Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi (1943)

Simply put, this is perhaps the most effective political-propaganda short I've seen, particularly since it was made by Disney.There is some of the good Disney comedy in there (a hilarious retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale, only this time to fit the Nazi teachings; and some *clever* re-paintings of Hitler and others), but overall it's a grim and depressing short. It subtly represents the true cruelty of the Nazi, how they treated their soldiers, and especially how they made the parents raise the children who were to become soldiers. It all comes to the inevitable, and again, frightening ending.Highly recommended if you're curious about the Wartime shorts, or as an example if you are doing a report of Political Propaganda.My rating: 10/10.

A rare cartoon that I agree should definitely be shown to history and psychology classes, perhaps even current events.I've shown this cartoon to friends on occasion, to discuss it with them, and they usually find it fascinating. It's disturbing, true, but sometimes, such things need to be examined and understood.First a bit of trivia: On the right hand side of the Verboten list, look at the top name. "Winston", for old Winston Churchill. Joseph (as in Stalin) and Franklin (Roosevelt) also appear.I, keep remembering the image of Hans marching, growing older, then finally becoming a nameless cross. It's hard to not look away for a moment after the end, and think on all those lives wasted, who could have been caring, empathetic individuals if not taught such filth. In many similar ways are psychopaths created "by accident." The lack of loving parental care, the constant humiliation, the feeling that the strong must rule.Contrary to most of the reviews I've seen so far on it, I do not believe that Hans just suddenly begins to hate the rabbit. The teacher's intent, and the result of the humiliation, and the empathic replies of the other boys, saying that cowards must die, is for Hans to see himself as the rabbit for a brief moment. He MUST prove himself to be a fox, strong and not to be trifled with, or he fears he will find himself dead or worse because he showed weakness.In short, Hans learns that lambs must become lions, or else be devoured. True hatred comes in time.All in all, I feel sorry for those children who were molded by this process. Even though the regime didn't last long enough for children molded from birth to grow up fully affected with it, enough were affected to hold onto some of those ideals. Case in point being the fact that Neo-Nazism started soon after the war, and sadly, still thrives today.I hope people who watch this film come away having learned something, about how insidious such propaganda and brainwashing can be.

