You are here:

Here Is Germany

Name: Here Is Germany
Director: Frank Capra
Released: 1945
Duration: 52 min

Representation Score

1.7/10

Minimal

1945

Director

Frank Capra

Runtime

52 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Frank Capra’s documentary serves as a tool for wartime cohesion, designed to reinforce Allied moral authority. Its narrative structure is focused on consolidating a unified national identity rather than exploring diverse identities. The film relies on rigid moral dichotomies, positioning Western institutional power as the corrective force against fascism. Given its objective of military instruction and propaganda, it avoids any subversion of traditional social hierarchies. Ultimately, the work is a product of its era, prioritizing geopolitical messaging over diverse or nuanced human representation.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Here Is Germany have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not depict any non-straight relationships or queer narratives. The focus is solely on national identity and geopolitical struggles.

How does Here Is Germany portray gender?

Limited

Women are shown mainly in domestic, civilian, or victimized roles. Men are portrayed through military struggle, labor, or political leadership, reinforcing 1940s gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Here Is Germany?

Minimal

The documentary focuses on a homogeneous European demographic. It lacks diverse racial casting or non-white perspectives, emphasizing German national identity.

How does Here Is Germany represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film promotes traditional Western values and portrays the Nazi regime as an aberration from true German culture.

Does Here Is Germany include disability representation?

Limited

Physical impairments and trauma are used as rhetorical devices to illustrate the devastation of war. Disability is not presented as a source of ability to act or a nuanced character trait.

Present on Screen

Uses sophisticated narrative structure to mobilize public sentiment and clarify moral dichotomies.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight narratives.
Reinforces traditional 1940s gender hierarchies without challenging masculine or feminine roles.
Excludes non-white and non-Anglo-Saxon perspectives in favor of a homogeneous European focus.
Treats physical disability as a rhetorical device for depicting war rather than a nuanced human trait.
Promotes a rigid, pro-Western cultural perspective that rejects moral relativism.

Official Synopsis

A "know-your-enemy" propaganda film similar to "Know Your Enemy: Japan" and "My Japan", films about Japan with the same objective. It contains a history of the prelude to WW II, the death camps and other Nazi war crimes, and commentary on the character of the German people. Directed by Frank Capra, this film is in essentially the same format as his "Why We Fight" series. It was intended to be shown to American troops participating in the invasion and occupation of Germany. But by the time it was ready, events had overtaken it -- Germany was already well on its way to falling -- so the film was shelved. Although it is readily available for public-domain viewing on the Internet, it has never been widely distributed or shown.

How are these scores produced? →