chalk

Don't I have this cursed thing inside me?
This fire, this voice, this agony?

Apparently yesterday was Nazi propaganda film day and no one told me.

At church we watched a clip from what I presume was Triumph of the Will. It was a Hitler speech, expertly edited, thus why I presume it was from Triumph of the Will. Needless to say it was incredibly hard to watch.

My second film of the day was Fritz Lang's first talkie movie, M (1931). Now when I call this a Nazi propaganda film, I am creating an unfair representation. The Nazi's used the movie to show the evils of sexual deviance according to Netflix. Lang himself escaped Germany because he was afraid of the Nazi regime. (Ironically, looking at wikipedia, the propaganda minister really liked Lang's Metropolis... which in essence is a Babel/pride-of-man story.) I just thought it was an interesting coincidence that these two viewing coincided on the same day.

M was hard to watch as well at points. I am generally not one who gets to the point of "don't go in there" moments in suspense movies, but due to the subject matter in this movie I was quite tensed up whenever the murderer was on the prowl in M. And Peter Lorre is the expert at creepy (shudder). Everything in you begins to cry out for this man to be caught and punished as this movie unfolds.

Still, my mind was not fully engaged in the movie up until the final scene. Well technically it was the second to last scene, but it was the final extended scene. This scene kicked my mind into full gear. It is a court room scene of sorts but with an amazing twist. To me this scene turned into a trial over humanity, a trial over sin. I would go on, but I think I will cop out saying I do not want to give anything more away.

Oh and the scene for which the movie gets its name is visually brilliant.

Do I recommend this movie... umm... I do not guarantee that everyone will like it. I think you will have to know your own tastes in order to decide on this one. I shall remain noncommittal for you.

So all told, two propaganda films and both an amazing portrayal of human sin and pride. In one case more intentionally portrayed (though I think my views differ from Lang considerably) and in the other, well, sin is very definitely on display.