities, arrested, interrogated by Goebbels, and found hanged in his prison cell the next morning.
The film had to be completed by an uncredited director, Werner Klinger. On the night before its scheduled premiere, the British Royal Air Force bombed the theater that was housing the movie’s answer print.
The whole piece is worth a read and is just an insane example of an authoritarian regime, high on its own ideological supply, trying to use art to further its goals. It is both comedic and sinister.
The worst part of the tale, by far, is the later usage of the ship in question as essentially a concentration camp at end of the war. These are the thousands killed as noted in the headline (which is confusing because it makes it sound like they died making the movie).
On May 3, 1945, three days after Adolf Hitler’s suicide, it was holding a reported 6,000 prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp, driven there by Nazis anxious to conceal their atrocities from the advancing Allies. (Some estimates put the number of prisoners as high as 7,000.)
Hence, this is ultimately a story of the utter evil of that regime.
Did the Nazi versions of the Titanic show the Benjamin Guggenheim story? He acted with courage and gallantry. We Jews are full of those virtues.
@Slugger:
And chag sameach to you.
The propaganda minister commissioned the film, at great expense, censored it’s writing, then prohibited it’s release. The director got so frustrated he made anti-regime remarks, was turned in by a screenwriter, and after interrogation committed suicide. Meanwhile the military were diverting assets from the war for the film, doing their own kibitzing of the script and shooting, and complaining about but allowing film set lighting at night in a blackout.
A couple days ago I commented that despite the prez having little control over the economy the economy somehow generally does better under D presidents. This story about the movie is an example of why I think that happens. The GOPs are schizoid, a plutocratic party with a populist face. It leads to secret goals, hidden agendas, changing rationalizations, and infighting. Also an example of how an authoritarian regime like Putin’s comes to screw up as bad as they have.
Not the point, really, but I cordially dislike the phrase, ‘You can’t make this stuff up.’ Yes, I can. I make stuff up a lot, actually. It’s akin to, ‘heh heh, must been high when they. . .’ Nope. Imagination does not come from weed.
@Michael Reynolds:
Gallagher would disagree.
I believe the comment from one of his shows was “You don’t come up with invisible diving baby elephants from drinking coffee.”
@Michael Reynolds:
I think of it as a concise way of saying, “If a writer had made this up, their editor would demand it be excised as not even remotely credible.”
In this case, much the same happened to the fascist-period Italian production Noi Vivi, and adaptation of Rand’s We The Living.
BTW, reports are that after reading the script for the B5 two-part ep “War Without End,” Peter Jurasik asked Straczynski what he had been smoking and to please send him some.
@Michael Reynolds:
As Cracker and I have noted many times, “[fill in the blank] has to be true, because fiction has to make sense.”
@Michael Reynolds: I take the basic point, but you understand what the phrase attempts to convey, yes?
@Michael Reynolds: Also, as minor as it may seem, I always have to think about what image will go along with a story/headline. The above headline device means not having to figure out what image of the Titanic or whatnot I might need to dig up, especially since the goal is to use public domain photos/ones (like those I have taken) that I know there is no licensing issue.
It can be amazingly annoying to have to spend a bunch of time on a headline and an image.
@Steven L. Taylor:
The jobs I dread most are any requiring brevity – blurbs are particularly annoying, but also letters to bookstores, back copy, nut graphs, etc… I’m sure you know the famous unattributable quote, “If I had more time I’d write a shorter letter.”