Television Under the Swastika (TV 1999)
"Das Fernsehen unter dem Hakenkreuz" (original title)

A history of Nazi television programming and technology, from 1935 to 1944.

Director:

Michael Kloft

Writer:

Michael Kloft

Stars:

Eugen Hadamovsky, Adolf Heuser, Kurt Hinzmann

Cast

Credited cast:
Eugen Hadamovsky	...	Himself - Reich Broadcasting Director, Accompanies Goebbels (archive footage)
Adolf Heuser	...	Himself - Boxes Schmeling (archive footage)
Kurt Hinzmann	...	Himself - Former Production Supervisor
Joseph Hoppe	...	Himself - Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin: German Museum of Technology, Berlin
Fritz Janek	...	Himself - TV Reporter, with Ley (archive footage) (unconfirmed)
Santiago Lovell	...	Himself - Argentine Boxer (archive footage)
Heinz Riek	...	Himself - Former TV Reporter
Hans-Gunter Voigt	...	Himself - Bundesfilmarchiv: German Federal Film Archives

Storyline

A history of Nazi television programming and technology, from 1935 to 1944.

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Plot Keywords:

television | nazi | television history | media | nazi propaganda | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Sport

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Also Known As:

Unseen Footage from the Third Reich

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spiegel TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Color:

Black and White Color

User Reviews

Fascinating look at the birth of TV broadcasting

This excellent documentary shows clips from 1935-1944. Clips include interview programs with Labor Minister Robert Ley, footage of the 1936 Olympics, light entertainment programs (vaudeville, etc.), plays, exercise shows, propaganda documentaries, cooking shows, and coverage of the 1938 (I think) Nuremberg rally. There's also a documentary of how amputee vets are being rehabilitated with artificial legs.

It also interviews some of the German TV pioneers who explain how some of the early technology worked (camera trucks at the Olympics, for example, had automatic film-developing machinery inside the truck.) Also fascinating is the political background behind the broadcasts, the technology, distribution of TV sets, how the war affected the planned and actual use of broadcasting, etc.

I guess it's no surprise that we were never taught in school that TV (the greatest invention in the history of the universe, if you ask any kid) was largely developed by the Nazis. They were no doubt afraid it just might have turned us all into Hitler Youth.