As with most propaganda films, the viewer must put aside any political likes or dislikes or be drawn into the controversy surrounding the Davies mission. Then, and only then, can any value be drawn from this docu-drama, for even in propaganda there is truth if one knows how to ferret facts from distortions. For example, as the film illustrates, there were Hitler Youth marching through German cities, there were Soviet army purges, there was an enormous Soviet industrial capacity that was portable, and there was convertible tractor to tank production in Russia. In a real sense, this film is a case study in how documentary material can be woven into dramatic content. By viewing it, can one learn to sort fact from fancy. The more who see this film, the better. One soon realizes that the documentary film is the testimony to history, not the distorted editorialising.
One puzzling question: Why was this film made? By January of 1943 President Roosevelt said that the Axis powers had to win the war in 1942 or lose everything. A 1943 movie about what transpired in 1936 to 1938 makes little strategic or political sense. As Davies says in the film: "I wish I had three heads and six pairs of eyes."
One puzzling question: Why was this film made? By January of 1943 President Roosevelt said that the Axis powers had to win the war in 1942 or lose everything. A 1943 movie about what transpired in 1936 to 1938 makes little strategic or political sense. As Davies says in the film: "I wish I had three heads and six pairs of eyes."