When I first heard of the extensive line of Disney animated films that were banned in the U.S., I became overwellingly interrested. Knowing how Disney always plays off like the wholesome image, it was nice to see some faulties they made. Alas, I first saw "De Fueher's Face (1943)" and I was stunned that this was ever made! Donald Duck, supporting a Swastika armband, shouting "Heil Hitler!" and claiming to be a Nazi??? That was shocking news! Ultimately, I thought the film was pro-Nazi (there are of course, one of the many rumor of Walt Disney was that he was a Nazi supporter during the war). Thus, after you see the short, you realize it's making fun of Hitler's reich and that it's actually Allied propaganda (mostly for the good ol' USA). "De Fueher's Face", nevertheless, was comical and I couldn't count the number of times I've laughed so hard. This, however, isn't a comedy, but very dramatic and tragic.The short, "Education for Death", based off the novel "Education for Death: The Making of a Nazi" (which is unsurprisingly out-of-print, even though Hitler's "Mein Kampf" is still a best seller) is a dramatic look at the dealing with Nazi Germany and formification of a 'Good Nazi' (and that's "good" meaning a Ayran filled with Hate and prejudice). While it's very politically incorrect if watched now a days, back then, it was pretty much Americans' only look through the eyes of a Hitler followerThe film loosely travels along the lines of the famous anti-war epic, "All Quiet on the Western Front (1930" by which instead of the First World War, it's somewhere near the second. The story starts off with a German mother and father, regestering their newborn baby boy to the fascist government of Germany. They name him Hans. There is then a little segment that's really meant to lighten the tone of the film which some slapstick comedy, involving a Nazi 'retelling' of "Sleeping Beauty", in which Democracy represents the wicked witch, Germany represents Sleeping Beauty and...of all people...Adolf Hitler, as Prince Charming. In the twisted and hilarious short, sleeping beauty is an overweight Germanic opera singer and Hitler is shown as a skimpy, snorting wannabe, who struggles trying to get the fat woman up onto his horse. We then cut back to the main story. Hans is now 7 years old and is apart of the Hitler Youth. At one point, he becomes sick and his mother is unable to tender and cuddle him because the state strictly forbids making future soldiers weak and emotional. After Hans gets better, he returns to class to which the subject is 'weaker species'. The teacher, a 'Brown-shirt' Nazi, draws a little cartoon on the chalkboard about a little cottontail Rabbit who runs away from a hungry Fox. It doesn't take a genius to know that the Rabbit represents "Jews" and the Fox is an "Aryan Race". Hans, not understanding the point, feels sorry for the rabbit. The teacher throws a fit and punishes Hans for disobdience. Hans' anger becomes rabid and feels pure hatred towards the rabbit. Immediately following is a series of shots, involving Hans with a Nazi book burning rally, the destruction of a Catholic church (smart move, knowing that if it was a Synagog, this film would never had seen the light of day) finally ending with the Hitler Youth, "Marching and Heiling, Marching and Heiling!". The youth then transform into teenagers, marching and heiling. Eventually, Hans becomes a full grown up SS Stormtrooper, in which he is ready for battle. The eerie final shot in the film shows the troops marching off in the distance, but then they all fade into tombstones, marking from miles and miles. "And now his Education is complete. His Education for Death"This is a shocking and disturbing film that I recommend showing in History classrooms, in a form of the history of propangada or wartime efforts for victory. To an interresting extent, the entire cartoon (I don't like calling it that, because it's much more than a cartoon) is entirely spoken in German, with the exception of the Narrator. It's kind of sad in the end, but true none the less. Of course, the basic point of the film is not very acurate: The Third Reich ruled Germany for only 12 years (1933-1945), so little Hans would only be 12, or 11, by the time the rule ended. But again, the film was made DURING THE WAR! Also, in the regestration scene, the parents show identification showing that their ancestors were "pure Aryan", whatever that means. Still I recommend it. I wish Disney would stop being so uptight and just release the classic film they had during and after the war, instead of fearing protest for racial or offensive content. It is, after all, history in animation.

Is this the scariest Disney wartime cartoon? Of the very few I've seen, it is.The tone of most of the cartoon is pretty grim. How many others can you name that prominently feature a book-burning?A boy is born to a German family. Much of the film is in German (!) -- high quality German too, by the way -- with English voice-over. A name must be chosen for the boy, once the parents have proven their Aryan ancestry, naturally. The chosen name can't be on the proscribed list, those Old Testament prophets so offensive to Aryans.There is a comic interlude where Germany's saviour, Hitler in silver armour, rescues Germany from the evil witch, Democracy. Germany is personified by an unusually stout Brünnhilde from Wagner's Ring cycle, who sings the words "Heil Hitler" to the tune of the Valkyries' cries of "Heiaha" from Act III of "Die Walküre". This is an opportunity as well to parody that famous Nazi painting -- by whom I don't recall -- of Der Führer wearing a glorious suit of shining steel as did the chivalric heroes of yore. (The one where Hitler looks like an extra from Boorman's "Excalibur".)We see the boy being indoctrinated into cruelty by his teacher at school. Then the boy happens to fall sick. That's not allowed in Nazi Germany; a German "soldat" does not get sick. That scene is very well animated. It reminded me of the endearing Darling family in "Peter Pan" (1953), not coincidentally directed by Clyde Geronimi too.Eventually the boy does become a "soldat", one of a long line of interchangeable soldier faces, much like the row of gleaming boots in "Battleship Potemkin".The soldiers march neatly in line over the brow of the hill, where they perform their final designated service to the Führer, by turning into a row of crosses.Nothing terribly funny about this one, folks. For that, you'd need Donald Duck remakng Charlie Chaplin in "Der Fuehrer's Face" (1943).