The Hollywood film from 1939-1945 was more than just entertainment. It also served to educate and information the American Public and our allies about the war effort both on the home front and in the battlefield. Almost 1700 films were made during the six years of World War II with about half of these films dealt with some topic pertaining to the war. Many films were made with the help of the army and the navy, who saw the films as a way to boost recruitment. These films were a powerful tool, something that the Roosevelt administration recognized early on and sought to harness. The main purpose of my paper will be: How did the World War II film reinforce the ideas of patriotism and the ideas of hatred toward our enemies? Also included in the paper will be how the immediate post-war films and how the changes in society have impacted the current war film.
Because of the number of films made during the war period, it is best to focus on a handful of films that fictionalizes a historic battle (Wake Island, 1942) and talks about the soldiers based on dispatches written by journalist Ernie Pyle (The Story of G.I. Joe, 1945). The bulk of the paper will revolve around this to two films. The latter lends some credibility to the soldier that was not present in earlier war films. The former was one of the first post-Pearl Harbor films made that chronicled the battle that ushered in a series of defeats in the Pacific, but left viewers with a feeling of going after the enemy at all costs and left the audience with a positive feeling. While close analysis will be given to the above films, it is important to note the history of Hollywood’s involvement in making “propaganda” films for the government. Entertainment films along with documentary films made for soldiers and citizens filled movie houses during the war years and each of them have its own impact on how Americans viewed the war. The films were not censored, but they did require certain content that showed off American “ideals” aboard. The OWI did not want a negative picture portrayed of the United States. Also important to the discussion are the ways in which the films were used—Wake Island was used to sell war bonds. I do not recall the exact number, but the Detroit premiere was used to sell war bonds.
Hollywood did not jump into the war effort. They were reluctant to make films critical of foreign regimes out of fear it would cut into their bottom line. They skirted international politics while the status quo in the United States remained steadfastly neutral from 1933-1939. Hollywood only began to change when the Roosevelt administration started to move toward internationalism. The Office War of Information (OWI, formed in mid-1942 by combining several pre-war agencies) concluded that it was in the best interest of the nation that Hollywood make serious films (but not too serious) about the war effort and to sell America abroad. OWI issued a manual to Hollywood studios about what to show, the type of films that would help the Allies win the war, will this film hurt the war effort, and which film will best sell the war aims of the United States government. The OWI’s effectiveness is questionable because most studios preferred to work directly with the armed forces to make their films. Both the army and navy were heavily involved in making most of the combat films and approved the scripts in addition to supplying the equipment and men for the productions. OWI had sought to control Hollywood’s productions but they did get the kind of control until mid-way through the war and even then, there was resistance from the studios.
About